This weeks #ToolTuesday is a classic tool for those interested in maintaining or repairing bicycle wheels. Inspired in part as I bought a fixer upper e-bike project and the rear wheel was in a bit of a state of disrepair! The humble spoke key, or "spoke wrench" for those over the pond, comes in a few variants but we'll look at the classic circular tool. Spokes on bike wheels serve an important purpose, they profile the strength and the load bearing system between the hub and the wheel rim and they also can be adjusted to "true" the wheel if the rim has a slight bend, dink or isn't quite centred. Tightening a spoke is usually achieved turning the "spoke nipple" at the rim end and a tightened spoke will pull the wheel hub slightly towards that point on the rim.
Occasionally spokes may work themselves a little loose. A tell tale sign is you might hear a spoke "pink" as you ride the bike indicating that, as it is passed over, the rim moves ever so slightly. You can check for loose spokes by strumming the spokes with a thumb or finger and detecting ones that create a lower note than the others.
The spoke key has numerous options for different spoke sizes which are numbered around the tool perimeter and once you have found the correct size for your spoke nipple you can tighten and loosen the spokes like any nut and spanner. A word of caution though, you should only need to make very small adjustments (a 1/4 turn or so) for a loose spoke and if you are adjusting multiple spokes you should try and adjust opposing spokes in turn to keep the wheel rim centred. Wheel truing where you correct alignment issues is a real skill, you can learn it at home, but it's often good to find a local wheel expert who is sufficiently practiced in this dark art!
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