Just watched this video again, in preparation for my first attempt at truing my rear wheel. Just waiting for the right size nipple wrench to arrive.I must give you some praise on your level of detailed information and reflection on their importance.A bike is after all a dynamic piece of kit, with many components affecting the performance of each other. I keep reminding myself of this whenever i am about to to a quick cleaning or tuneup. At first you think it will take just 10 minutes, and then 1,5 hours later you end up having done 2-3 other parts in realtion to the first.... call it OCD, call it an "inner perfectionist" whatever.... Best to do things properly. PS: When asking your viewer to listen for something, perhaps you should skip the background music, and a few sound dampening panels on the walls and ceiling would do wonders to remove the echo and reverb overlaying your voice all the time.
I also true my own wheels and I think that your explanation was thorough in describing the challenges one may encounter depending on the type of deviations encountered. The use of tape to detect spoke rotation and bending spoke pairs to release tension are very good tips.
Spokes spinning is only a problem with straight pull spokes. With J bends they'll twist. Greasing the spoke nipples will actually reduce the twisting because it will allow the nipple to thread on/off as it should, instead of twisting the spoke. Marking the spokes, either with labels, or with a pen can be a good indication as well. As far as releasing tension goes. I suggest squeezing parallel sets of spokes _hard_, rather than just flexing them a little bit. It really shouldn't be necessary to retrue a wheel after you've rode it if it was done properly.
Hi cannondany! Great all-around video, if I was to make one, it would be like this. BUT, as I have already mastered the "dark science" of wheel-building and truing to an acceptable level, I have some suggestions/questions and would like to share and hear your opinion on them: - Wouldn't you agree that it is better to use 4-sided spoke wrench, especially with the aluminum nipples? I started learning that wheel thing with the same cheap spoke-key as you recommended in the video and I agree it is a good one for a start. After a while it rounded-off some aluminum nipples so I got myself a 4-sided wrench. Never had that problem again. - About bladed spokes and holding onto them to prevent twisting - in my experience, bladed spokes are maybe easier to work with than a round spokes when it comes to putting high tension and re-truing wheels with a bit seized nipples, as you can use the specific slotted tool. Round spokes do tend to twist too, wouldn't you agree? It's just not noticeable, not that much, but it can make menace in the final truing stage. I imagine you must know what I'm talking about. I like to use vice grips to hold the spoke fixed a few centimeters from the nipple (carefully to avoid damaging the spoke) and then use the spoke wrench to do the job. What are your thoughts on that, is it a good practice? Cheers and keep up with the great videos!
Thank you so very much finally some one explained in detail how and what the process of trueing a wheel is and what I need to do and the process behind it thank u .I can't believe that it was as simple as when I tightened one side of the tire it made a sort of butterfly effect to the other side and how I could fix the rim hop .ur doing great keep up the great videos ur very helpful
Tightening up loose spokes on a 1970 bike, some were stuck, I found ATF trans fluid and then use a propane torch heat up the nipple works well. Then use screwdriver and hold round spoke with a vice grip plier, they all came loose and was able to be tightened. Wheels are chromed steel and were straight although rusty looking, spokes were not rusty looking. I set spokes to have a similar tone when plucked.
I over-tightened 2 nipples and damaged them. I didn't use any oil. It is possible to manage without oil, but you have know not to overtighten spokes. I lost 1 spoke and 3 nipples and bought new spoke key. My old spoke key is one size too big to make it easier to remove the key after tightening. Truing the wheel is probably the expert-level maintenance operation and practice is needed. Nice thing that when you learn it, you can buy cheap spokes and install them and true them your self quite fast. I was taught by a french mechanic at TRE-cycle with a truing stand. Nowadays I just use wheels and brakes to see where the rim is bent, just like the man in video. I think the video is a bit anxious, but as operation is difficult you made the point clear. Maybe so pedagogic perspective is good development. ;)
if your using go pro and other cam... try checking the settings search for the flat... i dont know where it is but i can tell from the video, the camera seems to make it convex, you know in a round mirror to make the view wider 1:19 check the bike stand it is rounded because of that... you can make the 4k but better make it flat when pointing instructions... unless you want other people to view a scenery convex settings or so is very good in action movement
Good video. Nice man cave. If that's your living room I'm telling my wife we're pulling our modern art down and I'm hanging my bike over the fire place. "Honey, it's how they do it in Poland." ;-)
Your video was extremely helpful with my ksyrium elite wheels. One question: how concerned should I be about one side of the wheels spokes have less tension than the other? How to get consistent tension on both sides and the wheel true?
Should all the spokes ring at the same or very similar pitch when you tap them? My the pitch of my spokes vary quite a bit. Would getting them to all be very close in pitch be a good starting point?
Your explanation was great. Nevertheless, the contrast between the background and the rim did not let to perceive very well. Amazing your experience without special and costly tools. Very useful! 👍🏾
Great info, thanks. Related to truing, I have seen spokes of fellow riders just blow out on smooth roads, I'm guessing they were over tightened. How tight should the spokes be all around? i.e. how much torque is too much?
it was a very good explanation, but how do you know if the tension is already too high or too low? what should the tension be? I think this deserves to be mentioned when discussing trueing, especially since truing an axial shift, may impart a radial shift.
After truing my wheel I take test-drive and I hear a nice plong-pling-plong-pling-sound when spokes adjust at start. I know the rim is a bit mis-aligned after this, but as long as it runs quiet with rim-brake I am happy.
