truing a wheel

seve65

Hi folks, anybody out there got some tips for truing a wheel. I have made some improvements to one of my wheels that I damaged a while back, but I cant finish the job off despite hours of fiddling.:mad:

levitronix

If you cant get it its best you have someone show you, because if the spoke tension is way off and the wheel is true it will keep going out of true every time you hit a bad bump or worse break a spoke
Theres loads of videos on youtube also have a look around the net

I built my first wheel only recently from what i learnt you really do need propper gear, i have a tacx exact truing stand and parktool spoke tensiometer and park tool spoke keys, all the kit cost around 120 euro so well worth it in the long run

mark19184

If you've got no tensiometer a good way of getting even spoke tension is to remove each nipple individually, grease the thread and replace the nipple and tighten until the point when the thread is about to disappear into the nipple. Then working around the wheel tighten each nipple the same amount until you get correct tension. This assumes you are using original spokes which are the correct length.

A truing stand is a necessity. Good luck with it.

tomasrojo

I've never used a truing stand. I just put the bike up on a stand and use the brake pads to judge how out of true the wheel is.

I've never built a wheel from scratch, but I've replaced spokes and straightened plenty of wheels this way. I'm sure the results with a truing stand would be better, but my results are ok.

doozerie

I agree that you can get by very well without a truing stand. Truing stands are great, and make life easier (a *lot* easier if you are building a wheel from scratch), but they are not essential. A good spoke key(s) is essential though, as otherwise it can be a very frustrating experience. A spoke tensiometer is also useful but again not essential - you can gauge the spoke tension by feel (comparing to a good comparable wheel or good spokes on the current wheel) and by ear if you have even a slightly musical ear.

One thing to beware of if using your brake blocks as a truing guide is that if they are off centre then you may pull your entire rim off centre in the process of working on it and you'll have to re-dish the wheel again later. Just make sure that your brake blocks are reasonably well centred to start with and keep an eye on their positioning throughout. Brake blocks don't make it easy to keep track of the round-ness of your wheel either, so you'll have to check that regularly too so that you don't turn your wheel into an oval - one of several reasons to remove the tyre and tube from the wheel before you start working on it.

Here are some useful guides:
* Wheelbuilding by Sheldon Brown
* Park Tool - their site seems to be down at the moment though.
* The Professional Guide to Wheel Building by Roger Musson - you've got to pay a few quid for that one (very little though). I haven't used it myself but apparently it includes instructions on making your own truing stand, wheel dish tool, etc.

LCRC_BAX

For a small buckle remember to only use quarter turns when tightening or loosening spokes. Before starting to true the wheel check for any really loose or tight spokes and try to get an even tension on them all. If the wheel has pulled to the drive side you tighten the non-drive / loosen drive side and visa versa, keeping them evenly tensioned Trying to sort an oval wheel is more advanced and for most people a job for the lbs.

I wouldn't use grease on spoke nipples as they would surely be more prone to coming loose. I have had to use thread-lock on each spoke & nipple on my rear Zipp to keep the spokes tight. Keeping the wheel clean should prevent spokes seizing from corrosion.

doozerie

LCRC_BAX wrote:

Trying to sort an oval wheel is more advanced and for most people a job for the lbs.

It certainly takes more time and patience to sort out an oval wheel, but personally I think it is worth doing yourself if you have any interest in maintaining your own wheels longer term. The principles involved in avoiding an oval wheel are very simple and they should be learnt as part of learning basic wheel truing (i.e. every time you adjust a single spoke you are potentially affecting the circular shape of the rim as well the side-to-side pull of the rim). Tackling a rim which is already oval is a little more intimidating partly because you may have to adjust quite a few spokes to sort it out and partly because you may have to increase the tension of some spokes significantly (which is where lubricated spoke thread/nipple helps a lot and where a good spoke key is vital), but the ability to do this follows logically on from learning the simple basics of wheel truing.

seve65

I think i have a more basic problem undermining the truing exercise, I cant tighten the cone flats enough i.e. if i tighten them too much then the whole axle turns; too little and the wheel is coming loose and wobbling :mad:

tomasrojo

seve65 wrote: »

I think i have a more basic problem undermining the truing exercise, I cant tighten the cone flats enough i.e. if i tighten them too much then the whole axle turns; too little and the wheel is coming loose and wobbling :mad:

I tighten the cone on one side (whichever one is loose) with a cone spanner until it's quite firmly against the ball bearings. Then I turn it about one quarter-turn the other way. Then I take an adjustable spanner and tighten the lock nut, while putting the cone spanner onto the cone flats on the other side to stop the axle turning.

I hope I've explained that clearly.

seve65

cheers for that, i have it sorted for now, patience and fine tuning is not my forte. I can feel the bearings grinding so I probably need to replace axle and hub, as I expect they might be a bit pitted.

tomasrojo

tomasrojo wrote: »

I tighten the cone on one side (whichever one is loose) with a cone spanner until it's quite firmly against the ball bearings. Then I turn it about one quarter-turn the other way. Then I take an adjustable spanner and tighten the lock nut, while putting the cone spanner onto the cone flats on the other side to stop the axle turning.

I hope I've explained that clearly.

I was re-greasing my front hub yesterday, and my mind wandered back to this post. It's complete nonsense, so I hope nobody paid any attention to it!

I must have been thinking of tightening the wheel nut on a solid-axle wheel, not the locknut (I've had to use a cone spanner for this in the past, as the axle kept turning as I tried to tighten the wheel nut).

For tightening the locknut, you definitely want to put the cone spanner onto the cone flats on the same side as the locknut.

Anyway, I promise never to sully the pages of boards with such nonsense again.