Twisted spokes on rebuilt wheel

Can't you just use a flat spoke holder and a nipple key to simultaneously turn the spoke and nipple into the right orientation together? It's no biggie.

I'd be very surprised if they've threadlocked the nipple - and I'd seriously consider a new wheel builder. How are you supposed to true the wheel if the nipples are gummed up with threadlock?

Normally, spoke windup is due to not greasing/lubing the spoke thread during the build (or using alu nipples). As others have pointed out, there are specific tools for bladed spokes to help prevent this, too. I'd honestly be wary about returning a wheel to someone who gave it me in the condition you described. A basic truing stand is not expensive, and the other tools you need are dirt cheap - and Jobst Brandt's book 'The Bicycle Wheel' is worth every penny.

IanEdward wrote:

I always thought it was wheelbuilder 101 to de-stress the spokes frequently during the build to prevent them twisting [...]

Actually, "de-stressing" (stress-relieving) is more about evening out the overall stress in the spoke - some parts of it (the elbow and the crossings, mainly) are at or beyond yield stress during tensioning, whereas the bulk of the spoke is in elastic stress. The cyclic loading of a rotating wheel can cause premature failure in areas at yield stress - so stress relieving takes these areas briefly beyond yield (effectively, causing slight plastic deformation), and then allows them to settle back into the elastic zone - thus increasing the spoke's life under normal loading.

Having a very short ride on it mighten't hurt, you might hear some wee pings and tinkles as the spokes detension under your weight and unwind, could be quite satisfying!

You could replicate this with the wheel off the bike by (carefully) applying your weight to the wheel with the wheel vertical on the ground and your weight applied to the rim at 12 o'clock. Rotate wheel slightly and repeat until pings and tinkles stop.

You might find the spokes have corrected themselves and could then just get shop to double check true + tension...

That is frankly shocking!

Photographs, Name & Shame then take it to a decent wheelbuilders.

That sounds wrong to me, partucularly as there's more than one out. I noticed one bladed spoke on my rear WH9000 was out and asked the mechanic I use: He said if the wheel's true it's ok to orientate to how it should be. I did this carefully (wrapped it in tape and used some large flat grips) and it popped back to where it should be. Haven't ridden since but I'll keep an eye on it.

I'd have thought it WAS a problem, as the spokes are only twisted by the wheelbuilder attempting to tighten/loosen the spoke nipple. If the spoke is twisting instead of the nipple turning it begs the question: how accurately was the wheel built?

I guess the proof is in the pudding, if the wheel is evenly tensioned and straight then I suppose there is no problem, but then, those spokes will want to unwind somehow, how do you know they won't unwind inside the nipple, i.e. loosening themselves off?

I always thought it was wheelbuilder 101 to de-stress the spokes frequently during the build to prevent them twisting, I'm only an amateur but I've never built a wheel with twisted spokes, round or aero.

Have you ridden it yet?

When building the wheel, the shop should've used a small slotted tool to hold the spokes straight. It's not really a problem that the spokes are twisted (round spokes are always twisted like this but you can't see it), but I'd still take it back to have them sort it on the basis that if I'd paid for them to do it I'd expect it to be done properly!