I am presently in south America. I have never seen that stand to hoist the bike. I have to check an online store to buy one. what is the name for such a stand to locate them easily in stores?
Rebuilding a wheel is easy, you already know the spoke sizes. I tend to hold the axle and spin it, then when it's getting close to true stick it in the frame and finish truing it. I also pluck the spokes and listen to the note they make as a basic test for tension.
Great video, extremely valuable and useful demonstration, thank you! I personally found the music to be distracting/unnecessary...I don't mean to be rude, just giving some feedback on an otherwise outstanding instruction.
EPIC....!!!!!! I learned two things I've been doing wrong since I had a lil dinosaur for a yard dog (which btw could kick a pit bulls ass pronto). Great vid thank you very much. I'm now subscribed fan.
You can begin truing it before you center it. You can center it at the end, by evenly releasing and adding tension to the opposite spokes, depending on which side you want to go.
@@MarkoVojvodic84 Not a preferred method, it is never a good idea to over tension any spoke! To ensure proper dish in a rear wheel, one can reverse the wheel in the drop outs, then you can measure the maximum deviation of the rim in relation to the distance from seat stay, for both ways the wheel fits in the drop outs, normal- cogs on chain side and reverse- cogs on non chain side. Once you master this, you will never need a wheel dishing tool (totally unnecessary). This is a very simple version of trigonometry. It is the first thing I do when I put a wheel (front or rear) on my truing stand. This way you are starting from the starting point, it tells you from the start if you need to relieve tension or apply tension to specific spokes, because you can assess the out of true conditions and out of round conditions and develop a game plan. I've seen more than my share of bike mechanics tightening already over-tight spokes and not having a clue as to knowing how to properly true wheels.
I suggest that you create chapter title time keys in the body of your description so that the viewer doesn't waste time on information that they know or don't care about, like what tools to use or how you tried to tape in 4K. This way the viewer can go directly to the area they are interested in.
The easiest way to true a wheel on the fly is to use a sharpie. Just spin the wheel and slowly close in on the rim. If the rim is clean you will have perfect marks telling you where to put tension on the spokes.
Instead of truing stand I bought a spoke tension meter. I'm not so good with musical hearing, by listening the dune I can easily over tighten the spokes, especially when it's out from dishing and I need to turn all the spokes. But I a bit regret that purchase because, it did not have the quality I expected. It was so expensive for that piece of aluminum, but I did not have confidence in my own craftsmanship to try to build something by my self.. But I think that the one that I got might be fake. It's parktool TM1. But it has different spring than listed in manual or shown in any pictures. Everything else the package and all parts were looking genuine, except the spring had one extra winding. And to compensate that there was one spaccer added, which made the screw that was holding it together a bit too short. The screw came loose.. Actually both screws the tool had were getting lose. I had to disassemble and use some thread lock. But now I think it's probably out from calibration. Or maybe it wasn't correct from the start. Anyways. I don't think I would buy a expensive tool ever again. Especially the ones from any respected famous company. Because those are expensive and thus the bastards that make bad fakes would target them.. I would not mind to have fake or whatever if it works. But it irritates when the thing breaks. And even more if I think I might have got scammed. Well I did not go to complain to seller, because.. Well it would be just too much trouble. Beside it was probably not their fault. It's the fault of parktool who makes their tool too expensive.. With the price they sell it I would expect something more reliable and durable. I could not true even one wheel before it broke.. I mean the screw got lose. But I did build the truing stand and dishing gauge from scrap wood. And they did come out pretty nicely.. For someone, who has only his own 2 bikes to maintain. There really is no need to buy a expensive stand.. Or maybe only if you have too much money and too few time, but still want to do it by your self. But it was also fun and creative to build also those and.. I spent maybe just 3€ for them.. or maybe little more. Not sure, But it was just for screws and some small pieces of metal to assemble the wood pieces.. And also the truing stand requires some F clamps to work.. It's just 2 L shapes from wood that I can clamp to the desk.. and then can mount wheels with different hub with between those 2 L shapes..
It depends how badly it is bent. The most extreme I had to do was to completely remove the rim and stand on its sides while the middle was on a 2/4 on the ground, checking from time to time against a very straight surface (like a door for example) until the lateral bend was solved. Then re-lace a.s.o...
If a certain extreme force puts a bend in a rim, then spokes can never get that bend out. It must have a force administered to the rim to negate that damaging force, loosen spokes in the affected area, apply just enough force, wood block and mallet to correct the issue. If you get lucky it will work.
Hence the reason I ride wheels with minimum 28-32 spokes, so I can actually use the reflectors w/o the wheels going out of true (Also I weigh 97 kilos).
Just a suggestion, try to use a less wide angle lens for your camera. The one you are using in most of your videos is a very wide fish-eye lens, which means that almost everything in the video is distorted. (Except for the center) Try 30 or 35 mm wide lens, like the one from Sigma.
if you have a truing stand with a jaw wide and tall enough to fit around your tire, is there any reason to actually take the tire off? I can understand maybe letting most of the air pressure out of the tire so you're not putting opposing force on your rim whilst trying to straighten it out, but other than that I can't really see the reasoning behind having to do all that.
Far better without the tire, you will more than make up whatever time it takes you to remove the tire. It is a million times easier to get radial true with no tire blocking your view. 40 years of truing experience here.
Hi. Great comprehensive guide! In my case I could use a little more information about radial tuning. I have a "pit" in my wheel. As you mention the spokes can not be adjusted to push the rim out to correct it. Is there anything else that can be done?
