Originally posted by injunandrew How important is it for my wheels to be perfectly straight?
When I spin my rear wheel and observe it, there's one little spot that is slightly closer to the sprocket side than the rest of the wheel.
I have tooled around with the spokes a bit, but I can't seem to get it perfectly aligned.
I can't notice it while I'm riding, and the brake doesn't rub on the rim or anything. So is it worth having the wheel professionally straightened?
This bike isn't for racing at this point...I'm just worried that leaving it like this will cause extra wear and tear to the wheel.
It is more important that spoke tension is balanced.. on a per side basis, and that the spokes are aligned and stress relieved. Centering is also more important. As long as the rim or spokes are not damaged it is OK.
You should take a close look at the rim around the area to make sure there are no cracks or other obvious distortions that may be the cause of the "bump".
Yeah, I'd stop "tooling around" with the spokes too much if I were you. It's really easy to screw-up the spoke tension. Like daveornee said, it's important that the spoke tension is balanced. If it's not, the wheel can become a mess in a big hurry. If it gets worse just bring it in to a good "wheel guy (or girl!)" and have them true it up for you.
