lennyparis
04-19-04, 08:09 AM
Can someone give me the basics on how to true a wheel? I have a spoke tool but am not sure how to start.
Road Cycling - Truing Wheels
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Laggard
04-19-04, 08:53 AM
Have someone show you. I don't know that it's something that should/could be explained via a message board post.
a2psyklnut
04-19-04, 09:45 AM
I agree, but I'll try:
If the damage isn't too bad, you can use your frame as a truing stand and your brake pads as guides.
With the bike in a rack or upside down or somewhere where you can spin the wheel freely yet the frame is solid.
Sit facing the wheel to where you've got good line of sight of the brake pad.
Spin the wheel slowly and where the rim touches the brake pad, stop the wheel at the worst point of contact.
If the rim rubs the right brake pad, you have to tighten the spokes on the left side of the rim at that point. I tighten spokes in pairs an only use 1/4 turn increments. In order to not get a hop in your wheel, you also have to loosen the spokes on the right side by the same amount.
Keep doing this slowly and always start where the damage is worse.
BE VERY PATIENT. Small increments of tightening and loosening, can have dramatic affects on the rim.
If you get frustrated, walk away and come back after you've regained composure. Don't do this when your tired or drunk.
I usually pop open one New Castle Brown Ale when truing wheels, but not more than two!
L8R
If the damage isn't too bad, you can use your frame as a truing stand and your brake pads as guides.
With the bike in a rack or upside down or somewhere where you can spin the wheel freely yet the frame is solid.
Sit facing the wheel to where you've got good line of sight of the brake pad.
Spin the wheel slowly and where the rim touches the brake pad, stop the wheel at the worst point of contact.
If the rim rubs the right brake pad, you have to tighten the spokes on the left side of the rim at that point. I tighten spokes in pairs an only use 1/4 turn increments. In order to not get a hop in your wheel, you also have to loosen the spokes on the right side by the same amount.
Keep doing this slowly and always start where the damage is worse.
BE VERY PATIENT. Small increments of tightening and loosening, can have dramatic affects on the rim.
If you get frustrated, walk away and come back after you've regained composure. Don't do this when your tired or drunk.
I usually pop open one New Castle Brown Ale when truing wheels, but not more than two!
L8R
slvoid
04-19-04, 10:04 AM
I'll basically reiterate with a few of my own tips.
-Make sure you take the computer off along with any accessories and the water bottle.
-If you don't want to scratch up the brake hoods or the seat, place a towel underneath.
-Flip your bike upside down and use that as your stand.
-Stare directly at the wheel and look at the distance that the braking surface is away from the brake pad.
-Look at the left side. Spin the tire and note how it wobbles back and forth at certain sections and stays straight on others.
-Take a pencil or magic marker, the best thing to use is a marker with a soft felt tip. Using either your frame or brake as a reference point and brace, brace the pen up against that with the tip about 1mm away from the straight section.
-Spin the tire slowly and allow the marker to mark the braking surface.
-Now, where the marker touches the rim, it will make a mark, the broader the stroke, the more bent the rim is towards the left. This means you have to bend it back over to the right.
-To bend it over to the right, tighten up the spokes on the right by 1/4th to 1/2 turn, imagine you're screwing the nipple onto the spoke, that's the direction you should turn. If the mark's light, try 1/4th, if the mark's real dark, try 1/2 a turn. At the same time, if you tighten the spokes on the right, loosen the spokes on the left by the same amount.
-Repeat for the other side.
-Keep repeating with the marker closer and closer to the surface to fine tune the truing.
It's important to have the tv or radio on in the background otherwise you get bored real quick.
-Make sure you take the computer off along with any accessories and the water bottle.
-If you don't want to scratch up the brake hoods or the seat, place a towel underneath.
-Flip your bike upside down and use that as your stand.
-Stare directly at the wheel and look at the distance that the braking surface is away from the brake pad.
-Look at the left side. Spin the tire and note how it wobbles back and forth at certain sections and stays straight on others.
-Take a pencil or magic marker, the best thing to use is a marker with a soft felt tip. Using either your frame or brake as a reference point and brace, brace the pen up against that with the tip about 1mm away from the straight section.
-Spin the tire slowly and allow the marker to mark the braking surface.
-Now, where the marker touches the rim, it will make a mark, the broader the stroke, the more bent the rim is towards the left. This means you have to bend it back over to the right.
-To bend it over to the right, tighten up the spokes on the right by 1/4th to 1/2 turn, imagine you're screwing the nipple onto the spoke, that's the direction you should turn. If the mark's light, try 1/4th, if the mark's real dark, try 1/2 a turn. At the same time, if you tighten the spokes on the right, loosen the spokes on the left by the same amount.
-Repeat for the other side.
-Keep repeating with the marker closer and closer to the surface to fine tune the truing.
It's important to have the tv or radio on in the background otherwise you get bored real quick.
MichaelW
04-19-04, 11:18 AM
If you have a nice set of wheels, it better to practice with a junk/used pair.
The front is the easiest to work with because it is symmetrical.
The front is the easiest to work with because it is symmetrical.
slvoid
04-19-04, 01:14 PM
You mean symmetrical as in the distance from hub to rim due to the offset of the cassette? The point of having a wheel is for the symmetry :)
BTW: if you are going to loosen spokes, don't loosen them to the point where they lose tension, better to tighten the other side than loosen one side too much.
BTW: if you are going to loosen spokes, don't loosen them to the point where they lose tension, better to tighten the other side than loosen one side too much.