Straight Pull Spoke Pliers

Spoke wind-up is the same problem on straight-pull spokes as it is on bladed spokes; when the nipple turns, the spoke wants to twist with it, and a twisted spoke will rotate back to its rest position the first time the wheel sees load, knocking the carefully-built wheel back out of true. The Straight Pull Spoke Pliers grip the spoke firmly enough to prevent that twist, while remaining gentle enough not to scratch or distort the spoke's surface.

The 1753/2B handles straight-pull spokes from 1.4 mm to 2.2 mm in thickness; the standard range for modern straight-pull wheelsets (DT Swiss, Mavic, Shimano premium hubs, many high-end carbon wheels). The plier's serrated grip distributes contact over the spoke's length, which gives the firm hold without the point-load that would mark the spoke or weaken its surface.

For workshops servicing straight-pull wheelsets, this is the companion tool to whichever spoke wrench fits the nipples on those wheels (typically the Professional Spoke Wrench 3.45mm 1630/2P or the Tx20 Professional Spoke Wrench). The pliers hold; the wrench turns; the wheel comes true without the spoke storing twist as residual stress.

Compatibility

• Spokes: straight-pull spokes, 1.4 mm to 2.2 mm thick.
• Wheels: straight-pull wheelsets (DT Swiss, Mavic, Shimano premium hubs, many high-end carbon road and gravel builds).
• Companion: any spoke wrench in the size matching the nipple.

Specs

• Spoke thickness range: 1.4 to 2.2 mm.
• Serrated grip surface.
• Hardened steel jaws.

Built in Zreče, Slovenia

Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and is the official technical partner of multiple World Tour and downhill teams. The Straight Pull Spoke Pliers solve a problem that's specific to the modern wheel-construction era. Straight-pull spokes have become common as wheel manufacturers shifted away from J-bend spokes on premium builds; the wind-up problem came with them, and the dedicated pliers are the workshop answer to a problem that didn't exist on J-bend builds.

Pro tip from our mechanics

Grip the spoke as close to the nipple as the rim profile allows. Holding the spoke farther down its length gives it more length to twist along, which means less wind-up gets prevented. The closer to the nipple, the cleaner the rotation; the cleaner the rotation, the less re-trueing the wheel needs after the first ride. The full wheel-truing workflow is in How to true a bike wheel →