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Demystifying the
Mysterious Task of
Wheel Truing
Made Easy
by John Brown, HaveFunBiking.com

Wheel truing is a great way to take care of

your bike while making it easier to ride.
When you start adjusting your wheels, it’s
important to know where to start. Read on
below for details on what makes your
wheels work, and how to make them work
better.

Wheel Truing and The

Wheel Parts
Wheels are made up of four parts, the rim,
the spokes, nipples, and the hub. The rim is
the outside portion of a wheel that the tire
mounts to. Nipples fit into the rim and
thread onto the spokes and are the part of
a wheel where you can adjust tension.
Spokes are wire supports that stretch from
the rim to the hub. Finally, the hub is where
the wheel attaches to the bike, it houses
bearings, supports the gears and in some
cases a brake.

A wheel truing works by means of spoke

tension. The tension on spokes is the force
that suspends the hub (and by extension
the bike and rider) inside the rim and tire.
Spokes are attached to a centerline on the
rim and one of two hub flanges that sit a
few inches apart. Splitting the spokes
between the left and right hub flanges
triangulates the wheel’s tension and gives
the wheel rotational and lateral stiffness.
Splitting spokes between left and right
flanges also allows rims to be “pulled” left
or right by spoke tension to straighten a
wheel.

Tools for Wheel Truing

Truing a wheel requires one special tool – a
spoke wrench. Spoke wrenches are sized
differently depending on the size of spoke
nipple you have. When buying a spoke
wrench, measure the nipple (standard
square nipple sizes include
3.23mm/3.3mmm/3.45mm/3.96mm) or buy
a multi-sized spoke wrench. Additionally, a
truing stand is helpful (It’s a jig that holds
the wheel in place and offers a gauge to
help straighten the wheel) but not required.

Rim Material
Rims can be made from Wood, Steel,
Aluminum, and Carbon fiber. Each material
works differently and has its own pros and
cons. Most likely, your rim is aluminum,
which is a good thing. Aluminum is the
easiest and most forgiving material to true.

Rim Condition
Truing a wheel is possible if the rim is in
repairable shape. Things like large dents,
cracks, excessive wear, and large bends
make it impossible to straighten the wheel
properly. By contrast, Small dings or warps
of the wheel can easily be sorted out.

THE RIM ON THE LEFT HAS A SMALL DENT

THAT COULD BE REPAIRED, WHILE THE RIM
ON THE RIGHT IS BEYOND REPAIR

Spoke Condition
Spokes are almost always made of stainless
or high tensile steel. Because spokes are
made of steel, they are incredibly durable
and small bends or scratches aren’t a huge
concern. In contrast, if you see large
gouges or drastic bends, it’s best to replace
that spoke (something I recommend you
have a local bike shop do). Additionally, if
there is excessive corrosion, the spokes may
be too weak to support the rider. Also, be
cognizant about uneven spoke tension. For
example, if one side of the wheel has a high
tension while the other side is loose, the
wheel will be very difficult to true.

Nipple condition
Spoke nipples are made of either chrome
plated brass or aluminum. Corrosion is one
of the main concerns with spoke nipples. If
a nipple is highly corroded, it might be
difficult to turn, and eliminate the option of
adjusting spoke tension. Before wheel
truing bike, drop a small amount of oil
where the spoke meets the nipple. Letting
that oil soak into the threads will make
truing your wheel easier.

How to True a Wheel

-True
Start by finding where the wheel is out of
true. This can be done in a truing stand, or
more easily between the brakes on your
bike. Spin the wheel slowly to see where it
gets closer the brake pads. To move the rim
away from a brake pad you need to tighten
an opposite side spoke, or loosen a near
side spoke (see image). Also, when looking
down on the rim, you will be turning the
nipple to the left to tighten a spoke and the
right loosen it (opposite of lefty loosy). Start
by working in ¼ turn increments, meaning,
don’t turn any nipple more than ¼ turn at a
time. Work around the wheel, starting at the
valve, and go around repeatedly until the
wheel is straight.

TO MOVE THE RIM TO THE LEFT, TIGHTEN

THE RIGHT SIDE SPOKES AND LOOSEN THE
LEFT SIDE SPOKES

-Round
While you are working to make a wheel
straight, be aware of how round it is as well.
For the hops and dips that appear on a rim
you should work in pairs of spokes (1 right,
1 left). Tightening spokes to eliminate hops,
and loosen them to relieve dips.

BY TIGHTENING A PAIR OF SPOKES YOU CAN

“PULL” A HOP OUT OF A RIM (LEFT) AND BY
LOOSENING THEM YOU CAN CORRECT FOR
SOME DENTS (RIGHT)

Good Enough is Good

Enough
Once a wheel becomes knocked out of true
it is no longer perfect. Therefore, it may not
be possible to bring it all the way back to
being perfectly again. Once spokes
become very tight or very loose, that’s an
indication you have reached the end of a
wheel’s adjustment range. Until you are very
comfortable truing a wheel, work slowly and
deliberately. By making small changes, you
are more likely to catch any small errors
before they become large problems. Take
your time and have fun with it.

← How to Adjust Your V-Brakes for More Control and

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