Wheel Straightening 101

[jonny jeez]

Got a new roadie of recent and am concerned that the London roads (in particular, the Old Kent variety) are not going to treat her tiny wheels too well.

so, I wanted a master class on "tuning" wheels to ensure they are in trim.

When I was a kid I recall my dad used to hold a piece of chalk near the rim to mark where it went out of true and then used to tighten the spokes accordingly.

its "the accordingly" bit I need info on...would I be right in assuming that the spokes will pull the wheel in the direction that they sit on the hub?

Thanks

 

[snailracer]

Your procedure will improve things 50% of the time, and make it worse the other 50% because an out-of-true rim is not necessarily due to spokes being loose.
Best to check out the following guide:

http://sheldonbrown....ips/truing.html

 

[biggs682]

for the £9 my lbs charge i am happy to let them do mine

 

[Norm]

its "the accordingly" bit I need info on...would I be right in assuming that the spokes will pull the wheel in the direction that they sit on the hub?

If you just tighten them, then yes, but you'll end up with an egg-shaped wheel.

Much like the throttle on your scoot, Jonny, remember that the spoke key turns both ways. It's as much about loosening the tension on one side as it is tightening the spokes on the other side.

 

[John the Monkey]

Much like the throttle on your scoot, Jonny, remember that the spoke key turns both ways. It's as much about loosening the tension on one side as it is tightening the spokes on the other side.

Wouldn't a true, properly tensioned wheel go out of true by losing tension in the spokes though?

I thought the mechanism was something along the lines of the wheel hits pothole, the spokes lose tension suddenly, unwind slightly?

Jonny: Wheels are tougher than you think. I commuted on 25c pro-race2 on a set of 32x3 handbuilts (DRC ST18-II rims on Tiagra hubs) in and out of Manchester for about a year with no bother - I still use the wheels as my wet weather ones now. I know plenty of people doing similar routes on roadies with lower spoke counts & thinner tyres with no bother. Don't go plunging into bike swallowing holes if you can avoid it, but don't sweat the little stuff too much either.

 

[Norm]

Depends on the exact cause, John, and the relative tension when you start.

I've always found loose spokes to be at least part of the issue when a wheel has buckled and my point was mainly a reminder not to just keep tightening spokes when the wheel has gone out of true, as that way lies eggness.

As long as the spokes have similar tension (allowing for drive-side dishing etc) when you are done, you should be good to go.

 

[jonny jeez]

Thanks all... good advice. I think I'll go with Biggs comment though and let the LBS take care of it when the issue arises.

Staying clear of the big holes is becomming a challange of late (despite thinking I knew the road like the back of my hand now) as its becomming dark and I dont like the sense that I am concentrating 8 feet in front of my wheel as opposed 50ft ahead, which is the way I like to ride.

This is something I never worried about when riding Chitty (the old bike) as she comes with front shocks which just soaked it all up and as such this is the only drawback I've found (so far) of riding a roadie to work each day.

Thanks guys

 

[John the Monkey]

Depends on the exact cause, John, and the relative tension when you start.

I've always found loose spokes to be at least part of the issue when a wheel has buckled and my point was mainly a reminder not to just keep tightening spokes when the wheel has gone out of true, as that way lies eggness.

Gotcha - reading the linked article above, I think some people are thinking about properly b0rked wheels, whereas I'm thinking of ones that have just had hard road use (but no rim damage).