What truing stands do you recommend for wheel building? Hopefully without breaking the bank in case I don't take to wheel building, I can always use it for truing. Does any basic stand work? What should I look for in a stand?

Thanks - Chris

Get one that is able to center the calipers (or whatever you call them) on each side of the rim simultaneously. NOT one like the Spin Doctor. I have a Spin Doctor and it kind of sucks.

I like the Minoura for about the same price.

https://www.ebay.com/p/Minoura-FT-1-...d=232524765968

This one is even better for a little more.

https://www.ebay.com/p/Minoura-FT-1-...d=191801162914

I’m looking at buying a stand for Xmas. I’ll probably go the Park route, but I am curious about these cheaper models. Also, regarding the Park Tools stands, are the centering gauges truly a necessity? $80 on top of the cost of the stand for a centering gauge seems kinda steep. Do these cheaper models require a similar centering gauge?

Thank for the input, I assume this one has the same issue:

Park T-8

Wouldn't a dishing tool that you probably need anyway serve the same purpose as a centering gauge? Only asking cause I really don't know, really need to do more research.

For the time and money, is it worth it just to have the Yellow Jersey build my wheels? (or any other place, but I can drive to this shop) I just don't know..

A Park pro stand is the gold standard if you have the room and the cash. I have a Minoura truing stand myself, which I like because it folds away and stores nicely. It isn't as good but works well enough for my current needs. There have been couple grades in the past - make sure to get the better one.

Don't worry about the centering gauge. I've never met a mechanic that relied on a park stand for centering. Good enough for the mid level hybrids you had to crank out all day, but that's about it. Most common thing is to flip the wheel in the stand for a quick check. The proper tool for centering is a dishing tool. I consider a dishing tool necessary for wheelbuilding.

My shops charge ungodly rates to build wheels. I think they do so to (1) sell more stock wheels and (2) avoid sinking the labor into a time consuming process.

Use a trainer and a beer can

Thank you for the input, and that is what I thought about the dishing tool.

There used to be a shop in Seattle called Il Veccio, the guy was an elitist, but he could build wheels. I still have a set built in probably 92 or 93. Bombproof and I have had only minimal truing.

I want to see a picture of this!

Cheap solutions are great for finding out if building wheels is really how you want to spend your time... unless you are a tool junky: then the task becomes just an excuse for owning the tool. I built my first few wheels using nothing more complicated than my bicycle turned upside down. The brake pads are your guides and, as [MENTION=424205]Salamandrine[/MENTION] points out above, you can flip the wheel to check centering.

1st purchase - spoke wrenches.
2nd purchase - dishing tool.
3rd purchase - truing stand.
By the time you get to the third purchase you will know whether this is something you want to splurge on.
Brent

I've been building wheels on and off for over 40 years. If you're building professionally, you should have a good stand - it saves a bit of time. If you're a DIY'er, a decent stand is a "nice to have". About ten years ago I bought one of those folding Minoura stands. Kinda flexy, hard to use IMO. If you're getting a stand, buy something substantial. The iconic Park truing stand is what most shops use, I'm used to it, so that's what I use.



A dishing gauge is nice to have, but as others have noted, any wheel builder will tell you that all you need to do is flip the wheel around and check against one of the arms to make them equidistant. That said, I do have a dishing tool and use it out of habit.

About 6 years ago I needed (wanted?) to build a set of wheels for the first bike I'd built up in a long time, and didn't have a truing stand at the time. Three tie wraps and a bike frame works just fine:



After years of not having a way to measure tension, I gave in and bought one. I found that what I thought was adequate tension was about 5-10% lower than what is specified. I'm not even certain that getting a wheel up to tension spec is that important - "close enough" worked for me for years. But if you haven't built a few hundred sets of wheels, it's probably a good idea to get one.

Welp, this is pretty clever. I’ve seen people rig stuff up with an upside down fork as well.

I hate to disagree with the venerable [MENTION=381793]gugie[/MENTION], but I've been using a Minolta stand for about 6 years and it's done a fine job. Sure, it has some quirks but it does the job well enough for a third the price of a Park TS-2. That said, I am pretty excited to have recently acquired the Park stand as part of a bulk buy. It's definitely a better tool.

