Question about truing a wheel

[Roger Shoaf]

My ex-wife just purchased a 21 speed mountain bike. She complained of
several problems that I was able to remedy but on one of these I had a
question.

Her rear wheel was mounted on an aluminum rim and was slightly out of true.
She could feel a bit of rubbing brake shoe, and I remedied this by a slight
adjustment of the brake.

My question is how close is close enough? My eyeball estimate is that the
wheel was out of true by perhaps .020". I strummed all of the spokes and
did not find any loose.

I am sure I could get an indicator and dial the wheel in but I am curious as
to the common standard of good enough.


--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

 

[Ron Ruff]

If she doesn't complain anymore then it is good enough...

..020in (.5mm) is pretty good also.

 

[still me]

On Mon, 11 Jun 2007 23:18:03 -0700, Ron Ruff <[email protected]>
wrote:

>If she doesn't complain anymore then it is good enough...
>
>.020in (.5mm) is pretty good also.

Plenty close. It's a bike wheel, not a gear in a gyroscope. The wheels
need to be true enough so that you can adjust the brakes up with a
good feel and not get rubbing. .5mm/side gives you no more than 1mm
overall and that works. As to the dial indicator... skip it. If you
can't see it with your eye, it's close enough.

fYI - wheels are often out of true with the spokes all tight. A loose
spoke is a serious condition - way past what you have.

 

[Roger Shoaf]

"still me" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

As to the dial indicator... skip it. If you
> can't see it with your eye, it's close enough.
>
I can see twenty thou with my eye, but thank you for confirming my suspicion
that this is within generally accepted limits.

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

 

[still me]

On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 08:15:54 -0700, "Roger Shoaf"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"still me" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>
> As to the dial indicator... skip it. If you
>> can't see it with your eye, it's close enough.
>>
>I can see twenty thou with my eye, but thank you for confirming my suspicion
>that this is within generally accepted limits.


If you don't have a truing stand, the best way to true is by watching
the shadow between the rim and the brake shoe edge. The only trick is
that if you also don't have a stand, you need some way to elevate the
front of the bike.

You can make up a very cheap stand with an old frame from the junk
yard, a saws-all, and a bench vise.

 

[Roger Shoaf]

"still me" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If you don't have a truing stand, the best way to true is by watching
> the shadow between the rim and the brake shoe edge. The only trick is
> that if you also don't have a stand, you need some way to elevate the
> front of the bike.
>
> You can make up a very cheap stand with an old frame from the junk
> yard, a saws-all, and a bench vise.

Why would I have problems just using the bicycle itself?

Of course that I am not going to do this, now that I have checked with the
pro's they have confirmed my suspicion that it was close enough, but Perhaps
I am missing something, why I would have a problem just flipping the bike
over?

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

 

[David L. Johnson]

Roger Shoaf wrote:

> Of course that I am not going to do this, now that I have checked with the
> pro's they have confirmed my suspicion that it was close enough, but Perhaps
> I am missing something, why I would have a problem just flipping the bike
> over?
>
That is a religious issue with some folks here. Some say you never
should need to do that -- but those who say that have workstands that
hold the bike off the ground, and at a good working height. Absent
that, do what you need to do.

--

David L. Johnson

The motor car reflects our standard of living and gauges the speed of
our present life. It long ago ran down Simple Living, and never halted
to inquire about the prostrate figure which fell as its victim.
-- Warren G. Harding

 

[[email protected]]

David L. Johnson writes:

>> Of course that I am not going to do this, now that I have checked
>> with the pro's they have confirmed my suspicion that it was close
>> enough, but Perhaps I am missing something, why I would have a
>> problem just flipping the bike over?

> That is a religious issue with some folks here. Some say you never
> should need to do that -- but those who say that have work stands
> that hold the bike off the ground, and at a good working height.
> Absent that, do what you need to do.

For front wheels, I turn the bicycle upside down and place the bars in
my lap while sitting on a bar stool. That brings the working area
(and brake caliper) to a convenient level. I use a tripod stand (the
kind that hooks on the downtube and supports the BB) for rear wheels.

I haven't done this in a while because more than 20 years ago various
people gave me truing stands for the wheels I built for them.

Jobst Brandt

 

[RonSonic]

On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 21:19:15 -0400, "David L. Johnson"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Roger Shoaf wrote:
>
>> Of course that I am not going to do this, now that I have checked with the
>> pro's they have confirmed my suspicion that it was close enough, but Perhaps
>> I am missing something, why I would have a problem just flipping the bike
>> over?
>>
>That is a religious issue with some folks here. Some say you never
>should need to do that -- but those who say that have workstands that
>hold the bike off the ground, and at a good working height. Absent
>that, do what you need to do.

I just stick the bike in the mag trainer pull up a chair and work off the brake
blocks. That works in the front too. I want a real truing stand, but every time
if comes down to buying one, there's always something else demanding the cash.

Ron