phantomcow2

At what point of having your wheels out of true will it be noticable? Laterally and radially. I know this answer probably varies like what tires you have but say with some slicks maybe 1.0

mtbikerinpa

It all depends how sensitive you are to what the bike tells you. I feel variances as little as 2mm on normal roads. Sometimes less, though on mtb the tires can be seated a lot worse than that. I have known freinds who couldnt tell there was 6mm variance, that I could see as they rode by.

phantomcow2

I dont know i was just thinking about it becuase i was truing my wheels today (got the performance truing stand yesterday so yea) and they are probably true within +/- 1mm and in some places i try to get it more true but i think once you hit 1mm you will not notice.

mtbikerinpa

Perfection is good Barring that, 1mm is alright. Lateral is much more tolerant than radial.

phantomcow2

Yea the perfection is good, i felt like i didnt do the job right so put the wheel back on the stand

bostontrevor

If the wheel isn't messed up, 1mm is a little high. You should aim for under 1mm.

On the other hand, I have a wheel that got hit by a car and it's probably around 4mm off and that's with really asymmetrical spoke tension.

Rev.Chuck

Lateral you will notice because the pads touch. If you are happy with a less than perfect wheel and the brakes don't rub then, OK. Radial really depends on how hard you run your tires, how big they are, and how sensitive your butt is.

There is no reason for a new/decent wheel to be more than .5mm out in any direction. You can get it. Focus, make small changes (1/4 turn max), work in pairs, check the wheel every time you make a change(spin it in the stand), stress relieve often. If you have some big hops, focus on them before trying to get the wheel laterally perfect But try to keep it close to lateral true when working on hops as lateral problems can look like radial problems. Don't get it to tight, sometimes loosening is the answer with a radial problem.

phantomcow2

Well i got it true enough that it required a lense to see what i was doing. Radially within 1mm, i have to say that has been the hardest challenge. Getting it radially true, but i did find several defects in the rim itself. Like where one sidewall extends "down" slightly more than another. I dont hold it against sun still becuase i htink they are awsome rims and thats not noticable. Thanks rev. chuck also, your comments seem to help a lot.

ZenNMotion

Reality check here- with ordinary spoked wheels, you don't need to worry about a few mm's- after all , the wheel flexes a helluva lot more than that when you're riding. Also, your tires are not going to be more perfectly round than that. Other than brake rub if your pads are set really close, I really doubt you can feel much less than 3 mm's. No need to obsess, it ain't rocket science- just my opinion.

mtbikerinpa

I'm not entirely convinced my wheels flex that much. Of course I set mine very thoroughly tensioned.

Rev.Chuck

Even the wheels on my trials bike don't move that much, it is easy to tell when they do flex as there is only about 1.5mm clearance between the knobs and the stays. On a side slope you can hear them rub sometimes.
3mm lateral is a bunch, you would have to set the brakes way open to keep them from rubbing. It would be a lot radial as well. The thing is assuming decent parts, there is no reason why the wheel can't be perfect. Even a first timer can do it if they are patient. The skill part comes in being able to build one quickly and have it come out perfect.

ZenNMotion

Your whole frame flexes more than that- stand by the bike, squeeze your front brake hard and put some weight on a pedal. Bikes, wheels, cranks- it all flexes some, even disc wheels- you'd hate it if they didnt.

gruppo

Twenty five years ago I worked for a frame builder who warned me about folks who believe you test a bike's flexibility by using the "Stand by the bike and put weight on a pedal" method. His advice was to totally disregard everything such a person ever said and to never let them near your bike.

mtbikerinpa

Actually, I tighten my spokes considerably from what you probbably would consider normal, because I like responsiveness. Flex in that regard is loss and inefficiency. Not to mention asking for warpage issues. I can tell when I have a flex in my frames, discs are good for telling. If they do move, I fix it. There is a difference between compliant ride and a noodle setup.

Mr.Endo, Esq.

My reality has never revealed a road tire with more than about .5 mm out of round condition. There's a place somewhere between obssessing and 1/8" runout. I say take the extra few minutes and do it right.