Mickle's tip of the - Season to be Jolly: Wheel truing.
- Thread starter mickle
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
OP
OP
mickle
innit
- Location
- 53.933606, -1.076131
DooDah
Veteran
- Location
- France, now Northamptonshire
Thanks.
Andrew_Culture
Internet Marketing bod
- Location
- The People's Republic Of Suffolk.
Is it sad to admit that I kinda miss wheel truing now that none of my wheels need it?
Shut Up Legs
Down Under Member
A question: how common is it for spoke holes in rims to be perfectly centred, i.e. not alternating between both sides of the rim? It looks like the spoke holes in the DT Swiss TK540 touring rims I just bought are the former, i.e. centred.
simonplatt
Über Member
- Location
- crewe
good video that, i notice that he didn't mention getting the tensions right. i haven't done many yet, but i tend to look first for loose or broken spokes, then follow the method suggested. on completion i hold a piece of card or similar against the spokes, each side in turn which 'sounds' the tune of the spokes, i believe the vibration also removes any 'twist' in the spokes by loosening them slightly, so i check again for true and repeat the process until they all sound pretty much the same and stay in true.
simonplatt
Über Member
- Location
- crewe
prompted me to get a better spoke key, i have a dozen or so multi gauge, so want some single gauge ie; 13. 14. 15 mainly the latter 2 which i most use, but they seem not to use gauges now they are either in mm or 'euro' size.
I have found the Park Tools spoke key, a triangular item, to be very effective, its sizing is nice and tight so that it doesn't make the nipples round when you have to turn hard (because you didn't give the WD40 enough time to work its way through the thread)
fabregas485
Senior Member
- Location
- Harrow
I replaced the tyres on my bike, and it sounds as if either the front or rear wheel wants to bend. It was fine before changing the tyres. Could it just be the tyres being worked in? (They are schwalbe durano plus)
Spokes need tightening maybe?
Spokes need tightening maybe?
Last edited:
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
I don't know how a wheel sounds when it wants to bend.
Nor do I really understand the concept of a tyre being "worked in"
My guess is that the spokes would have to be catastrophically loose if fitting a tyre was going to affect the trueness.
fabregas485
Senior Member
- Location
- Harrow
Got the bike out yesterday, and the front and rear spokes had all loosened to the point the wheel was not true. Adjusted the spokes after watching a how to video and both wheels are now true
psychology
Regular
- Location
- Wirral
Well, great article, I have printed it out as i have to true my front wheel this weekend. Wish me luck
fabregas485
Senior Member
- Location
- Harrow
I feared truing my front wheel (and rear while I was at it) and it was a breeze. If you use your brake pads as a guide, you can see where the wheel is out of line and you can tighten/loosen it into the correct direction.Well, great article, I have printed it out as i have to true my front wheel this weekend. Wish me luck
sreten
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Brighton, UK
Hi,
My very amateur method for very budget wheels :
1) Go round the wheel using the pluck test and tighten loose spokes, loosen tight
spokes. Don't be precious, just fix the worst near the same as the others.
On the rear do each side separately as each side is differently tensioned.
2) Then look for any wheel wobble. If you have an area to adjust use the pluck
test to decide whether to tighten one side or loosen the other for the same effect.
3) Don't try and get you budget wheels very true, get them near and tensioned fairly even.
I assume the more evenly tensioned they are the more they will stay where they are.
They seem to ride better with more even tension, and minor wobble is not an issue.
My plan, at the first attempt was to adjust the miminum number of spokes,
and fix a clear wobble in the rear wheel, pretty much managed both.
rgds, sreten.
My very amateur method for very budget wheels :
1) Go round the wheel using the pluck test and tighten loose spokes, loosen tight
spokes. Don't be precious, just fix the worst near the same as the others.
On the rear do each side separately as each side is differently tensioned.
2) Then look for any wheel wobble. If you have an area to adjust use the pluck
test to decide whether to tighten one side or loosen the other for the same effect.
3) Don't try and get you budget wheels very true, get them near and tensioned fairly even.
I assume the more evenly tensioned they are the more they will stay where they are.
They seem to ride better with more even tension, and minor wobble is not an issue.
My plan, at the first attempt was to adjust the miminum number of spokes,
and fix a clear wobble in the rear wheel, pretty much managed both.
rgds, sreten.
Last edited:
