Wheel Truing Question

Raoul Duke said:

After recently replacing the brake pads on my bike I noticed my rear wheel
was ever so slightly out of true.

My question is: Is there an acceptable amount of out of true, or should I
get it fixed even when it's just barely noticeable?

It's entirely up to you. A wheel that is visibly untrue will still roll
along perfectly happily and is in no danger of imminent collapse,
although the brakes may [censored], especially dual-pivot ones.

0.5mm is a tolerance that is often quoted in books and magazines -
that's a barely visible deviation and hasn't been achieved by any wheels
I've ever seen on new bikes. 2mm is good enough for knocking about on,
and I suppose I keep mine to about 1mm.

Raoul Duke said:

After recently replacing the brake pads on my bike I noticed my rear wheel
was ever so slightly out of true.

My question is: Is there an acceptable amount of out of true, or should I
get it fixed even when it's just barely noticeable?

One mm or so is acceptable. I'd be more concerned with why it went out of
true. It could just be a bit of spoke windup coming out, or it may be that
the spokes are not tight enough and are going slack when you hit a bump,
allowing the nipples to loosen.

Art Harris

quote='Arthur Harris''Raoul Duke said:

After recently replacing the brake pads on my bike I noticed my rear wheel
was ever so slightly out of true.

My question is: Is there an acceptable amount of out of true, or should I
get it fixed even when it's just barely noticeable?

One mm or so is acceptable. I'd be more concerned with why it went out of
true. It could just be a bit of spoke windup coming out, or it may be that
the spokes are not tight enough and are going slack when you hit a bump,
allowing the nipples to loosen.

Art Harris[/QUOTE]

I agree with Art. Now that you are looking at it, learn how to stress relieve... as it's never too late; and check for even high tension amongst the spokes on each side. You should also check centering.
A well centered wheel, that is stress relieved and has good high even tension will be more durable.

"the Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt is a good source for good information.

daveornee said:

Arthur Harris said:

Raoul Duke said:

After recently replacing the brake pads on my bike I noticed my rear

wheel

Quoted message said:

was ever so slightly out of true.

My question is: Is there an acceptable amount of out of true, or

should I

Quoted message said:

get it fixed even when it's just barely noticeable?

One mm or so is acceptable. I'd be more concerned with why it went out
of
true. It could just be a bit of spoke windup coming out, or it may be
that
the spokes are not tight enough and are going slack when you hit a
bump,
allowing the nipples to loosen.

Art Harris

I agree with Art. Now that you are looking at it, learn how to stress
relieve... as it's never too late; and check for even high tension
amongst the spokes on each side. You should also check centering.
A well centered wheel, that is stress relieved and has good high even
tension will be more durable.

"the Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt is a good source for good
information.

Dear Dave,

I'm fascinated by the spoke stress-relief theory, but I
never considered the idea of it never being too late.

Am I misunderstanding you, or are you saying that the
spoke-squeezing stress-relief often mentioned here on
rec.bicycles.tech will work on a wheel that's run long
enough for the brake pads to need replacement?

This can be a touchy subject, so please understand that I'm
just asking for your thoughts on how well spoke-squeezing
will work and how long after the wheel has been used.

Carl Fogel

I'm fascinated by the spoke stress-relief theory, but I
never considered the idea of it never being too late.

Am I misunderstanding you, or are you saying that the
spoke-squeezing stress-relief often mentioned here on
rec.bicycles.tech will work on a wheel that's run long
enough for the brake pads to need replacement?

This can be a touchy subject, so please understand that I'm
just asking for your thoughts on how well spoke-squeezing
will work and how long after the wheel has been used.

Carl Fogel[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is a highlky touchy subject; and I don't have the engineering or metalurgy to substantiate my statement.
However, the way I understand it, you can still benefit from stress relieving after a wheel has been ridden thousands of miles. I could ask, what could it hurt?.... but I don't know the answer....
I have always stressed relieved wheels that I work on, no matter whose they are or how many miles they have on them. I have popped off nipple heads, broken spokes and exposed a cracked rim in the efforts.
My reasoning for doing it goes:
Riding a wheel won't stress relieve the spokes, no matter how long it is ridden, so if I can relieve stress later it is better than not doing it at all.
If a spoke or nipple breaks while I am working on the wheel, it gets an immediate replacement, much easier and more conviently than on the road.
I am not suggesting that you wait to stress relieve, but even if it has already been done sufficiently, it won't hurt to do it again.

"Arthur Harris" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

One mm or so is acceptable.

Although I haven't actually measured it, I would estimate it about one mm or
so.

I'd be more concerned with why it went out of

Quoted message said:

true. It could just be a bit of spoke windup coming out, or it may be that
the spokes are not tight enough and are going slack when you hit a bump,
allowing the nipples to loosen.

Although the spokes feel tight enough, I think I will take it to the LBS and
have it checked out. I'm certainly no expert in this area.

Thanks...Dave

Raoul Duke said:

After recently replacing the brake pads on my bike I noticed my rear wheel
was ever so slightly out of true.

My question is: Is there an acceptable amount of out of true, or should I
get it fixed even when it's just barely noticeable?

That's a _personal_ judgement. When it bothers you, it's out
of true. My limit varies on diferent bikes.

Our instructions on wheel truing end with "repeat until
bored" as a rim is never perfect.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi wrote in message <[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Raoul Duke said:

After recently replacing the brake pads on my bike I noticed my rear

wheel

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

was ever so slightly out of true.

My question is: Is there an acceptable amount of out of true, or should

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

get it fixed even when it's just barely noticeable?

That's a _personal_ judgement. When it bothers you, it's out
of true. My limit varies on diferent bikes.

Our instructions on wheel truing end with "repeat until
bored" as a rim is never perfect.
--

Using spoke alignment at the crossings and keeping the spoke tension on the
low side, it is possible to get a rim as near perfect running as that
obtainable, quickly. By that I mean any hop is minimal and within the
distance between nearest spokes and wobble minimal. Measurement requires
dti.

Trevor