How to True a Bike Wheel

Truing wheels is fairly easy if you understand a few basic concepts.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Understand that you true a wheel by tightening and loosening spokes. You can true a wheel both laterally and radially.

2. Assemble the proper tools. You will need a truing stand, a spoke wrench, and some light oil.

3. Remove the tire to true the wheel laterally.

4. 

   Set your wheel in the truing stand.

5. 

   Set the truing stand with the arms close to the rim. Dial them in so that the side of the rim scrapes in places.

6. 

   Place one drop of light oil where each spoke threads into the nipple, and another drop where each nipple sits against the rim.

7. Relieve stress on the spokes by squeezing sets of parallel spokes with your hands. Go through the whole wheel before you begin truing.

8. 

   True the wheel laterally by tightening the two spokes that pull the rim in the opposite direction from where it scrapes, and loosening the one spoke between those two spokes.

9. Tighten a spoke by turning the spoke wrench counter-clockwise. Loosen a spoke by turning it clockwise.

10. Turn the spokes a quarter turn at a time.

11. 

    Set the truing stand so that the arms are underneath the rim and scrape the top of the rim in various places. To true the wheel laterally, tighten four or six spokes along the area where the rim scrapes. When you true a wheel laterally, always work in pairs of spokes - one spoke from each side of the hub.

12. [NEED A SEPARATE SET OF STEPS FOR TRUING RADIALLY? OR JUST A LIST HERE? NO MENTION OF IT AFTER THE FIRST SENTENCE. - KF]

Tips & Warnings

• For more information on bike wheels, see related eHow "Build a Bike Wheel."

Who Can Help Sponsored

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[modemcables]

on 6/1/2009 I recently took my bike into the shop and the attendant sold me a tire and tube and to seal the deal he offered to quickly true up my rim. Two days later I was starting off on my bike and the rear wheel turned into a pretzel and locked tight and the bike stopped instantly and I flipped over the handlebars and landed on my shoulder on the pavement. What happened to my wheel and how can I prevent this when I do work myself?

on 8/8/2006 OK, if you own a bike shop or build wheels for a living, go buy a truing stand and separate wrenches. If you are just a rider, you can do this with a spoke wrench (that fits your spoke nipples). I would even say that you should not use a truing stand, because you aren't going to be riding the truing stand, you are going to be riding your bike, which has less than perfect brake and even fork alignment! So, flip your bike over and spin the wheel (with the brakes centered up - fix this first if you need to). First check for wheel roundness by comparing the rim's in and out motion relative to the brakes. To fix this, tighten or loosen spokes on both sides to squeeze the wheel into roundness. Once you have done that, spin it and apply the brakes very gradually until the wheel hits the brakes, then tighten/loosen spokes at that spot to fix this - the original posts instructions for this part are pretty good. Oh, also, you probably don't need to loosen any spokes - if you've been riding on them for a while, they aren't too tight or they would have broken (they don't tighten by themselves). And if you just bought it and the wheel needs truing - take it back!