- 4.5 / 5 Truing Stand Bee's Knee -
- 4 / 5 Stand Base Bee's Knee -
- 4.5 / 5 Spoke Tension Meter Bee's Knee -
- 4.5 / 5 Dial Indicator Bee's Knees -
- 4 / 5 Stand Base Bee's Knee -
- 4.5 / 5 Spoke Tension Meter Bee's Knee -
- 4.5 / 5 Dial Indicator Bee's Knees -
There are few things in life that are more satisfying than accomplishing absolutely nothing on your day-off with a good cup of tea in hand....okay, arguments will now ensue. I can at least speak for myself and champion that a Sunday spent truing wheels at a pace that mirrors Duluth's haste to complete road repairs (just a little sarcasm there) is among my favorite chill activities, especially when it is accompanied with a hot steep.
So what am I reviewing here? Tea or bike products? Well, with a lazy Sunday attitude comes a lax writing style. Anyway, the Park Tool TS-2.2 truing stand, the Park Tool TSB-2 truing stand base, the Park Tool TM-1 tension meter and finally the Park Tool TS-2di Dial Indicator Gauge Set...yeah you want these!
So what am I reviewing here? Tea or bike products? Well, with a lazy Sunday attitude comes a lax writing style. Anyway, the Park Tool TS-2.2 truing stand, the Park Tool TSB-2 truing stand base, the Park Tool TM-1 tension meter and finally the Park Tool TS-2di Dial Indicator Gauge Set...yeah you want these!
Let me start with the big gun. Park Tool has offered up one of the most widely used and most sought after truing stand on the market. This St. Paul company has taken a simple approach to designing tools since day one. First, keep it simple, make it intuitive. Second and most importantly, make it durable as hell! With those goals in mind, the TS-2.2 truing stand is an absolute pleasure to own and use. The only flaws present with this truing stand are two rather obvious issues, the first of which is its cost. Lets face it, if you only have one set of wheels to true, a professional truing stand such as the TS-2.2 might be tough to stomach. On the other hand, when you consider just how masculine this beautiful stand is, you might want to spring for this model over the $60 "my-first-oven" truing stand that will have your bike-snob riding mates mocking you for buying the girl-scout version. Aside from the price obstacle, Park's stand WILL rust in spots regardless of your meticulous efforts to avoid just that. You can clean, wax, oil and grease to your hearts content but I can promise you certain components will rust. Is this the end of the world? Well, certainly not. I would recommend applying a light machine oil to the steel components and springs as well as applying some grease or anti-seize to the threaded portion of the adjustment knobs to keep the stand operating correctly and protect the metal. Quite frankly, these two issues completely escape your mind when you use this guy. This model is so intuitive and well made that you couldn't possibly regret purchasing this for your truing needs
Although a base for this stand may not be necessary for everyone, I will go ahead and proclaim you would be a fool not to buy one. For starters, you will really need a base to stabilize the stand if you don't plan on mounting it to a work surface in some other fashion. Furthermore, Park's base offers some great features for those who are going to mount it to a work surface. The primary function of the TSB-2 is to allow you to pitch the stand forward or back which is a great feature to have in tight working quarters or to allow truing from different angles, aka while seated or standing. Additionally, the base offers three dedicated spoke wrench slots and a handful of bins to store spoke nipples, spoke prep or small tools. While the construction of the TSB-2 is sturdy and effective, the tightening knob leaves something to be desired and the overall quality is not quite as brilliant as the stand itself. However, this choice to construct the base from durable plastic allows it to come in at a much more reasonable price than it would if constructed from materials similar to the stand itself.
What else can we adorn our already-adept stand with? Some precision dials of course! Now, I will admit that many or even most riders won't be so discriminating as-to reject a wheel that has .08mm of lateral variance vs .05mm. Additionally, some low-spoke-count wheels or even some time-battered rims will simply not true to a much better tolerance than .10mm. Quite frankly, anyone who can do a decent job truing a wheel should have no problem truing a wheel to less than a .10mm variance without the use of dials. So, does that render these useless? I say absolutely not! First off, the TS-2di dials make very quick work of truing. By having a visual reference of which direction your rim is pulling, you can spend less time looking at your calipers and more time twisting your nips. Now, if you do have a newer set of rims or your wheelset just inherently allows you to true them to tight tolerances, the TS-2di's with get your wheelset dialed in like no other! Even with the use of these dials, I still recommend using the calipers to ensure correct dishing. And remember, your stand has to be calibrated correctly for the calipers to work as a dish guide.
What else can we adorn our already-adept stand with? Some precision dials of course! Now, I will admit that many or even most riders won't be so discriminating as-to reject a wheel that has .08mm of lateral variance vs .05mm. Additionally, some low-spoke-count wheels or even some time-battered rims will simply not true to a much better tolerance than .10mm. Quite frankly, anyone who can do a decent job truing a wheel should have no problem truing a wheel to less than a .10mm variance without the use of dials. So, does that render these useless? I say absolutely not! First off, the TS-2di dials make very quick work of truing. By having a visual reference of which direction your rim is pulling, you can spend less time looking at your calipers and more time twisting your nips. Now, if you do have a newer set of rims or your wheelset just inherently allows you to true them to tight tolerances, the TS-2di's with get your wheelset dialed in like no other! Even with the use of these dials, I still recommend using the calipers to ensure correct dishing. And remember, your stand has to be calibrated correctly for the calipers to work as a dish guide.
I'm of the opinion that darjeeling is the perfect choice if you like a classic black tea with some earthy tones. Furthermore, if you need to buy a quality truing stand that will literally last you your entire life (or exceed it), look no further than Park Tools TS-2.2. And don't hesitate to outfit the stand with all the bells and whistles.