When to true wheels?

Quoted message said:

I've noticed recently that I can detect a very, very slight wobble to the front tire as I ride. It
is barely perceptible but it wasn't there

before.

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I get no chatter on the front brake at all. It feels like it always did.

I

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did have to tighten a loose spoke a week ago but I just tightened the one

so

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that it sounded like the others when plucked and didn't touch any others. Am I OK or do I need to
see about truing the wheel? Thanks.

If you're seeing a wobble in the front tire, it's most likely from the tire itself. It's not unusual
for tire casings to have minor distortions when new, and sometimes they'll develop them over time if
you hit something hard enough to damage the casing. Any sort of major distortion is an indication of
possible failure.

The easiest way to tell if it's actually the wheel that needs truing is to reference the rim at the
brake pad. A small amount of wobble is not cause for concern, but spokes that are markedly looser
than others in the wheel would be.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com

"Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction Bicycles" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've noticed recently that I can detect a very, very slight wobble to

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

front tire as I ride. It is barely perceptible but it wasn't there

before.

Quoted message said:

I get no chatter on the front brake at all. It feels like it always

did.

Quoted message said:

I

Quoted message said:

did have to tighten a loose spoke a week ago but I just tightened the

one

Quoted message said:

so

Quoted message said:

that it sounded like the others when plucked and didn't touch any

others.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Am I OK or do I need to see about truing the wheel? Thanks.

If you're seeing a wobble in the front tire, it's most likely from the

tire

Quoted message said:

itself. It's not unusual for tire casings to have minor distortions when new, and sometimes
they'll develop them over time if you hit something

hard

Quoted message said:

enough to damage the casing. Any sort of major distortion is an

indication

Quoted message said:

of possible failure.

The easiest way to tell if it's actually the wheel that needs truing is to reference the rim at
the brake pad. A small amount of wobble is not cause for concern, but spokes that are markedly
looser than others in the wheel would be.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles www.ChainReaction.com

Thanks. I'll just leave it for now and see how things develop. I only had one loose spoke. Can't
tell you why. I'll check the wheel against the brake pad as you suggest tomorrow morning before I
ride. I'm probably just a little overly concerned about nothing. Take care.

Fred

Fred <[email hidden]> wrote:
: I've noticed recently that I can detect a very, very slight wobble to the front tire as I ride. It
: is barely perceptible but it wasn't there before. I get no chatter on the front brake at all. It
: feels like it always did. I did have to tighten a loose spoke a week ago but I just tightened the
: one so that it sounded like the others when plucked and didn't touch any others. Am I OK or do I
: need to see about truing the wheel? Thanks.

I guess if you had a truing stand it could make sense to periodically check the wheels, or whenever
you notice something unusual. I think some people even true their wheels using just the brake pads
as a guide... hmm I did that once, should try the truing stand now :-)

--
Risto Varanka | helsinki.fihpv.htmlOpen ↗ varis at no spam please iki fi

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I guess if you had a truing stand it could make sense to periodically check the wheels, or
whenever you notice something unusual. I think some people even true their wheels using just the
brake pads as a guide... hmm I did that once, should try the truing stand now :-)

You don't need a truing stand to check wheels, brake pads are fine. You do (to OP) need to check
against the rim, not the tire. Well tensioned wheels shouldn't need regular attention, stress
relieved wheels shouldn't break spokes. Check out the FAQ for more wheel info.

Peter Cole said:

You don't need a truing stand to check wheels, brake pads are fine. You do (to OP) need to check
against the rim, not the tire. Well tensioned wheels shouldn't need regular attention, stress
relieved wheels shouldn't break spokes. Check out the FAQ for more wheel info.

Stress relieved *and* properly tensioned. No amount of stress relieving is gonna keep spokes from
dying if the tension on the bottom spokes drops to , which can happen with not-terribly-tight wheels
and heavy riders.

Jasper

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

You don't need a truing stand to check wheels, brake pads are fine. You do

(to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

OP) need to check against the rim, not the tire. Well tensioned wheels shouldn't need regular
attention, stress relieved wheels shouldn't break spokes. Check out the FAQ for more wheel info.

Stress relieved *and* properly tensioned. No amount of stress relieving is gonna keep spokes from
dying if the tension on the bottom spokes drops to , which can happen with not-terribly-tight
wheels and heavy riders.

That's what I meant by "well tensioned". I would have thought that obvious.

Peter Cole said:

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

You don't need a truing stand to check wheels, brake pads are fine. You do (to OP) need to check
against the rim, not the tire. Well tensioned wheels shouldn't need regular attention, stress
relieved wheels shouldn't break spokes. Check out the FAQ for more wheel info.

Stress relieved *and* properly tensioned. No amount of stress relieving is gonna keep spokes from
dying if the tension on the bottom spokes drops to , which can happen with not-terribly-tight
wheels and heavy riders.

That's what I meant by "well tensioned". I would have thought that obvious.

Maybe I misinterpreted, but it looked like you were stating two separate and independent effects:
Well-tensioned results in wheels that don't need truing, and stress relieved results in wheels that
don't drop spokes, and if you do both you get both.

Jasper

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

On Sun, 29 Jun 2003 23:47:22 GMT, "Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote:

>You don't need a truing stand to check wheels, brake pads are fine. You

do (to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>OP) need to check against the rim, not the tire. Well tensioned wheels shouldn't need regular
>attention, stress relieved wheels shouldn't break spokes. Check out the FAQ for more wheel
>info.

Stress relieved *and* properly tensioned. No amount of stress relieving

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

gonna keep spokes from dying if the tension on the bottom spokes drops to , which can happen
with not-terribly-tight wheels and heavy riders.

That's what I meant by "well tensioned". I would have thought that obvious.

Maybe I misinterpreted, but it looked like you were stating two separate and independent effects:
Well-tensioned results in wheels that don't need truing, and stress relieved results in wheels
that don't drop spokes, and if you do both you get both.

Thanks for catching that, someone could have been seriously hurt if they thought my advice was:
tension *or* stress relieve. It's guys like you that make this NG what it is.

Peter Cole said:

"Jasper Janssen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Maybe I misinterpreted, but it looked like you were stating two separate and independent effects:
Well-tensioned results in wheels that don't need truing, and stress relieved results in wheels
that don't drop spokes, and if you do both you get both.

Thanks for catching that, someone could have been seriously hurt if they thought my advice was:
tension *or* stress relieve. It's guys like you that make this NG what it is.

Now I'm wondering whether that's a compliment or not 😉

Jasper