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wheels out of true?

by Borann
Thu, Oct 08, 2020 17:14
11

hi

 

got a new road bike about 2 weeks ago and have probably covered about 100 miles on it in about 6 or 7 outings.

i have noticed a very slight deviation in the gap between the wheel rims and brake pads when i spin the wheels and wondered what counts as a wheel being out of true?

1 or 2 of the spokes also make a slightly different sound to the adjecent spoke on the rear wheel when plucked. i dont really know if this is an issue or not but wondered if i should have it looked at by someone who knows what they are doing with wheels.

as i am not too keen on riding in heavy traffic, i only really ride on a local path which is mostly smooth and flat but there are a few bumpy bits where tree root is growing under the tarmac - i slow down and stand up when going over these but i am also wondering if this might be causing some wear and tear on the wheels - although i am open to the fact that i may be worrying over nothing as i dont really know what the threshold is where a wheel is considered out of true.

 

thanks in advance for any advice.

 

 

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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11 comments

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hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like

I'd get someone to have a look at it as it sounds out of true to me. As Don says, it's unlikely to be a safety issue, but wheels work better when they're trued properly and rim brakes can be adjusted more accurately.

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Borann replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
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It was a web purchase with delivery and the sellers have offered to pick up the tab for a possible front derailure cable stretch when I told them the chain started rubbing front mech on outer sprockets after a few days so I thought it might be worth getting the wheel looked at. As stated below the wheels are at Swiss r460. The the change in size of gap looks very small but is there none the less and I read somewhere that the sound of spokes when plucked should all be same ideally but I don't know how true that is

 

 

Thanks

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Chris Hayes | 4 years ago
0 likes

Very often retailers skimp on wheels, so you might buy a reasonably expensive bike only to find cheap, poorly made wheels fitted - even bikes costing a few grand sometimes come with wheels costing GBP 150 - so it is very common.  As Hirsute says below, if you tell us the make we can probably help.  The rims of cheaper wheels are often made from softer alloys which need more spokes to keep them true - except that they've saved money putting fewer spokes on it, selling the consumer a 'racing wheel' that won't hold it's shape.  It's an easy fix if this is the problem.  A good wheelbuilder will sell you some for <250, or you can get some from eBay.  Good luck...

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don simon fbpe | 4 years ago
1 like

To take a bit of the worry out, I have ridden wheels with 3 or 4 broken spokes for months on end (being the tightwad that I am). I did start with 32 mind. Wheels are generally pretty strong. Different spokes will make different noises and nothinh to worry about, unless they are obviously loose.

Photos or a little video would give a better idea of how far out of true they are, and whether it's a problem or not.

 

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Hirsute | 4 years ago
0 likes

More info needed on the bike and the wheels make/model.

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Borann replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
0 likes

Sorry specialized allez. Dt Swiss r460

Thanks

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Chris Hayes replied to Borann | 4 years ago
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There shouldn't be any deviation in the rim as you spin the wheel, but the good news is there are worse wheels out there: these retail at about GBP 300 or so, and are still used by some wheel builders.  You can check your spoke tension by hand, squeezing adjacent spokes together to check if some are looser than others - otherwise there's a 100kg weight limit...

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Borann replied to Chris Hayes | 4 years ago
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I'm about 94kg tops so hopefully it's nothing to do with my weight.but thanks everyone for the suggestions

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TheBillder replied to Borann | 4 years ago
0 likes

Sounds as if you have enough tips but here's mine... As long as you go carefully (small adjustments, know what you've done, be prepared to undo again), truing on a rim braked bike isn't very difficult and you won't do any damage that a shop couldn't rectify easily.

So this might be a good time to learn. For small adjustments you don't need anything more than a spoke key, and some patience. There will be videos out there - I don't know them cos I taught myself shortly after the fall of the Roman Empire.

I actually look forward to truing as it's quite satisfying, like getting a guitar or violin exactly in tune.

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hawkinspeter replied to TheBillder | 4 years ago
2 likes

Agreed - learning how to true a wheel is worthwhile. It's not especially difficult but can be a bit fiddly at times.

Some things to watch out for:

  • If you think you're tightening a spoke and yet the rim is getting more out of true - you're probably getting your directions mixed up and are actually loosening it
  • Don't just always tighten - too many tight spokes can exceed the rim strength and pull it drastically out of true. Balance is key
  • When turning a nipple, over-turn it by about a quarter-turn, then quarter-turn it back. This helps prevent having a twist in the spoke.
  • If a spoke becomes difficult to tighten, you've probably run out of the thread - stop tightening it and maybe work on the opposing spokes instead.
  • After trueing, de-stress all the spokes (squeeze two spokes together by hand as hard as you can) and then see if it's still in true. If you ride a newly trued wheel and hear spokes 'pinging' then you haven't de-stressed properly and it may need some more trueing.
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don simon fbpe replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
0 likes

Surely there's a bit of loosening the adjacent/opposite side spokes to the one you've tightened. Spokes might need loosening.

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