dazco

are there any online tutorials about truing your wheels with minimal equipment?

Thanks

dazco

oh, and while i'm at it (don't wanna take up the whole forum with my threads) can anyone tell me what hydraulic discs will fit the stock stumpjumper's rims? (cheapest possible too)

VegasCyclist

this topic is more for the bike mechanics forum...

https://www.parktool.com/repair_help/howfix_truing.shtml

https://sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html#tensioning

above are two excellent guides for truing (and wheelbuilding)
you will need a truing stand, spoke wrench and dishing tool if you want to do it right.... be patient as it will take time to learn the technique.

your best bet is to find an old junky wheel (possibly from a lbs) and practice on it until you have a good feel for truing.

dazco

Hmm.... seems you gotta have a lot of specialized tools to do this. I was hoping to find something that would describe a sort of "quick fix" without the specialized tools..........something that tells you how to do just a small amout of adjustment to help with a wheel thats just barely tweaked. Definatly not looking to fully true a wheel......id leave that up to a shop.
My new stumpjumper's wheels wobble a bit from side to side. I can see it when i turn it on it's handlebars and seat and turn the wheels. This after 1 ride, but i don't know what is acceptable. I suppose all wheels are a tiny bit off even when new, and that may be all it is. Still i'd like to be able to tweak it now and then to keep it from getting too out of hand. By the way, what does it cost to get a wheel tuned?

VegasCyclist

10$ per wheel at my LBS... perhaps you should take it to a lbs as it might save some time and money.

a2psyklnut

Spoke wrench is all you need. Get a Park Tool Co. one, you'll need the black one. You can usually get these at most bike shops.

It's just a matter of tightening the spokes on the opposite side of where the wheel is off center. I suggest tightening in 1/8 inch turns using the paired (parrallel) spokes on each side, while loosening by the same amount the paired spokes on the other side. (Much easier to show you then to discribe it!)

Go slow, be patient and work in very small increments! Use a brake pad or a zip tie zipped around the frame and cut to where it barely scrapes the rim on a straight portion of the wheel.

L8R

SteveE

All you NEED is a spoke wrench. For minor tuneups, just use the brake pads as your guide --- left/right, up/down. If your wheel needs re-dishing then you'll need to buy specialized tools or take it to a wheelbuilder.

Pick the wheel off the ground and give it a spin, using the bike as your truing stand. Follow the guidelines provided in the aforementioned links and you should be able to tweak the wheels to keep 'em trued.

SteveE

dazco

Thats what i figured. When i had the bike upside down i held a screwdriver to the tire so i could see where scraped and needed to be adjusted. I was gonna tighten the spokes on the opposite side a touch and see if i could fix it, but i just figured i'd wait and ask you guys first. Sure enough y'all came thru again. Thanks.

SteveE

Maybe so, but I think it's a good idea for every cyclist to know how to make minor, on-the-road truing adjustments. You never know when you might be miles from home and need to adjust the wheel in order to get back safely..

tFUnK

spoke wrench is all you need but make sure you get the right size for your spokes. and yes work in tiny increments, because sometimes you make things worse by putting too much tension or vice versa.

VegasCyclist

true enough, but for someone who has never done it (and has no stand.... save brake pads) may cause the wheel to become more out of true than in... taking it to a lbs and asking to watch might be the better solution for the first time.

dazco

I think turning the bike upside down and standing it on the seat and handlebars gives you the ability to spin the wheel and use the frame as a reference point. So i think it's quite doable, but do agree that those with little common sense or mechanical minds could definatly screw it up.

WorldIRC

Problem with using your frame is that there is a chance that the frame may be slightly bent and if you true the wheel according to your frame, you will take the wheel out of dish.

Also, if you true according to the break pads, there is a chance that either the brakes arent set up properly, or that the pads aren't lined up properly.

These are good for touching up your wheels when your on the go but... if you are looking for a good true, I personally suggest you atleast give a truing stand a shot.

Garlic

Does a wheel wear out? I have a five year old wheel that i have had trued twice in the last couple of months. I haven't damaged it and I feel pretty good about the bike shop that I took it to.

SteveE

- If you haven't crashed your bike, chances are it's not bent.

- I don't know if this is a good assumption or not, but I have always adjusted for the lateral bump and then re-centered that brakes so that the pad clearance on each side is the same.

- I agree with WorldIRC, if your serious or really want to true up your wheels, get a truing stand.

- You might want to check with your LBS, they might have some classess in basic bicycle maintenance, including wheel truing.

Garlic -

Yeah, wheels can wear out. The brakes pads wear off the sides of the rim. I had a pair of wheels that started to separate the side-rim from the area where the spokes attach.

John E

Quick-tune truing stand and procedure:
1) Open garage door;
2) Suspend bicycle from the edge of the garage door, via bungie cord, such that one wheel is on the ground, and the other is just off the ground;
3) Place one thumb against a brake pad, and slowly rotate the wheel, to identify high spots by feel;
4) Very gradually, in 1/8-turn increments, adjust the spoke lengths as necessary.