slight buckle
- Thread starter nickp
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Trumpettom001
Well-Known Member
It can be fixed -by altering the tension on the various sides of the wheel.... which then pulls the rim back into alaignment. The spokes have a thread which fixes into the "bolt" or the bit next to the rim of the wheel, and by twisting these little silver things, it pulls the rim into shape.
I've managed to fix a wheel that had about 2cms buckle in either direction - although I would'nt reccommend doing so if the buckle is that bad.... anything up to about 7.5mm should be O.K.
google "trueing a wheel" or youtube or whatever - it's somthing you get a bit of a knack for.... but I warn you now, you do need to definatley be comfortable with which way is tighter and looser, and then reverse it depending on which way you're looking at the wheel. also, if you're going to be doing it again and again (like me and my stupid alex ASD-1 rims) - get a semi-decent spoke key.. makes life sooo much easier than using an ajustable spanner and basically stripping the bolt of the spoke..
I've managed to fix a wheel that had about 2cms buckle in either direction - although I would'nt reccommend doing so if the buckle is that bad.... anything up to about 7.5mm should be O.K.
google "trueing a wheel" or youtube or whatever - it's somthing you get a bit of a knack for.... but I warn you now, you do need to definatley be comfortable with which way is tighter and looser, and then reverse it depending on which way you're looking at the wheel. also, if you're going to be doing it again and again (like me and my stupid alex ASD-1 rims) - get a semi-decent spoke key.. makes life sooo much easier than using an ajustable spanner and basically stripping the bolt of the spoke..
Young Un
New Member
- Location
- Worcestershire
Just the wheel
Andy in Sig
Vice President in Exile
- Location
- Sigmaringen, Germany
Getting a small buckle (or even a big one) out of a wheel is surprisingly easy. All you need is a spoke key, which costs just a few pence, and maybe a bit of chalk to mark where the centre of the buckle is. A good idea is to get a good general book on bike maintenance which explains it all in straightforward terms. I use Bicycle Technology by Rob van den Plas.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
It's really easy, takes 10 mins.
Think of spokes as long thin bolts. Each one has a 'head' at the hub and a 'nut' (aka 'nipple') at the rim. And each attaches to the hub on one side or the other.
To move the rim at a given point to, say, the r/h side, just follow a spoke at that point on the rim down to where it joins the hub. If it joins it on the r/h side, tighten its nipple and loosen its neighbours - about 180 degrees turn at a time. Repeat as necessary.
A tip: if you get confused about which way is tightening, and which loosening, imagine that instead of using your spoke tool you were using a screwdriver on the top of the 'bolt'/spoke.
Think of spokes as long thin bolts. Each one has a 'head' at the hub and a 'nut' (aka 'nipple') at the rim. And each attaches to the hub on one side or the other.
To move the rim at a given point to, say, the r/h side, just follow a spoke at that point on the rim down to where it joins the hub. If it joins it on the r/h side, tighten its nipple and loosen its neighbours - about 180 degrees turn at a time. Repeat as necessary.
A tip: if you get confused about which way is tightening, and which loosening, imagine that instead of using your spoke tool you were using a screwdriver on the top of the 'bolt'/spoke.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
Nope. Turn your bike upside down and as you revolve the wheel, look at the rim by the brake blocks - this will tell you where exactly the rim is too far to the right/left.
simon_brooke
New Member
- Location
- Auchencairn
nickp said:
A truing stand is nice to have but not necessary. I didn't have one for the first pair of wheels I built. Just turn the bike upside down, and use it.
Use a rubber band or some tape to fix a pencil to the forks (if front wheel) or seat stays (if back wheel) to give you a position reference to work to - you can use the brake but I find it easier to remove the brake and use a pencil.
Generally, tighten/loosen the spokes at the centre of the wobble most, the ones one away by half as much (so half a turn for each full turn on the worst one), and the ones two away by quarter as much.
For conventionally built wheels (28, 32 or 36 spoke, radial, one, two or three cross) this is really easy. For some of the fancy spoking patterns used on some modern factory built wheels it's less easy but by no means impossible.
