Originally Posted by
cyccommute
While your wheel could be improperly dished, that is a rare event. Before you go messing with the wheel, you should insure that the wheel is indeed centered in the dropout. Your bike has adjusters on the dropout to center the wheel. Pull the wheel back against the adjusters as far back on both sides as it will go. The wheel should be centered if the adjusters are properly set. If the left side is too far forward, you'll see that the wheel isn't centered. Try pushing the left side forward until the wheel is properly centered then move the adjuster accordingly.
Also try rolling the wheel and watching how the rim moves relative to the brake pads. If the wheel is out of true, you'll see it immediately as the rim wobbles between the pads. Finally, you can check the dish by putting the wheel in so that it is in normally and noting the distance from the pad to the rim. Now remove the wheel and put it in backwards (removing the chain will make this easier to do) so that the cogs are on the left side. If the wheel isn't dished properly, it will be closer to the pads on one side than the other.
My bet is still on the adjusters.
Funny you should mention that cyccommute! For the past few months I generally screw the adjusters as tight as possible so that they hug the end of the frame. I assumed that because the adjusters were even and my tire was touching the frame, that there must be something wrong with my wheel. However if i play with my adjusters to the point where the left side is tighter (more screwed into the frame) than the right side, then my wheel seems way more centered. There is a slight wobble, but nothing too drastic.
Am I doing something wrong? I always assumed that the adjusters needed to be at an even level.
Thank You guys for the advice on repair stands and truing stands! I will continue my research and probably learn how to true a wheel first before getting a stand, like skoda mentioned i should just look at youtube for some vids.