Building a wheel that's strong and stays true requires hitting a target average tension. Too loose and the wheel goes out of true after a few rides; too tight and you risk cracking a rim or pulling spokes. Most home builders guess. This tool gives you a numerical target plus a tolerance band.
A wheel that's well-tensioned will hold its true even after impacts. A wheel that's unevenly tensioned will go out of true after every pothole. Most home builders either over-tension (and crack rims) or under-tension (and end up with a taco wheel after a month).
The key insight: average tension is what you set; uniformity is what you keep. Even if average is correct, a 20% spread side-to-side means some spokes are overloaded and others are essentially slack.
A tensiometer reads one spoke at a time. This calculator gives the average target. If your tensiometer reads are 10% off the average across the wheel, you're fine. If they're 25% off, your wheel will go out of true.
Carbon rims can crack at the spoke holes or the rim bed. Most manufacturers specify 100-120 kgf max. We've kept the targets within those limits.
For most riders, yes. Building wheels is a skill that takes time to develop. This tool helps home builders and people re-truing existing wheels.
This calculator was built to answer a question most online versions skip or oversimplify. It runs entirely in your browser; no inputs are stored or transmitted. The math is grounded in standard cycling physics and physiology models, and is suitable for hobbyist and intermediate training use. It is not a substitute for a coach, sports scientist, or professional bike-fit service.
This tool does not collect personal data. All inputs and results stay in your browser. We do not set first-party analytics cookies. This site may display ads served by Google AdSense; Google, as a third-party vendor, uses cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this site or other sites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on the visit to this site and/or other sites on the Internet. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings (google.com/settings/ads). Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to this site or other sites.
Children under 13 are not the intended audience.
This calculator is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical, mechanical, or legal advice. Predicted values depend on inputs you supply and simplified physical models; real-world outcomes vary. Use at your own risk. Brand names are descriptive only and do not imply affiliation.