I just got some new Campy Zonda wheels. They use bladed spokes, but I notice that some of the spokes are twisted a bit, so instead of slicing the wind, they’re slamming the wind. this has to be worse than just having a round spoke. How do you fix this? I’m assuming that I can use a spoke wrench to hold the nipple in place while I twist the spoke with a pair of pliers into the proper orientation. is that a bad idea?
Your spokes are wound up. I would take a small adjustable wrench, adjust it to grip the blade up near the spoke nipple, and use that and a spoke wrench to turn both at once. Then you should be able to straighten the blades without “untrueing” the wheel too much, if that is a word. I would avoid pliers with serated edges, to be sure you do not nick the spokes.
When I true a wheel with bladed spokes, I usually use an adjustable wrench tightened onto the blade to hold the spoke straight while turning the nipple.
Again, I would use an adjustable wrench with smooth, flat edges to hold the spokes.