Wheel Truing - how long?

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Krypton

New Member
Location
UK
Hi,

I need to pop my back wheel into the LBS on Friday to be trued (right word?)

How long does it take? Do you have to take off tyre and tube to do it?
 
Depends. Tyre and tube can stay on if you're just having a problem with lateral truth (wheel wobbles to one side) but if the wheel is out of radial truth (ie, not properly round) then you'll need to take the tyre off as radial truth is checked against the top edge of the rim.

A simple lateral adjustment should be a matter of minutes. But wheels can be fiddly buggers and if it's had a bit of a battering then it may be subtly out in a number of places, all of which will need correcting. It also depends how precise you want to be. IIRC 1mm is considered acceptable but you may be one of those people who demand perfection and nothing less.

The long term solution is to buy a wheel jig, a spoke key and a good book. It's not that hard and very pleasing when you succeed.;)
 
How long does it take ?
- depends on what you actually mean by that question.

If it's not that far out and doesn't require that much work, it's a few minutes' job.

But if the bike shop's up to their eyeballs, you might have to wait a week.



I went into Edinburgh Bike Co-Op in Manchester a couple of months ago, just after they'd opened.
The guy in front of me in the queue said he had a puncture.
OK, said the assistant, do you just want a new tube or do you want us to repair it - the tube's £3 or the repair's £5 but because we're very busy it'll take a week.
To my astonishment, the guy left them the wheel to fix.
When he'd left, I said to the assistant that I was amused that someone didn't know how to fix a puncture and so was willing to pay them to do it, but that I was amazed that they'd wait a week for it.
He said that they were right next to the university, got lots of students in, who didn't really use their bikes that much and so they would happily wait a week.
He said a week wasn't really reasonable, not the standard of service they wanted to offer, but that they'd only just opened and had been overwhelmed the demand they'd got, so they were recruiting more mechanics.
 

bonj2

Guest
andy_wrx said:
I went into Edinburgh Bike Co-Op in Manchester a couple of months ago, just after they'd opened.
The guy in front of me in the queue said he had a puncture.
OK, said the assistant, do you just want a new tube or do you want us to repair it - the tube's £3 or the repair's £5 but because we're very busy it'll take a week.
To my astonishment, the guy left them the wheel to fix.
When he'd left, I said to the assistant that I was amused that someone didn't know how to fix a puncture and so was willing to pay them to do it, but that I was amazed that they'd wait a week for it.
He said that they were right next to the university, got lots of students in, who didn't really use their bikes that much and so they would happily wait a week.
He said a week wasn't really reasonable, not the standard of service they wanted to offer, but that they'd only just opened and had been overwhelmed the demand they'd got, so they were recruiting more mechanics.


you should have offered to do it yourself there and then and/or undercut them by a quid.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
Krypton said:
Hi,

I need to pop my back wheel into the LBS on Friday to be trued (right word?)

How long does it take? Do you have to take off tyre and tube to do it?

The only time I have had a wheel go out of true is when I have broken a spoke, my local generally does the job in a couple of hours and charges a fiver.

.
 
Why not give it a go yourself?
The advice I was given was to slacken / tighten 2 spokes either side of the bow and only do half turns.
I take the tyre off and use the frame as a stand. Done three wheels so far no problems. and quite satisfying.;)
 

bonj2

Guest
apparently when tightening, according to sheldon brown tighten it a bit too much, and then slacken it off a bit. This prevents the spoke ending up twisted. e.g. to tighten it half a turn, tighten it 3/4 then back it off 1/4.
 
Don't forget that to tighten a spoke you have to turn the nipple anticlockwise ;)
 

Amanda P

Legendary Member
Yorkshireman said:
Don't forget that to tighten a spoke you have to turn the nipple anticlockwise ;)

If you're looking at it from the hub side.

If you're looking at it from the tyre side (with the tyre removed, let's say), it's clockwise.

Confusing.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
ivancarlos;35354][QUOTE=Hairy Jock said:
The only time I have had a wheel go out of true is when I have broken a spoke, my local generally does the job in a couple of hours and charges a fiver..


Not do much cycling then? ;)[/QUOTE]

Uh, I have been cycling most days for the last 13 years! Cycling is my means of everyday transport since I sold my last car 13 years ago :ohmy:
 
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