Bicycle Mechanics - Truing Stand Recommendations

Truing stand recommendations

Looking to purchase a wheel truing stand and would like some recommendations/reviews. How is the Park TS-7 compared to the TS-2? Are the stands from Minoura, Performance or Tacx any good? Never built or trued my own wheels in the past, but it has always intrigued me. I really don’t want to be frustrated by poor equipment while I’m learning.

I've got a TS-2 and an older and much cheaper Minoura one. Frankly, the ultimate output is the same regardless of which one I use. Theoretically, the Park stand should be quite a bit faster, but it requires more maintenance to keep it centering properly than I ever would have imagined. Unless you do a lot of wheel work, I'd have a hard time justifying 2 to 3 times the cost for the more expensive Park stand.

I have an old Tacx jig from the 80's....

works fine, cheap, folds easy for storage.

Don't worry about paying big bucks for a stand. It's not like you use it every day. or every year, for most people. An experienced builder builds good wheels, not a guy with lots of expensive tools.

Once saw Monty Young, the London shop owner, lace and true a wheel, while he sold me a custom frame. By the time I'd drunk a cup of coffee, he was putting the rim tape on!

Guess who's wheels I put on the frame?

I like the TS-2 but I use it 10 to 16 times a day. If you want to do casual repair a laee exspensive stand will work fine. I would use some of the extra money to get a dishing tool.

Flaneur, he did true and tension the wheel using some kind of fixture, didn't he? I can do it with out a stand but I need at least an axle vice and a bent spoke (And that method sucks :) )

I have the cheapo Minoura (bought from a guy I work with) and it worked great for the first set I ever built. Hell, they were almost perfectly dished to boot. I am about to undertake another set (BMX) so we'll see how that goes.

PJ

I've been using the minoura, and as stated above I'm not building 5 or more
wheels a day. I'd agree buy the dishing tool with the $ saved.
They all do the same thing, only the Park is a beefier model, doesn't affect
performane but I'm betting it would last longer (if I used it alot).

marty

I have a Minoura and a dishing gauge. I build a pair of wheels about every other year and I also use it to true/round all my existing wheels as needed. Works fine.

While it is true, the mechanic builds the wheels, not the stand, you are probably not the mechanic who has those wheel building skills. A good truing stand will help while you learn. If all you are going to do is touch up wheels, a cheap mioura stand is fine. When it comes to doing more intensive work, a good heavy stand is worth its weight in gold.

The Park TS7 includes the WAG3 dishing tool that sells for $20. If you subtract that from the price of the stand there is only a $10 difference or so between the Park and the Minoura and other cheaper models.

Does anyone have any input on the Feedback Sports Pro Truing Stand? It is made by the former Ultimate repair stand people. It is offered at Performance Bike. It is advertised to be able to fit it on the top of an Ultimate repair stand.

http://www.feedbacksports.com/products/truing_station.aspx

I have the el-cheapo stand from Nashbar or Performance. It might be a spin doctor, but it works well enough - I've had it for 8 to 10 years and built many many wheels with it (maybe 20 or more?). It centered pretty well. To check myself during the truing stage I would flip the wheel a few times.

There are a lot of threads on this and they all come out about the same. It's either 1. true the wheel on the bike, 2. a TS2, or 3. a cheaper stand or 4. make your own stand from a fork. My requirements are that the stand needs to be strong enough that I can push the rim sideways to relieve spoke tension, and it needs an easily readable indicator. The first criteria rules out most cheap stands, all one-sided stands and maybe some Park stands as well. The second criteria rules out using the bike as a stand. I use an old fork with 2 dial indicators. It takes a little while to set up, but it was cheaper than any stand I could buy, easier for me to use, and more than accurate enough. If you are building wheels, spend your money on good spoke wrenches and a tension gauge.
If you are building wheels every day on a deadline, get a TS2. If you are building a lot of wheels, get one of these:
//www.hollandmechanics.com/2007/images/SMT_im.jpg

em

I've built a couple sets of wheels with this homemade stand I got, and it seems to me that the stand isn't so important as long as you're using a dish gauge. There's no centering mechanism on this stand I have, every time I put a wheel in there I just adjust it so it's between the screws serving as gauges and I rely on my park the dishing tool to tell me which direction I need to go in.

