Wheel Truing

Wheel truing is actually something that is very easy

to do. Even if you have no experience with mountain

biking or truing a wheel, it doesn't take a rocket

scientist to accomplish it.

The first thing to do is make sure that none of your

spokes are loose. To check, grab each spoke in turn

and try to shake it back and forth. If the spoke

wobbles, or makes pinging and grating noises, it's

loose. If it's loose, add tension to the spoke by

turning the spokey anti-clockwise with your finger

and thumb pressure.

Keep turning and shaking until the noise is gone

and the spoke doesn't wobble or move. Move on to

the next spoke until you've gone all the way around

the wheel and checked them all.

Now, it's time to see just how true the wheel actually

is. Turn your bike upside down then spin the wheel

to see where it comes closest to rubbing on the

brake.

You may need to rotate the wheel backwards then

forwards to locate the middle of the bulge on the

wheel. Tighten the spokes which run on to the

other side of the rim. If those spokes are already

tight, you'll need to loosen a few of the spokes

which run to the bulge side of the hub.

Truing a wheel is easier than you may think, although

it can be a little tough with some wheels. If

you need to loosen spokes, be very careful that

you don't break them. They can be very tough

to loosen on older mountain bikes.