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robertlin...

December 21, 2008 08:19 PM

What is the basic procedure for truing a bicycle wheel?

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andy

December 21, 2008 11:27 PM

The first thing that you'll need when truing a bicycle wheel is a tool called a spoke wrench, which can usually be purchased at a bicycle shop (make sure to get the right sized wrench for your specific wheel size and bike - if you bring your bike into the store they should be able to tell you what size to get).

Once you have your tool, spin the wobbly wheel until you have identified exactly where the wobble is on the bike (use your brake pads as a reference point to help you determine where that is).

When you have found the wobbly area, find the spokes that match up with that area and adjust them using your spoke wench. At first, just turn each nipple 1/4 inch at a time until it looks good.

I'm not an expert, so this is a condensed version, but this video should give a clearer picture.

Source(s):
http://alamedabicycle.com/page.cfm?pageID=175
http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/skills/spokes.htm

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bikemann

December 23, 2008 07:06 PM

The answer above is pretty good. You want to make sure that you don't over tighten your spokes, so some times you may need to loosen the opposite spoke to get the desired effect. Using the brake pads is the cheapest, easiest way to true a wheel

The spokes pull to either side, so if your wheel hits the left brake pad, tighten the right spoke - or - loosen the left spoke. You can squeeze the middle of the spokes to get an idea of whether to loosen or tighten. If the spokes move a lot, then tighten. If they are taught and you feel like you are using a grip machine, then try loosening.

You can also use the cable adjuster to move your brake pads closer and fine tune the wheel. Near the brake lever, there is a cylindrical piece called a barrel adjuster that you can loosen and it pulls your brake pads closer together. On road bikes, the barrel adjuster is often located on the brake itself. As the wheel gets straighter, you can tighten the brakes to see where the wheel is still wobbly.

Remember that truing a wheel takes time and patience. I would suggest no more that 1/8 turn at a time because you do not want to over do it. Be careful, but have fun with it.
Source(s):
Personal experience

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