In fact I don't even understand what the point of a "centering" mechanism on a stand is. Seriously, someone tell me. The center on my stand is always relative, in a way. It's using the dishing gauge that tells me if I've got it right nor not. Basically I adjust the stand according to what the dish gauge tells me I need to do. Make sense?

Is. that not how it's usually done? I'd like to know.

I've built a couple sets of wheels with this homemade stand I got, and it seems to me that the stand isn't so important as long as you're using a dish gauge. There's no centering mechanism on this stand I have, every time I put a wheel in there I just adjust it so it's between the screws serving as gauges and I rely on my park the dishing tool to tell me which direction I need to go in.

In fact I don't even understand what the point of a "centering" mechanism on a stand is. Seriously, someone tell me. The center on my stand is always relative, in a way. It's using the dishing gauge that tells me if I've got it right nor not. Basically I adjust the stand according to what the dish gauge tells me I need to do. Make sense?

Is. that not how it's usually done? I'd like to know.


check this out:

Centering Park TS-2 truing stand (http://www.parktool.com/repair/readinstructions.asp?id=135)

So it sounds like that indeed, a dishing tool is still going to be more accurate.

check this out:

Centering Park TS-2 truing stand (http://www.parktool.com/repair/readinstructions.asp?id=135)

Park has published various versions of those instructions over the years. They didn't do that because the self dishing device is so reliable.

One should use a dishing-gauge to verify. And a DG is going to be accurate as they don't go out of adjustment - naturally. And you don't need a $50 Park one. Here you can be frugal and get accuracy. I use the Minoura* folding DG. These cost about $20. And it's easy to store and carry as it folds up.

See my BOLD PRINT below! Do NOT get a Minoura!

It's possible to dish a wheel accurately without a dishing gauge by reversing the wheel on the truing stand as many times as necessary to confirm centering.


Al

Park has published various versions of those instructions over the years. They didn't do that because the self dishing device is so reliable.

True. At least they are now admitting that it won't stay centered. But they missed the big problem which is that the upright arms don't don't stay parallel when changing the span for wheels with various dropout spacing. I keep mine centered for 130 mm spaced wheels (road bike rear).

I've noticed that phenomena as well when putting different rear wheels in my TS-2. That's why, to save pulling my hair out, I just rely on my dishing-gauge. The TS-2 gives me, what I consider to be, a good ballpark idea. But the DG removes any doubt. I like to be meticulous.

I've noticed that phenomena as well when putting different rear wheels in my TS-2. That's why, to save pulling my hair our, I just rely on my dishing-gauge. The TS-2 gives me, what I consider to be, a good ballpark idea. But the DG removes any doubt. I like to be meticulous.

That's pretty much what I do too. I do a fair amount of tandem stuff so I'm constantly switching from 100mm OLD to 160mm.

It's possible to dish a wheel accurately without a dishing gauge by reversing the wheel on the truing stand as many times as necessary to confirm centering.


Al
According to the Park website, a dish stick is more accurate than the "self centering" TS 2. Flipping the wheel is only accurate if the stand and indicators are rigid. A dish stick is the easiest and most accurate thing to use.

em

Here's the Minoura at a good price. They seem to, like everything else, be going up, up, up in price:

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/TL401F16-Minoura+Folding+Aluminum+Dishing+Gauge.aspx?sc=FRGL

I am writing to contradict myself! DO NOT BUY THE MINOURA!! Mine just seized-up and broke!

Good timing, eh? And no - I'm NOT kidding! It just died in my hand! Yuck!