If only over a couple spokes and can't be fixed with lower spoke tension, could be a flattened/bent spot from a impact. Nothing will fix except a new rim.
Back in the day, we would repair these "flat spots" with three pieces of wood, two on the ground- rest the flat spot in between these pieces so that the flat spot is off the ground( you have already taken the spokes out from this area of the rim) with another piece of wood and a mallet you strike with just enough force to put the roundness back into the former flat spot. Very keen sense of touch is needed to do this right.
I've been noticing the heads of my spokes popping off quite frequently. What could be the cause of this? I am very heavy (I took up cycling to loose weight) at about 135 kg. Could this be the cause, in which case I have to just suck it up and buy a bunch of extra spokes to replace breaks until I've lost a lot more weight, or could there be another cause that I can prevent? I asked my local bike shop and they were unsure.
@ Kathy Hall Tires have only a small margin of responsibility for spoke breakage. If you ride on wheels with insufficient numbers of spokes or spokes that are not properly tensioned, the tire size is of little concern. Additionally, when the rider is of this size, riding style becomes more of an issue. I've had to warn riders above 240 lbs. that putting torque on the drivetrain, while you are leaning is an absolute do-not-do! Just wait until you are vertical before mashing pedals and your rear wheel will last a lot longer!
Truing wheels is much easier and more accurate using a dial test gauge, they're not expensive if you buy them online shipped from China. Instead of using a dedicated truing stand you can use a bracket or clamp to attach a dial gauge to the seat stay for lateral trueness, and take out the brake caliper and bolt on a dial gauge in its place for radial trueness.
cannondany, please I have a question Its normal? wheels will change a little when mount tires back on? I have new wheels that true and round, when I mount tires on it, its get a little like 0.2-0.3mm side-to-side normal or not? thank you I want to do truing . . . but its sound dumb to do that on new wheels >.> I dunno haha
Altimis Nuel : Good qualituy custom build wheels should be perfectly straight even if you fit/change tyres. Good wheelbuilder will fit the tyre on the wheel he/she is building to see tolerance. If tolerance is in the limits = wheel is done. If tolerance is out of the limits=have to work on it untill wheel is sraight (laterally and vertically). Cheap factory made wheels or any cheap wheels has that problem you've asked.
thanks, my first time truing wheel ended up needed to cut the spokes, because the nipple became bald, i'm using nipple adjuster that included in topeak multitool, and i have no idea to truing it right back then. so learn from mistake, i need to buy good tool and a cutter to cut the spoke, while the knowledge can came from u hehe, any recommendation on a good cutter to cut cables and spokes?
a good pair of lineman's pliers will cut spokes and cables easily and cleanly. there's no real need for a dedicated cable cutter you'd rarely ever use. as for the nipple adjuster: you want a large, smooth and and precisely fitting contact area, to prevent deforming and damaging the nipple, especially for softer aluminium nipples. spokey pro are used by many mechanics. good tools are worth every penny and a joy to use. never use anything like this junk! img.conrad.de/medias/global/ce/8000_8999/8600/8680/8680/868092_BB_00_FB.EPS_1000.jpg
If a nipple goes bald, you can use a tiny set of vice-grips to remove it from the rim and replace it with a fresh nipple. These small 5" vice-grips are available at most hardware stores and are incredibly versatile ... :-) No need to cut any spokes ...
@@dgillies5420 You did what all novice mechs. you started by tightening, you were (obviously ) tightening spokes that were already too tight, a better understanding of how to get a centered, well-tensioned wheel is what you need before making the same mistake. Park Tool has a spoke wrench that can put enormous pressure on the nipple, so that rounding and ruining nipples will be in the past for you. Also look into a set of 4 sided nipple wrenches as well, Pedro's sell a set of the 3 most popular sizes that you can switch from 3 to 4 sided in a second.
How do you make sure that the calipers are set perfectly in the middle? Since you are using the brake pads to true the wheel, if the calipers are not perfectly centered your trueing will be offset. Am I seeing it wrong?
tsroh shcuf you only need something that will not move so the brakes are fine to use to true the wheel same with zip ties or anything really that won't move
I just pull the brake lever and tighten brake adjusting bolt until I find bent part of wheel. It is good idea to pull brake to see where the brake normally is to make rim run quiet. I think quiet rim is the good-enought status.
While you're truing, you only need to eyeball it. Use the center bolt of the caliper, or measure from each seat stay to the rim. But just get it close. After you've trued it then you're going to dish it which will actually center it and you'll check that by measuring again, or setting your calipers, and then flipping the wheel (so the freewheel's on the other side). You'll probably flip it multiple times . When it's properly dished (centered) there will be no change in the distance from each seat stay. 1. Lace the spokes 2. Tension evenly 3. True 4. Dish (or more accurately, center since you'll so that to the front also)
@@ChuckD59 Far better to put step 4 at step 2, that way spokes will not be over-tensioned , which can definately happen using your method. I've used this method for more than 40 years, never need to own a dishing tool if you understand trig.
