>>1710798>boomers who say they can do it by feel are deludedboomers don't do it "by feel", they have a calibrated muscle sensor apparatus that can determine the force they apply (because we carry shit all the time and know how much said shit weighs), and a well-developed mathematical apparatus that quickly calculates how much of that force they should apply to a lever of given length
i may appear to have gorilla muscles but i am a precision instrument
most zooms don't have those skills though, they've never carried anything heavier than a laptop or thought harder than "should i have my latte with mint or not today", so using a torque wrench is indeed good to have (get a proper universal click wrench instead of those chinsy plastic "bike-specific" tools)
just make sure to then take your field tool, back it out quarter turn, screw it back in and remember that feeling so you can do it anywhere without breaking shit
>$10 hex key setthat i endorse, good tools make good work
if you need a tool that is not bike-specific, don't shy away from getting something nice, if it is bike-specific you can often get away with cheap stuff since you won't use it often (only exceptions are spoke wrench and crank pullers, those cast zinc donuts are painful to use, and shitty pullers will pull the threads off the cranks and you'll have to DESTROY)
>don't build your own wheelsif you want to have (questionable) fun, have all the ingredients ready (triple check the spoke lengths) and/or value your time less than that of an impovished chinese kid, by all means do build your wheels; spoke wrench, your frame and a trained ear (musiclets shall not apply) are all you need
but generally if you want to save up, then buying complete wheels (if used- then truing them on the frame and repacking/replacing bearings) is always the cheaper option, buying rims and hubs separately seems tempting but those savings will be eaten by having to buy new spokes and the unpaid labor of wheelbuilding
