exaxxion

Any one have any experience with this truing stand
https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4221

BikingGrad80

Never used that one but I have the spin doctor one and it works fine. That one looks a little shaky and odd to use.

Al1943

That word is actually spelled quit. Take up reading again, maybe?

exaxxion

damn, makes me look even more a drunken fool

Scooper

I use this one. It's a little more expensive, but it works great.

exaxxion

I read somewhere that the plastic pieces that the wheel lock into have a tendency to break. Is there any truth to that? Secondly on the side to side adjusters, do they screw in and out or do they just move by friction? Thanks again for the fast post

Scooper

If you're asking about the Spin Doctor Truing Stand II, nothing's broken yet and I've built about a dozen wheels using it. The blades are held in their side-to-side position by friction, but they're connected to each other internally in the base of the stand so that they move outward or inward together, essentially self-centering the hub when the blades are pushed snugly against both hub locknuts.

George

+1

halfspeed

That Ultimate looks like trash. I've got the Minoura that is very similar to the Spin Doctor. I would classify it as adequate but not good. I'm going to replace it with a Park TS-2. The Park is spendy, but it's just way better.

blamp28

I have had the Ultimate for a couple of years and love it. I have had no trouble at all. The wheel mounts onto metal on mine. The "feelers" are threaded as you suspect and are micro adjustable in very small increments to allow fine tuning. This stand is a good value!

tellyho

I have the Minoura Pro and have used the hell out of it. It's worked great for $40. This is a newer model. And more expensive, I see.

urbanknight

Looking at the two links, that one is actually LESS expensive than the Performance one, and looks sturdier too. I also use a TS-2 and it's awesome, but I got it as a hand-me-down.

Little Darwin

This is a well timed thread. I have been thinking of getting a truing stand. With the Spin Doctor (or otherwise)... some additional questions.

Is a dishing gauge critical to building good wheels? I would think that as long as the rim is centered between the lock nuts, the dish is set.

To build quality wheels, I would think (based on reading here) that the following are also essential (ignoring the wheel components):

1) Spoke wrenches
2) Spoke prep
3) Tension Meter (Park?)

Would this be enough for a home mechanic?

Scooper

Hi Darwin,

You're right; as long as the rim is centered between the locknuts, that takes care of the dish. Just to ensure the rim is centered, I always flip the wheel in the stand and check that it's still centered, sort of like turning a bubble level end-for-end to check the accuracy of the level itself. I have a dishing gauge but never use it.

Spoke wrenches are obviously necessary, and for me at least so is a tension meter (I use a Park TM-1). I also use spoke prep, but other wheelbuilders I know successfully use oil.

The other thing I use that, to me at least, is indispensible: Wheelbuilding, 4th ed. by Roger Musson.

dvs cycles

If you plan to build wheels anytime invest in the Park. Dishing tool is usefull to check your work and the acuracy of any true ing stand.
Tensiometer is a must for me. I use the Wheelsmith but plan on getting a park just for comparison.

Little Darwin

Thanks Stan.

I already downloaded that eBook. Probably based on your earlier recommendations elsewhere...

urbanknight

Dishing too is not necessary, as you can just flip the wheel as mentioned above. If you were to buy the dishing tool, why not just spend the extra on a truing stand that does both? I still flip my wheels at the end of the build to check, but my stand has always dished my wheels perfectly the first time... save for the one time I didn't get the wheel all the way into the dropouts. Even with the one sided stands, I doubt the 0.5mm you'd be off after flipping it would be a

old_alfie

I took that as a fair point and spent a couple hours or less just now hitting up every cycle shop and online store website I could easily find, (a total of 10) looking to get a feel for prices on the two Park Tool truing stands and the Minoura Pro truing stand. WOW! what a difference in prices I found.

For the Park TS-2 I found a range from $162 at Cambria up to $230 at Harris and then my LBS (from his on-line QBP catalog) tops them all at $256. The Park TS-8 ranged from $73 at Alfred E Bike on up to $88 at Biketiredirect and again my LBS topped out at $110.

The Minoura Pro ranged from $64 to $70 with my LBS again at $96.