@@larrydaniels6532 For you maybe. I'm not seeing how you can consider dishing until all the spokes are tensioned and the wheel's true (regardless if it's centered or not). For me, dishing is not simply tightening one side, just as truing isn't just tightening. If you tighten spokes without loosening opposing spokes you run into out-of-roundness. So it goes for dishing as well. (And when addressing out-of-roundness you need to remember to loosen or tighten opposing spokes in pairs) I would add that it's very useful to check tension by the sound of plucking a spoke. Drive side will all have a higher sound, and all on one side should be very close. This takes some practice though. Sheldon Brown mentions this on his site where he (they) actually call out the musical notes, IIRC.
now in the u.s. by law in u.s. states require you to have those reflectors if you are to ride the bicycle on the roads. will you get a ticket? you could. most u.s. cops dont know the bicycle laws in the u.s. but that ticket could be up $100 us. or if you got hit on the left side or the right. did he have any reflectors on the wheels? you could be paying for it out of your own pocket
Truing the wheel with the tire on highly depends on the type of rim and nipples, that were used. There are hidden types of nipples, that cannot be turned with the tire on ...
I live in a place where bike parts are scarce. What can be used to replace a broken rim tape? I've heard masking tape, duct tape, and even an old inner tube cut to size.
Alex Lopez, in Soviet Russia we used a stripe cut from inner tube, and the ends were sewed together )) No one ever heard about "rim tape" )) So do not mind, use whatever is available. I use insulating tape. As special and quite expensive rim tape somehow cut my tube once.
Alex Lopez, well, yes thats right, for electrical wiring. Actually I meant blue one )))))) The main thing that it should be fully synthetic as there are some insulation tapes (usually black color by the way) with cotton cloth in it, which are not so sticky. I am not sure which types are used in your country though.
I have used a cheap spoke tool, now some nipples are rounded and they are slipping when I want to change the tension of the spokes. Am I f*cked now? The rear wheel is totally not true anymore. Is there a way to get some grip of the rounded nipples??
The truing doesn't start until 16:00. You're welcome.
Women must love this guy. He's all about foreplay.
he talks too much lol.
Good to learn
The GSP of cycling
Sure they do. And it's a good bet you don't get any!
Exactly. I was bored. Too much talks.
That is the best video I have seen on truing really has given me confidence to try it for myself. 5 stars mate.
Alec Pym pomp R7
Alec Pym 1 milimiter isn't worth the worry.
I for one appreciate your level of detail and relative verbosity in this video. Thank you!
Fantastic video. I especially appreciate your prelude on wheel construction and its mechanics. You are an excellent teacher.
Thank you, here's the full bike maintenance video: ruclips.net/video/O3mzPQnyyOU/видео.html
I did whine about the first minute, but the amount of times you said "nipples" during the video made it TOTALLY worth it :D haha
You got yourself a new subscriber. Nice explanation, really detailed and still understandable.
Just watched this video again, in preparation for my first attempt at truing my rear wheel. Just waiting for the right size nipple wrench to arrive.I must give you some praise on your level of detailed information and reflection on their importance.A bike is after all a dynamic piece of kit, with many components affecting the performance of each other. I keep reminding myself of this whenever i am about to to a quick cleaning or tuneup. At first you think it will take just 10 minutes, and then 1,5 hours later you end up having done 2-3 other parts in realtion to the first.... call it OCD, call it an "inner perfectionist" whatever.... Best to do things properly. PS: When asking your viewer to listen for something, perhaps you should skip the background music, and a few sound dampening panels on the walls and ceiling would do wonders to remove the echo and reverb overlaying your voice all the time.
I also true my own wheels and I think that your explanation was thorough in describing the challenges one may encounter depending on the type of deviations encountered. The use of tape to detect spoke rotation and bending spoke pairs to release tension are very good tips.
Good explanation. It always comes down to the details. Patience is the key to achieving good results.
Great tutorial on wheel truing. Learned a lot. Thanks!!
Thanks explaining in such detail all the nuances of truing a rim.
Spokes spinning is only a problem with straight pull spokes. With J bends they'll twist. Greasing the spoke nipples will actually reduce the twisting because it will allow the nipple to thread on/off as it should, instead of twisting the spoke.
Marking the spokes, either with labels, or with a pen can be a good indication as well.
As far as releasing tension goes. I suggest squeezing parallel sets of spokes _hard_, rather than just flexing them a little bit. It really shouldn't be necessary to retrue a wheel after you've rode it if it was done properly.
watched the whole 27 minute video. very helpful. thank you so much!!! i'm gonna rewatch this again when i get my tool.
Thank you for the taking time to make the video. I'm going to give it a try as both my wheels are slightly out.
Then you have a great pair of wheels for learning how to true them :)
Great video, thanks! Minute 26 summarizes very clearly the basics of spoke tension.
Very good information, well-explained.
I enjoyed learning about the “acoustic test” for truing.
Thank you so much for this important info and video, now I can do this myself. This was very helpful.
Hi cannondany!
Great all-around video, if I was to make one, it would be like this.
BUT, as I have already mastered the "dark science" of wheel-building and truing to an acceptable level, I have some suggestions/questions and would like to share and hear your opinion on them:
- Wouldn't you agree that it is better to use 4-sided spoke wrench, especially with the aluminum nipples?
I started learning that wheel thing with the same cheap spoke-key as you recommended in the video and I agree it is a good one for a start. After a while it rounded-off some aluminum nipples so I got myself a 4-sided wrench. Never had that problem again.
- About bladed spokes and holding onto them to prevent twisting - in my experience, bladed spokes are maybe easier to work with than a round spokes when it comes to putting high tension and re-truing wheels with a bit seized nipples, as you can use the specific slotted tool.
