Thread: Wheel question
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Old 06-06-26 | 05:00 AM
  #7  
Duragrouch
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First thing I do with any new/used bike, after rebuilding the wheel bearings and adjusting the preload perfect, is the wheels; Take off the tires and tubes, put back in the frame (I have no truing jib, I true everything in the frame, clothespins or clamps holding popsicle sticks touching the rim laterally and radially), unscrew all the spoke nipples down to zero tension, then slowly bring them back up to tension while truing the rim. Radial true is priority, because that affects ALL spokes, whereas lateral true is local and can be adjusted with only 4 or so spokes. I spend way more time on this than any LBS would, so my true job is better. I spin the rim and sight over it, and it doesn't move, it's perfect. That, and equal tensions, and then that wheel is very durable, equalizing tensions does wonders. "Yep, that'll do it."

However, note: My small 20"/406 wheels, a long and steep descent, and using only the rear brake because the front rim sidewalls were getting too much wear, and at the bottom, going slow and no load... *ping*, just from that aluminum wheel having a high coefficient of thermal expansion, small circumference as heat sink, heat it up with a long descent using only rear brake, and it overstressed a spoke enough to pop. Riding on the flats... no, that's not a factor.

Learn to true wheels, really well. I find it very satisfying in a zen kind of way.

Just replace the spokes and do a good true job yourself.

Last edited by Duragrouch; 06-06-26 at 05:03 AM.
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