Big range of markups even among the ones who literally use the same QBP cataloging service.
alf

ParkingMeter

I'm a sucker for the Park TS-2 stands, although it's the de facto truing stand for most shops and all the shops I've worked for. The TS-2 is marginally more accurate than the cheaper stands (if at all), but it's bullet proof. IME it's also really easy to set the alignment accurately, and my stand at home seems to hold it well (the ones at shops tend to see a lot more abuse and come out of alignment). I never use a dishing gauge for wheels I build at home, have never needed to. If you just need a stand for the occasional truing job, it's overkill, but if you get into building wheels consistently, it makes it a lot easier and more fun to have a good quality stand.

waterrockets 

I'm all for an ultra-cheap truing stand, but I don't want any plastic structural members (knobs are fine), and I need to have a two-sided caliper. So, the Performance stand only has a one-sided caliper, which means that for wobbles away from it, you don't get an audible warning. The way I true, I slowly bring in the calipers until one side starts making noise, then I true that spot, and tighten both calipers again. This would be painful in the Perf stand, and there's a risk that re-seating the wheel after flipping it will have it in a slightly different orientation -- or maybe the cam side of a skewer flexes more than the nut side. Also, you'll have spin a lot of turns into your QR to mount the wheel.

The Spin Dr. stand just looks like it's not very stout. If you knock it off your workbench, I think it's likely that something will break. Not that you will knock it off. Just sayin'. I've had my stand forever, and it's been abused, but still works perfectly, for $35.

So, I'd recommend the cheapass stand I bought back in 1992 to build my first wheel. Turns out the same company still makes a very similar stand, and it's available for the same price. Minoura Workman Jr. for $35. The image shows it sitting on the caliper, when it would really sit on the arm that comes off the other side. Anyway, it's super simple and somewhat flimsy, but once you clamp your wheel in there, it works great. Two-sided caliper, the stand can take a serious beating, and it folds very flat. It also does a fine job for dishing when you flip it (though I have made a dish tool that I prefer, using the factory edge of a piece of plywood).

Deanster04

For years I built wheels using an old fork and some home made centering devices made from broken C-Clamps. Worked well for years until I switched to a Park TS-2. I can build a wheel in 1/2 the time. The other park tools are great: Dishing tool (WAG-4) and Spoke Tensiometer (TM-1). I used to use "Feel" and flipping the wheel in the home made stand to get the proper dish but with the amount of dish needed for the 10 speed wheels and tension difference between the drive and non-drive sides I find the tools indespensible. The wheels I build stand up very well.
But there are many ways to skin a cat and they all work with each of the idiocyncracies of the individual tools. Once you figure them out you can build consistantly good wheels. If you are having to true the wheels all the time then something is wrong: Spoke tension not enough, rims too soft, uneven tension, etc.

eddy m

I use an old fork with a dial indicator attached to it, and it works better for me than any of the cheaper stands. The fork is strong enough that I can push the rim sideways to take some stress off the spoke when I tighten it (which can't be done with most of the stands referred to above), and a dial is the easiest and most accurate indicator possible. The whole thing only cost $15, and the only disadvantage is that it takes a long time to set up.
Reversing the wheel in the stand is not accurate enough unless you have a very rigid, stable stand. I put the wheel horizontally on a table, supported by a couple of blocks, and measure the height of the locknut, then flip it over. If my tool box were bigger I might buy a dish gauge, which would work faster, but it wouldn't be any more accurate.
I made my own tensiometer as well, but it I couldn't calibrate it accurately enough to make it useful. I'll make another try at that this winter. If rim manufacturer's published recommended tension values, a tensiometer would be way more useful. As it is, I don't think I really need one.

em

blamp28

I really like the idea of an old fork with a Dial Indicator but will it fit the spacing for a 135 MTB rear wheel or a 145 or 165 Tandem rear wheel?

I have to disagree with you on the flipping the wheel. I have done this plenty of times on my Ultimate and have had no trouble at all truing to well within .5mm and getting very even spacing. I also have a dishing gage I received from my wife last Christmas but I always forget that I have it and use the method I am used to..

eddy m

You can spread a steel fork to any width that's common on bicycles, but it might take a while to file out the dropout for a 12 mm axle.
You can't accurately align a wheel by reversing it in a Minoura Workman or any one-sided stand or with a stand with a dial indicator.
To me, the biggest advantage of the fork-with-a-dial is that I can push the rim sideways when I'm tightening spokes on the drive side of a 10s wheel. You can't do that with most commercially available stands, either because they are too flexible, or they don't hold the wheel well enough or the caliper interferes.
If I had to push wheels out the door to make a living I'd get a different set up, but I can build a wheel that's as good as any wheel I've ever bought, all with tools I mostly made myself. The extra set up time my stand requires is just an excuse to have another beer while I'm working.

BK

waterrockets 

I dished wheels like this for about 12 years with my Workman until I made my own dish tool. It works fine.