Round spokes do tend to twist too, wouldn't you agree? It's just not noticeable, not that much, but it can make menace in the final truing stage. I imagine you must know what I'm talking about. I like to use vice grips to hold the spoke fixed a few centimeters from the nipple (carefully to avoid damaging the spoke) and then use the spoke wrench to do the job.
What are your thoughts on that, is it a good practice?
Cheers and keep up with the great videos!
Thank you so very much finally some one explained in detail how and what the process of trueing a wheel is and what I need to do and the process behind it thank u .I can't believe that it was as simple as when I tightened one side of the tire it made a sort of butterfly effect to the other side and how I could fix the rim hop .ur doing great keep up the great videos ur very helpful
Tightening up loose spokes on a 1970 bike, some were stuck, I found ATF trans fluid and then use a propane torch heat up the nipple works well. Then use screwdriver and hold round spoke with a vice grip plier, they all came loose and was able to be tightened. Wheels are chromed steel and were straight although rusty looking, spokes were not rusty looking. I set spokes to have a similar tone when plucked.
I don't know but every time you touched the rim the rim moved sideways. Did you check to see if the bearings were loose or worn on the hub?
Nice video and presentation.
Yes, in most case tire can stay on the rim for wheel truing. But is better with tire off when truing eccentric error.
"Someone was trying to play with those nipples without oiling them"
--SickBiker 2016
I over-tightened 2 nipples and damaged them. I didn't use any oil. It is possible to manage without oil, but you have know not to overtighten spokes. I lost 1 spoke and 3 nipples and bought new spoke key. My old spoke key is one size too big to make it easier to remove the key after tightening. Truing the wheel is probably the expert-level maintenance operation and practice is needed. Nice thing that when you learn it, you can buy cheap spokes and install them and true them your self quite fast.
I was taught by a french mechanic at TRE-cycle with a truing stand. Nowadays I just use wheels and brakes to see where the rim is bent, just like the man in video.
I think the video is a bit anxious, but as operation is difficult you made the point clear. Maybe so pedagogic perspective is good development. ;)
"...cause if you don't know that it's really well made, you may be damaging your nipples; I'm gonna show that in a minute"
--SickBiker 2016
Great video champ. Comprehensive. Sure, not without problems, but the content easily makes up for it. Thanks for uploading.
Hi, really useful video - thanks. Does it matter how much tension there is on each spoke? Should you be trying to get each spoke evenly tensioned?
just constructive criticism since you asked for it. I loved the video, but the fish eye is a bit extreme.
Bit extreme?.. its outright stupid
if your using go pro and other cam... try checking the settings search for the flat... i dont know where it is but i can tell from the video, the camera seems to make it convex, you know in a round mirror to make the view wider 1:19 check the bike stand it is rounded because of that... you can make the 4k but better make it flat when pointing instructions... unless you want other people to view a scenery convex settings or so is very good in action movement
Love the detailed explanations in all your videos! Keep it up!
+Tan Ken Seong Thank you!
Good video. Nice man cave. If that's your living room I'm telling my wife we're pulling our modern art down and I'm hanging my bike over the fire place. "Honey, it's how they do it in Poland." ;-)
Jeff Roberts The bike is a kinetic sculpture anyway, certainly a work of art.
Que genial tu soporte para mantenimiento de bicicleta.
Lo hiciste tú.
Si lo compraste dime el costo y la marca de dicho soporte.
Gracias
Thank you for taking the time to explain. I really appreciate it!
Thanks, this video was really useful to me. Not trying to reinvent the wheel ;-) I feel better informed now on how this works in practice.
Your video was extremely helpful with my ksyrium elite wheels. One question: how concerned should I be about one side of the wheels spokes have less tension than the other? How to get consistent tension on both sides and the wheel true?
Should all the spokes ring at the same or very similar pitch when you tap them? My the pitch of my spokes vary quite a bit. Would getting them to all be very close in pitch be a good starting point?
Your explanation was great. Nevertheless, the contrast between the background and the rim did not let to perceive very well.
Amazing your experience without special and costly tools. Very useful! 👍🏾
Great info, thanks. Related to truing, I have seen spokes of fellow riders just blow out on smooth roads, I'm guessing they were over tightened. How tight should the spokes be all around? i.e. how much torque is too much?
Thanks for the instruction,i have new bike where front wheel wobbles,have not ridden it yet,will adjust the spokes first,Thanks.
it was a very good explanation, but how do you know if the tension is already too high or too low? what should the tension be? I think this deserves to be mentioned when discussing trueing, especially since truing an axial shift, may impart a radial shift.
After truing my wheel I take test-drive and I hear a nice plong-pling-plong-pling-sound when spokes adjust at start. I know the rim is a bit mis-aligned after this, but as long as it runs quiet with rim-brake I am happy.
I am presently in south America. I have never seen that stand to hoist the bike. I have to check an online store to buy one. what is the name for such a stand to locate them easily in stores?
Excellent tip about the garbage bike lights!!
Rebuilding a wheel is easy, you already know the spoke sizes.
I tend to hold the axle and spin it, then when it's getting close to true stick it in the frame and finish truing it.
I also pluck the spokes and listen to the note they make as a basic test for tension.
Thanks for sharing. I got some good tips from the video.
what spoke wrench should i get; the park tool .130? i have range of bike road, commuter, mountain bike, old 70's fuji allegro. mavic rims?
Do you ever use a spoke tensionometer to true a wheel as this looks like a useful guide to when spokes are too loose or tight?
