Tacx Exact Wheel Truing Stand

The Tacx Exact wheel truing stand is a simple and adaptable stand that almost makes amateur wheel truing into a pleasure. It's nowhere near at as precise as a pro mechanic's stand but it's okay for basic builds and truing

Wheel truing stands don't need to be complex. I've often used a frame or fork, with a bit of sticky tape to check for up and down distortions in the rim and the brake shoes for side to side distortions. But having a proper truing stand does make things a bit easier. The Tacx Exact is well designed for its price, but it's not up to precision pro mechanic standards. It's essentially as simple, as light and as adaptable as it can be without creating too many compromises.

It may sound patronising to say this, but even the very best truing stand isn't going to true a wheel for you. I've seen some disastrous truing attempts over the years, and I won't exclude my own efforts from that. But practice makes perfect, and once you've got the hang of it wheel truing can be accomplished by any rider with patience. You still need to understand and get a feel for the subtleties of spoke tension, and the way different amounts of nipple tweaking will distort the rim, so if you're a truing beginner it's probably best to try your limited skills on an old wheel that won't matter if you get it all wrong. And never adjust anything more than half a turn at a time, so when things go wrong, they only go wrong a tiny bit.

Instead of having a base the Exact stand simply clamps onto a work bench or table top, tightening from underneath with a plastic turn-wheel. It stays firm on even the smoothest of surfaces: it'll work on any surface between 2 and 5cm thick. Flexible arms allow you to slot in all hub widths and the arms can easily be tilted back and forth to get the perfect working position. It'll accommodate any wheel between 16 and 28 inches in diameter.

A double hinged arm and rim tab can be swung into place to check for up and down rim distortions and a pair of adjustable side arms can be positioned up against the rim's side walls to adjust side to side distortions. Everything is just about tight enough to stay where you want it to stay and the adjustment arms are all plastic tipped to avoid damaging the rim surfaces.

That's about it really. This is a very simple to use stand. It packs down almost flat and it only weighs 1620g, so taking it away with you is easy. It's suitable for amateur mechanics who want something that's a little easier to work on than a frame or fork, but its flexible arms means it won't please pro mechanics or high precision home truers. You'll need to pay more for that.

Verdict

Simple and adaptable stand that almost makes amateur wheel truing into a pleasure.