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how to know when wheel are out of true?

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how to know when wheel are out of true?

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Old 04-12-10 | 05:57 PM
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how to know when wheel are out of true?

hey i got a question, after fixing my brakes, i went on a cruise on my bike. i realized that my brakes (v brake/linear pull) shifts to the right then back at a certain point of the wheel. does this mean my wheel is out of true?
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Old 04-12-10 | 06:12 PM
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you mean your brake arms are getting knocked side to side as the wheel spins? Basically if you can't brake well and have the pads not rub then the rim is out of whack and needs truing. If the rim is knocked out of whack because it is bent there's a limited amount of truing you can do without overtightening some spokes or having some spokes too loose so you'll have to live with a bit of wobble that comes from the metal being bent. A common way that can happen is a front tire put in a bike rack and it falls over bending the rim.
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Old 04-12-10 | 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by viet_Cong
hey i got a question, after fixing my brakes, i went on a cruise on my bike. i realized that my brakes (v brake/linear pull) shifts to the right then back at a certain point of the wheel. does this mean my wheel is out of true?
Have you checked for a broken spoke?
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Old 04-12-10 | 08:44 PM
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Originally Posted by LeeG
you mean your brake arms are getting knocked side to side as the wheel spins? Basically if you can't brake well and have the pads not rub then the rim is out of whack and needs truing. If the rim is knocked out of whack because it is bent there's a limited amount of truing you can do without overtightening some spokes or having some spokes too loose so you'll have to live with a bit of wobble that comes from the metal being bent. A common way that can happen is a front tire put in a bike rack and it falls over bending the rim.
yeah the arms are getting knocked side to side. when i put the bike upwards, and spin the wheel and put my finger on the rim, i feel a bump every rotation. uasally i dont take care of my bikes (ride off curbs, downhill, drop the drop etc)

Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart
Have you checked for a broken spoke?
no broken spokes, they all tighten and make a good Ding sound.
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Old 04-13-10 | 01:22 AM
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Grab yourself a spoke wrench and start learning how to true wheels.
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Old 04-13-10 | 01:12 PM
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already got a spoke wrench , im just wondering if you know if the wheel are out of true.
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Old 04-13-10 | 01:25 PM
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Originally Posted by viet_Cong
already got a spoke wrench , im just wondering if you know if the wheel are out of true.
\

No, your wheels are perfectly true
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Old 04-13-10 | 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by viet_Cong
already got a spoke wrench , im just wondering if you know if the wheel are out of true.
You're looking at it.
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Old 04-13-10 | 04:56 PM
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spin the wheel while looking at the brake pads.

if the rim sways from side to side by more than 2mm each way, then your wheel is out of true.
if the rim bobs up and down by more than 2mm, then your wheel is out of round.


there's also something I would call as being "out of tension", but you need either a tension meter or a good set of ears to see this.
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Old 04-13-10 | 04:58 PM
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May I make a joke?

Next question: How do I tell when my tires are flat?
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