U have great way to tutor bike fixing skills Thanks a million!
Great video, extremely valuable and useful demonstration, thank you! I personally found the music to be distracting/unnecessary...I don't mean to be rude, just giving some feedback on an otherwise outstanding instruction.
Wit regard to Hub and rim, can we use a 24 holes hub on a 28 or 32 holes Rim ? Will it make the wheel strong and make it to last long ?
Dimondback spoke wrenches are fairly good. A set of 3 for affordable price.
What to do when source of the wobbly wheel is in the hub and you are trying and trying to true the wheel but you cannot do it ?
If you want to edit 4k you'll need to use proxy files which aren't too hard to set up and use if your editing in premiere pro
Nice to see rules of thumb with easily available equipment. Alternative to wheel truing machine is great>
EPIC....!!!!!! I learned two things I've been doing wrong since I had a lil dinosaur for a yard dog (which btw could kick a pit bulls ass pronto). Great vid thank you very much. I'm now subscribed fan.
Thank you for the video. If the rear wheel is out of true, how would I ensure that the rim is right in the center so I can begin to true it?
You can begin truing it before you center it. You can center it at the end, by evenly releasing and adding tension to the opposite spokes, depending on which side you want to go.
@@MarkoVojvodic84 Not a preferred method, it is never a good idea to over tension any spoke! To ensure proper dish in a rear wheel, one can reverse the wheel in the drop outs, then you can measure the maximum deviation of the rim in relation to the distance from seat stay, for both ways the wheel fits in the drop outs, normal- cogs on chain side and reverse- cogs on non chain side. Once you master this, you will never need a wheel dishing tool (totally unnecessary). This is a very simple version of trigonometry. It is the first thing I do when I put a wheel (front or rear) on my truing stand. This way you are starting from the starting point, it tells you from the start if you need to relieve tension or apply tension to specific spokes, because you can assess the out of true conditions and out of round conditions and develop a game plan. I've seen more than my share of bike mechanics tightening already over-tight spokes and not having a clue as to knowing how to properly true wheels.
There is a very interesting video which explains very convincingly that 4K is no better than 1080p. I will try to find it again for you.
Although I can't fully understand what you say , but I can guess most of the part，thank you very much , you're a good technician
Thanks!
Excellent explanation thank you. I watched at 1.25x speed and it was perfectly informative. :D
I suggest that you create chapter title time keys in the body of your description so that the viewer doesn't waste time on information that they know or don't care about, like what tools to use or how you tried to tape in 4K. This way the viewer can go directly to the area they are interested in.
inloosen all my spokes and try this method i messed up but its a good practice i will try it again hope to tru my will perfectly
Yes, practice with it :)
I would like to buy the PRO spoke wrench in the US... I can not find it listed anywhere...
The easiest way to true a wheel on the fly is to use a sharpie. Just spin the wheel and slowly close in on the rim. If the rim is clean you will have perfect marks telling you where to put tension on the spokes.
Such an informative video. Thanks!
Instead of truing stand I bought a spoke tension meter. I'm not so good with musical hearing, by listening the dune I can easily over tighten the spokes, especially when it's out from dishing and I need to turn all the spokes.
But I a bit regret that purchase because, it did not have the quality I expected. It was so expensive for that piece of aluminum, but I did not have confidence in my own craftsmanship to try to build something by my self.. But I think that the one that I got might be fake. It's parktool TM1. But it has different spring than listed in manual or shown in any pictures. Everything else the package and all parts were looking genuine, except the spring had one extra winding. And to compensate that there was one spaccer added, which made the screw that was holding it together a bit too short. The screw came loose.. Actually both screws the tool had were getting lose. I had to disassemble and use some thread lock. But now I think it's probably out from calibration. Or maybe it wasn't correct from the start.
Anyways. I don't think I would buy a expensive tool ever again. Especially the ones from any respected famous company. Because those are expensive and thus the bastards that make bad fakes would target them.. I would not mind to have fake or whatever if it works. But it irritates when the thing breaks. And even more if I think I might have got scammed. Well I did not go to complain to seller, because.. Well it would be just too much trouble. Beside it was probably not their fault. It's the fault of parktool who makes their tool too expensive.. With the price they sell it I would expect something more reliable and durable. I could not true even one wheel before it broke.. I mean the screw got lose.
But I did build the truing stand and dishing gauge from scrap wood. And they did come out pretty nicely..
For someone, who has only his own 2 bikes to maintain. There really is no need to buy a expensive stand.. Or maybe only if you have too much money and too few time, but still want to do it by your self.
But it was also fun and creative to build also those and.. I spent maybe just 3€ for them.. or maybe little more. Not sure, But it was just for screws and some small pieces of metal to assemble the wood pieces.. And also the truing stand requires some F clamps to work.. It's just 2 L shapes from wood that I can clamp to the desk.. and then can mount wheels with different hub with between those 2 L shapes..
+Hardi Erstu Thanks for this comment!
My rim is slightly bent in the front and rear of my MTB, can I true it to fix it or do I have to bend it back first?
It depends how badly it is bent. The most extreme I had to do was to completely remove the rim and stand on its sides while the middle was on a 2/4 on the ground, checking from time to time against a very straight surface (like a door for example) until the lateral bend was solved. Then re-lace a.s.o...
If a certain extreme force puts a bend in a rim, then spokes can never get that bend out. It must have a force administered to the rim to negate that damaging force, loosen spokes in the affected area, apply just enough force, wood block and mallet to correct the issue. If you get lucky it will work.
