Wheel truing

steve_kay
steve_kay Posts: 197
in Workshop
Afternoon all.

I have a few under-tensioned (checked by hand) spokes on the non-drive side rear wheel. The wheel is out of true but when I check the points at which the rim rubs the pad, it's about a third of the circumference of the wheel. Do I just tighten the drive side nipples of the affected area? They feel wheel tensioned already. The pictures below show the tape I added at the first and last affected spokes.



Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    It's difficult to advise without checking the wheel in person.
    If there are spokes which are "loose" those need to be tensioned first, only then you can assess what tweaks are needed to true the wheel.
    left the forum March 2023
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    ugo.santalucia said:

    It's difficult to advise without checking the wheel in person.
    If there are spokes which are "loose" those need to be tensioned first, only then you can assess what tweaks are needed to true the wheel.

    Thanks Ugo. I'll just have to do it by feel. I could do with a tension meter really. Does it seem like a large area to be out of true? Instead of a few high spots?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    Those 20 spoke Mavic wheels are very difficult to true. If you need very large tweaks, that can be a sign of a damaged rim. Try tightening the NDS spokes you feel loose and then see how it looks
    left the forum March 2023
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    Thanks for the heads up. The wheel isn't hugely out to be fair. I can just hear an occasionally grinding or I can feel flex in the rear wheel. It's more of a safety concern to be honest. I've got a set of Hunt wheels on order but they're not here until May. The Mavics will then just be my winter wheels.
  • Darius_Jedburgh
    Darius_Jedburgh Posts: 675
    Another good reason for disc wheels. They don't need to be 100% true!!!
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    FrankYates said:

    Another good reason for disc wheels. They don't need to be 100% true!!!

    :D Point taken Frank.
  • david37
    david37 Posts: 1,313
    FrankYates said:

    Another good reason for disc wheels. They don't need to be 100% true!!!

    that is true if you dont mind the losses associated, speed, control etc. And of course the discs are never out of true or needing a tweak.........


  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Without resorting to expensive kit, I true my wheels by removing the tyres and then blue tacking a plastic rule across the seat stays (steel ones jar a bit when they scrape the rim, like finger nails on a blackboard!), you can use that to check egging and overall dish while also correcting for a slight warp (you may find the bit you think is wrong is actually correct and the rest needs the dish correcting!)
    I agree with Ugo mostly, I wouldn't fully tighten the loose spokes, but partially and then true the wheel, if they need further tightening fine, if the opposite side needs tightening to pull the rim over they will increase in tension as it does so. Tension meters are nice, but 'pinging' the spoke and listening to the tone gets you pretty darn close.If spokes start to get too tight then loosen to correct not tighten (although that's usually not necessary, just bear it in mind)
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • veronese68
    veronese68 Posts: 27,812
    The Rookie said:

    Tension meters are nice, but 'pinging' the spoke and listening to the tone gets you pretty darn close.

    First time I built a wheel this way I discovered quite how tone deaf I am :D
    Kinesis Pro6
    Marin Nail Trail
    Cotic Solaris
  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    The Rookie said:

    Without resorting to expensive kit, I true my wheels by removing the tyres and then blue tacking a plastic rule across the seat stays (steel ones jar a bit when they scrape the rim, like finger nails on a blackboard!), you can use that to check egging and overall dish while also correcting for a slight warp (you may find the bit you think is wrong is actually correct and the rest needs the dish correcting!)
    I agree with Ugo mostly, I wouldn't fully tighten the loose spokes, but partially and then true the wheel, if they need further tightening fine, if the opposite side needs tightening to pull the rim over they will increase in tension as it does so. Tension meters are nice, but 'pinging' the spoke and listening to the tone gets you pretty darn close.If spokes start to get too tight then loosen to correct not tighten (although that's usually not necessary, just bear it in mind)

    Cheers Rookie. Some good advice there. I ended up tightening the drive side spokes to correct the rim wobble which resulted in less than 1mm of wobble. This also tightened the loose spokes.

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