If you just want good wheels, you can probably find someone to build them for you at a tolerable cost, but I find wheel building to be very satisfying. It's also a handy skill to have when your wheel needs some repair.

I bought one of the really cheap truing stands off Amazon, I forget the name but it was cheap. At least it came with three spoke wrenches, which was a nice extra. The stand is quite flimsy, but its sufficient if all you want to do is true the wheel. Centering, though, forget it. You can't just flip the wheel over to see if its centered because the stand may or may not flex back to its original position, it's that flexible. So it was almost a waste of money.

I do however have an unusable frame and fork. I intend to saw the rear half off the frame and that would make a neat truing stand which would allow me to flip the wheel for centering (mounting the seat tube or fork in the bike repair stand).

there's not a decent shop in Dubuque that can build wheels well? Dang... (speaking as a person who grew up just a slight bit south of Dubuque).

It's really just a matter of how you like to spend your time. Not a lot of folks like to work on bikes, and it's a good value for them to be able to have a shop do the work.

I'm one of the folks who enjoy having an excuse to build and true a wheel. I grew up in the days when wheels required somewhat routine re-truing, so developing some skill with a spoke wrench was as common as being able to overhaul bearings. With the more reliable modern rims and spokes, I have to look for opportunities to get the truing stand out and refresh my truing skills. Heck, I recently volunteered to build a set of wheels for a buddy, and I was grateful!

So.. wheel building & truing is a nice skill to have, especially if there's not a shop nearby that can do the work for you. It's certainly not critical, though, especially if you've already got other stuff to do with your time.


Steve in Peoria
p.s. to stay on the thread's topic, let me say that I've got one of those inexpensive Minoura stands, and it's good enough. I do have a dishing gauge too.

I am going to admit I have not tried the local shops for wheel building. One pissed me off, so I won't go back and the other was really slow with their work, but may be worth a shot. I have just heard good things about the Yellow Jersey for C&V, so I don't mind the drive.

I'll take a picture next time I build a wheel, or true one with the tire off

But basically...trainer on the coffee table. Empty beer can next to the wheel which of course is in the trainer. Works great to gauge lateral trueness. If your eyes aren't good...the beer can makes a nice screeching sound when the wheel makes contact with the can .

The steel adjustable roller of the trainer is used to measure radial roundness. Also makes a great screech when contact is made.

In all honesty...I can't see how a commercially made one would be all that much better aside from having the lateral gauge fixed, rather than having to tap the can over a couple millimeters every now and then. But then again...mine is basically free. Aside from being forced to drink a beer before I build a wheel. The horror!

@ Abe_Froman Many trainers won't fit a front wheel...how do your dance around that?

Edit, I know! Drink another beer and crush it into the gap.

Mine fits a front just fine

Just leave the quick release in (obviously). But also, if it really is too wide a gap, just unscrew the quick release ends all the way to fill up the gap. Should work fine. It's only a few centimeters difference between front and rear, max. I've got a cheap one with cups that screw in/out. Looks about like this...(off the internet...) Massive amount of adjustment. The 2nd beer method works also though

A used Park TS-2 and a used dishing tool cost me $100. Best investment in bike tools ever.

It wouldn't hurt to check with the local shops and see what their skill & experience is. If there is a shop that can do it, then you'll know who to go to if you have an urgent problem in the future.

OTOH, if you were looking for an excuse to visit Yellow Jersey, then that's fine too.
I visited them a long time ago, and it was interesting.


Steve in Peoria

Just purchased a next to new TS-2 off E-Bay for $119.00, why purchase and proliferate junk when a good used tool is available. Is there not enough pollution on the world already?

I bought a vintage version that looks like this Sunlite stand https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunlite-W...nance/31985906

For me it's good enough because I maybe true up my wheels only a couple times a year and it works. If you were a professional wheel builder you might want to invest in a more sturdy stand like a Park. One down side with a stand like this if you want to true a modern BMX wheel, the axles are too large to fit in the slots.