Home made wheel truing stand

[Sittingduck]

I have wanted to learn to build wheels for a while but one of the things that has put me off is the cost of truing stands. The more robust looking ones cost a bomb and the cheaper ones look flimsy. Anyway, had a bit of a brainwave when I was fettling my bike just now and have constructed my own version



Configured for front


Configured for rear


Need to add a couple more things for lining up the rim and not happy with the rear config (it's too high up to work on, while seated). Not bad for 10 minutes work though

 

[brockers]

I like your style! Mad professor solutions to bike fettling problems always get a thumbs up from me.

I was once going to have some mdf cut up to make the truing stand designed by Roger Musson (google 'Wheelpro download'), but couldn't be arsed in the end as it would have involved having some dropout supports fabricated, so bought Accountantpete's Park TS-2.

Forks are ok for truing laterally (I've seen pictures of Tour mechanics using them - mounted on something solid with some zip-ties for guides), but you still need to rig up something solid to act as a guide that skims the rim to take out radial play.

 

[Sittingduck]

Cheers brockers

I am intending to attach a steel rule or sililar, to the adjustable black bars you can see there. Hopefully this will act as a basic guide for radial adjustment.

 

[Davidc]

Grumble grumble

It's better than mine

grumble grumble

Which reminds me - mine hasn't come back from loan and I need to chase it up

grumble grumble

How dare SD come up with a better and simpler idea than mine

grumble grumble

 

[rualexander]

Cool, but what is the stand you are using?

I also baulked at forking out for a truing stand for my first go at wheelbuilding, then had a brainwave to use an upturned old rear rack.
It worked really well, with a steel ruler as a guage, and there was enough 'spring' in the rack legs to clamp both front and rear wheels in.
Just had to do a final centring check on the bike as I was unsure if the rack/stand was 'springing' evenly on both sides. If that makes sense.

 

[Sittingduck]

I like it^

The stand in the pic is a bike workstand I picked up from Decathlon for £30 a couple of years ago (they have gone up since). The investment has paid for itself many times over since!