Is one okay, or is it customary to do both?
 

I tried the wire tie thing, but with the location of my shocks and where I wanted to put the wire tires for a sure-fire answer didn't work out. It's to the point I'm so sick of just sitting in the sun tweaking with it I'm going to take it to the local bike shop. They quoted me 17 dollars per wheel, but said in my situation where the dish is off center it might be more practical for me to leave the wheel overnight, but it doesn't cost anything extra.

Question is, when you get these wheels done is it practical to get both wheels done, or just whatever needs done and be happy with it?

Also, does anybody have any last minute suggestions? I'll probably take the bike wheel in monday, but if there's something else you guys suggest me doing (like an at-home do-it-yourself test) to see if there's anyway I can detect the dish being out of alignment and fixing it myself, that'd be great.

Right now the ONLY thing kind of telling me the dish could be out of line is the fact my front brakes are over to the side a bit. The part that sucks is I'm not sure if it was always like that or not, because if I knew it was always like that even when the wheel was straight I wouldn't second guess it and just go riding.

Have you tried adjusting the tension screws on your brakes???

The tension is fine. The thing is when I hold down the brake as hard as I can, they're off center, so I know something is a little goofy. The odd thing is they're off center even when I let off the brake, that's how I first noticed it.

Regardless, something is a little off center... but what? I would think it'd be the wheel given the amount of time I kept messing with it.

Also - I see on ebay there's a lot of truing stands and whatnot, but is there somewhere else where I can order them? Like are there certain kinds of truing stands, I'm looking for an entry level truing stand if one even exists...

Reason is, I'm getting my girlfriend a bike soon, and I'm sure I'll want to check out the wheels on her bike as well. It's 17 bucks per wheel at my local bike shop to get checked out. 17x3 = 51. Okay, why spend 51 dollars on getting the wheels straightened out if I can spend a little less or even the same amount for a truing stand and do it myself, that way in the future I already have the equipment there if I need it again.

Bottom line is - Is there anywhere where you can buy pretty cheap truing stands?

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...goods&v=glance

How's this one? 49 bucks...

Oh my god what a mess. All you have to do to check if your wheels are out of dish are put the wheels in your frame, and fork, and see if the fork arch and frame are the same distance away from the tire, more specifically the rim. Get a tape measure or a pen and mark how far each side is away from the frame and fork arch. What is the problem anyway....the brakes dont work good? Its probably the angle of the pads or something....the wheel would have to be WAY out of dish to have the brakes not work well.

Yes, you can get one for FREE. You don't actually need a truing stand, just get something that you can hold on your frame and check the spots on the rim that are bent. You get what I am saying? Hold a pen or something stationary on the frame, when the wheel spins in the bike it will touch the stationary object, which will tell you where the rim is out of true. Truing wheels while in the bike is just a quick way though, you could easily build a truing stand yourself, all there has to be is a couple stationary pieces that you can adjust to the rim...

I tried the wire ties, I mean I guess I'll try it again... given I woke up late so I had about 10 minutes to find wire ties then try them out. I was just going to buy a truing stand just to make 100% sure my wheel is straight.

What it all comes down to is, my wheel is completely straight. The rim doesn't wobble one single bit. BUT I have a feeling that even though it's straight, the dish isn't in line... I'll see what I can do, I'll try a tape measure and see what happens.

Sorry if I'm rambling, but I sort of thought of something that I could do.

Just get a popcicle stick, cut it down to size, and finally sand the edges just to make sure it fits PERFECTLY in between the fork and the rim. Of course, if it fits perfectly on both sides, then the wheel is straight. Of course I'll have to re-make them a few times until the rim gets straight, because it will be kind of hard to continuously reuse them if they are the wrong size.

I just figured I'd share what I thought of. I'll try it out tomorrow.

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edit - When you tune the spokes a bit, then ride the bike... is it normal to hear some kinking and clicking of some sort? It stops after the wheels take a few rotations but I didn't expect to hear it in the first place. *unsure*

Yes, its normal to hear the little noises. After you adjust spokes, you have to stress relieve the spokes, and help "settle them in". I usually grab pairs of spokes, and squeeze them a couple times.

I don't mean to take the piss, but is the wheel straight in the dropouts? Whatever you've done i doubt you've significantly changed the dish of the wheel enough to cause the problems you are having. You DO NOT need a truing stand to true a wheel. I think you're making a meal out of something which is pretty simple, to be honest.

The wheel is straight, however the dish isn't completely centered, which was kind of odd but hey, it happened.

I took some thin pieces of wood and cut them down to the exact size between the fork and the rim. I cut the piece with regular cutters (cause the wood is that damn thin) and it fit perfectly in between the fork and rim. The other side however showed the dish was clearly out of alignment by a little bit. When I thought about it, that was why my brakes looked the way they did, because the wheel was more aligned to the one side, therefore pushing the brakes over.

Didn't fix it yet because I have other plans for today, but at least I know what to do next time I have a break.