Spoke wrench

A spoke wrench is a small tool that grips the spoke nipple at the rim so you can tighten or loosen a spoke. Small turns pull the rim side to side or up and down to straighten, or "true", the wheel.

What it's used for

Park Tool's truing guide uses an appropriately sized spoke wrench to correct side-to-side (lateral) and up-and-down (radial) wobble (Park Tool truing guide). Spoke tension is a separate measurement, made with a tension meter (Park Tool).

What to look for

• A wrench sized for your nipples. Park Tool stresses using an appropriately sized wrench (Park Tool).
• Special tools for special wheels. Bladed spokes need a holder, and internal nipples need their own tool (Park Tool).

Using it safely

• Know which way is tight. Viewed from the tire side of the rim, clockwise tightens, but on a stand you view the nipple from the hub side, so it looks reversed (Park Tool).
• Turn in small amounts. Park Tool suggests about a quarter turn as a guide, up to a half turn for large wobbles and an eighth for small ones, then check the result (Park Tool).
• Know when to stop. Park Tool says rebuilding a wheel with a bent rim is best left to professionals, and a wheel that keeps breaking spokes should be rebuilt or replaced (Park Tool).
• If a hub motor wheel keeps going out of true or breaking spokes, have a shop look at it.

Videos

Guides that use it

• Check spokes and wheel true
• Fix a flat on a rear hub motor wheel

Sources

• Wheel truing (lateral and radial), Park Tool