This helped me a lot cuz I was clueless. Thanks for the upload.
Happy to hear that!
Can you make a video on truing an out of round wheel? What would you consider acceptable in an out of round amount.
0.5 mm
Very thorough. Excellent.
Hence the reason I ride wheels with minimum 28-32 spokes, so I can actually use the reflectors w/o the wheels going out of true (Also I weigh 97 kilos).
Just a suggestion, try to use a less wide angle lens for your camera. The one you are using in most of your videos is a very wide fish-eye lens, which means that almost everything in the video is distorted. (Except for the center) Try 30 or 35 mm wide lens, like the one from Sigma.
Thank you for the tutorial sir. Very well explained.
Thanks for the good info . Cheers !!
swietnie, za bardzo dzjiekuje. At 11:412 Radial" is the correct word in english
if you have a truing stand with a jaw wide and tall enough to fit around your tire, is there any reason to actually take the tire off? I can understand maybe letting most of the air pressure out of the tire so you're not putting opposing force on your rim whilst trying to straighten it out, but other than that I can't really see the reasoning behind having to do all that.
You can see buckles better
Far better without the tire, you will more than make up whatever time it takes you to remove the tire. It is a million times easier to get radial true with no tire blocking your view. 40 years of truing experience here.
Hi. Great comprehensive guide! In my case I could use a little more information about radial tuning. I have a "pit" in my wheel. As you mention the spokes can not be adjusted to push the rim out to correct it. Is there anything else that can be done?
If only over a couple spokes and can't be fixed with lower spoke tension, could be a flattened/bent spot from a impact. Nothing will fix except a new rim.
Back in the day, we would repair these "flat spots" with three pieces of wood, two on the ground- rest the flat spot in between these pieces so that the flat spot is off the ground( you have already taken the spokes out from this area of the rim) with another piece of wood and a mallet you strike with just enough force to put the roundness back into the former flat spot. Very keen sense of touch is needed to do this right.
can i just tighten the spokes without loosening others, I ride bmx and i would really hate to have any spokes loose
I've been noticing the heads of my spokes popping off quite frequently. What could be the cause of this? I am very heavy (I took up cycling to loose weight) at about 135 kg. Could this be the cause, in which case I have to just suck it up and buy a bunch of extra spokes to replace breaks until I've lost a lot more weight, or could there be another cause that I can prevent? I asked my local bike shop and they were unsure.
@ Kathy Hall Tires have only a small margin of responsibility for spoke breakage. If you ride on wheels with insufficient numbers of spokes or spokes that are not properly tensioned, the tire size is of little concern. Additionally, when the rider is of this size, riding style becomes more of an issue. I've had to warn riders above 240 lbs. that putting torque on the drivetrain, while you are leaning is an absolute do-not-do! Just wait until you are vertical before mashing pedals and your rear wheel will last a lot longer!
Truing wheels is much easier and more accurate using a dial test gauge, they're not expensive if you buy them online shipped from China. Instead of using a dedicated truing stand you can use a bracket or clamp to attach a dial gauge to the seat stay for lateral trueness, and take out the brake caliper and bolt on a dial gauge in its place for radial trueness.
hmartinspliff they have a +/- 2mm tolerance, so accuracy might be a problem.
Irrelevant if the gauge repeats itself when the rim is spun 360. Repeatably is all that you need to be concerned about.
what dial gauge you used it can be bolted onto the frame!? And bracket
Which part of the tire/rim/wheel/spoke were you hitting for the acoustic tuning?
spokes with his little wrench.
what if the nipple is really stuck? can i use some wd40 or it will mess with the innertube?
cannondany, please I have a question
Its normal? wheels will change a little when mount tires back on?
I have new wheels that true and round, when I mount tires on it, its get a little like 0.2-0.3mm side-to-side
normal or not? thank you
I want to do truing . . . but its sound dumb to do that on new wheels >.> I dunno haha
There must be some issue with your spokes tension. The wheel should stay true!
Altimis Nuel : Good qualituy custom build wheels should be perfectly straight even if you fit/change tyres.
Good wheelbuilder will fit the tyre on the wheel he/she is building to see tolerance. If tolerance is in the limits = wheel is done. If tolerance is out of the limits=have to work on it untill wheel is sraight (laterally and vertically).
Cheap factory made wheels or any cheap wheels has that problem you've asked.
Very in depth video thanks
thanks, my first time truing wheel ended up needed to cut the spokes, because the nipple became bald, i'm using nipple adjuster that included in topeak multitool, and i have no idea to truing it right back then.
so learn from mistake, i need to buy good tool and a cutter to cut the spoke, while the knowledge can came from u hehe,
any recommendation on a good cutter to cut cables and spokes?
+Abdurrahman Ali Pro and Park Tools would be my choice.
a good pair of lineman's pliers will cut spokes and cables easily and cleanly. there's no real need for a dedicated cable cutter you'd rarely ever use.
as for the nipple adjuster: you want a large, smooth and and precisely fitting contact area, to prevent deforming and damaging the nipple, especially for softer aluminium nipples. spokey pro are used by many mechanics. good tools are worth every penny and a joy to use.
never use anything like this junk! img.conrad.de/medias/global/ce/8000_8999/8600/8680/8680/868092_BB_00_FB.EPS_1000.jpg
If a nipple goes bald, you can use a tiny set of vice-grips to remove it from the rim and replace it with a fresh nipple. These small 5" vice-grips are available at most hardware stores and are incredibly versatile ... :-) No need to cut any spokes ...
@@dgillies5420 You did what all novice mechs. you started by tightening, you were (obviously ) tightening spokes that were already too tight, a better understanding of how to get a centered, well-tensioned wheel is what you need before making the same mistake. Park Tool has a spoke wrench that can put enormous pressure on the nipple, so that rounding and ruining nipples will be in the past for you. Also look into a set of 4 sided nipple wrenches as well, Pedro's sell a set of the 3 most popular sizes that you can switch from 3 to 4 sided in a second.
We can? We can chew the wheel with the tire on?
what about radial truing? was it ignored?
really good basic discussion about wheel truing. Humbug to all naysayers.
How do you make sure that the calipers are set perfectly in the middle?
Since you are using the brake pads to true the wheel, if the calipers are not perfectly centered your trueing will be offset.
Am I seeing it wrong?
tsroh shcuf you only need something that will not move so the brakes are fine to use to true the wheel same with zip ties or anything really that won't move
I just pull the brake lever and tighten brake adjusting bolt until I find bent part of wheel. It is good idea to pull brake to see where the brake normally is to make rim run quiet. I think quiet rim is the good-enought status.
While you're truing, you only need to eyeball it. Use the center bolt of the caliper, or measure from each seat stay to the rim. But just get it close. After you've trued it then you're going to dish it which will actually center it and you'll check that by measuring again, or setting your calipers, and then flipping the wheel (so the freewheel's on the other side). You'll probably flip it multiple times . When it's properly dished (centered) there will be no change in the distance from each seat stay.
1. Lace the spokes
2. Tension evenly
3. True
4. Dish (or more accurately, center since you'll so that to the front also)
@@ChuckD59 Far better to put step 4 at step 2, that way spokes will not be over-tensioned , which can definately happen using your method. I've used this method for more than 40 years, never need to own a dishing tool if you understand trig.
@@larrydaniels6532 For you maybe. I'm not seeing how you can consider dishing until all the spokes are tensioned and the wheel's true (regardless if it's centered or not). For me, dishing is not simply tightening one side, just as truing isn't just tightening. If you tighten spokes without loosening opposing spokes you run into out-of-roundness. So it goes for dishing as well.
(And when addressing out-of-roundness you need to remember to loosen or tighten opposing spokes in pairs)
I would add that it's very useful to check tension by the sound of plucking a spoke. Drive side will all have a higher sound, and all on one side should be very close. This takes some practice though. Sheldon Brown mentions this on his site where he (they) actually call out the musical notes, IIRC.
I enjoyed many humorous comments.
now in the u.s. by law in u.s. states require you to have those reflectors if you are to ride the bicycle on the roads. will you get a ticket? you could. most u.s. cops dont know the bicycle laws in the u.s. but that ticket could be up $100 us. or if you got hit on the left side or the right. did he have any reflectors on the wheels? you could be paying for it out of your own pocket
is it really so bad when a new wheel isn't 95% true? What does it mean when you ride?
Now you need to true your camera.
Robert Tomkinson what the hell is wrong with you?if you don't like ,don't watch it,liberal, WOOF
+Robert Tomkinson I'd like to true your face.
Robert Tomkinson haha
how do politics even apply to this?
Lol yeah, from camera view it looks like the wheel is dished to the left but he says its to the right.
how tight do the spokes have to be? is there something like too tight? can i over tighten them with just the spoke tool?
Carlos Macías Google Park Tool TM-1 😉 Its a great tool to measure the tension of each spoke.
@@Getinmywheel thanks man!
That is the major cause of wheel failure, over tightening!
Truing the wheel with the tire on highly depends on the type of rim and nipples, that were used. There are hidden types of nipples, that cannot be turned with the tire on ...
Do you have a video dealing only with radial truing?
Radial and lateral truing should both be practiced, makes no sense to disregard either.
great video man! Thanks
From a BMX point of view, that's a pretty straight wheel to begin with :-D XD
love this channel
how you will true it on up and down on bike?
I live in a place where bike parts are scarce. What can be used to replace a broken rim tape? I've heard masking tape, duct tape, and even an old inner tube cut to size.
Sure, why not?
Alex Lopez, in Soviet Russia we used a stripe cut from inner tube, and the ends were sewed together )) No one ever heard about "rim tape" ))
So do not mind, use whatever is available. I use insulating tape. As special and quite expensive rim tape somehow cut my tube once.
Thanks! Just to be clear, the insulating tape is the black one used for electrical wiring, right?
Alex Lopez, well, yes thats right, for electrical wiring. Actually I meant blue one )))))) The main thing that it should be fully synthetic as there are some insulation tapes (usually black color by the way) with cotton cloth in it, which are not so sticky. I am not sure which types are used in your country though.
I can find black, red, green, and yellow. But as you said, I'll look for the non-cloth variety. Thank you!
I have used a cheap spoke tool, now some nipples are rounded and they are slipping when I want to change the tension of the spokes. Am I f*cked now? The rear wheel is totally not true anymore. Is there a way to get some grip of the rounded nipples??
Yes, Park Tools has an adjustable spoke wrench that can remove all but the most frozen nipples, $20.00.
What's the gadget on the top of the wheel which tells you if the wheel is bent?
rim-brake pad, this is handy way to true rim. The more professional way is in the truing bench.
also the bolt adjusting the brake distance from rim.