Wheel truing - easier than I thought

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531colin
Posts: 16083
Joined: 4 Dec 2009, 6:56pm
Location: North Yorkshire

Re: Wheel truing - easier than I thought

Post by 531colin »

There is more nonsense than enough talked about spoke wind-up.
If your wheels go off-true as soon as you ride them, thats because you didn't stress-relieve them properly....a quarter of a turn wind-up doesn't alter the length of the spoke, and the wind-up is released as soon as you start riding.....thats the little burst of tinkling you get in the first 20 yards.
The only "problem" with wind-up is that it can complicate adding exactly a quarter turn....... if you don't know the wind-up state, you could be adding a half turn or nothing. And you want all the nipples exactly aligned so the spoke key goes straight on without looking or fumbling.

I have never read Musson, I bought Brandt's book before E-books were a thing; but +1 for wheelbuilding being straightforward.....if you are reasonably mechanically adept, its an interesting pastime, I think I built my first wheel before I was a teenager.....but back then, teenagers hadn't been invented, either!
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Mick F
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Joined: 7 Jan 2007, 11:24am
Location: Tamar Valley, Cornwall

Re: Wheel truing - easier than I thought

Post by Mick F »

I built my first in my early 20s.

I don't find it difficult to wheel-build at all, and I reckon there too much guff talked about it.
Get the lacing pattern sorted out ............ that's the most difficult part as far as I'm concerned ............... and tighten everything "softy softly catchee monkee".

Make sure the bare rim is true and flat to start with, and tighten as you go. Do it gently and steadily. Take your time and don't do it all in one sitting. Leave off for a cuppa once or twice.

It's like doing a jigsaw puzzle. Spend ages trying to do it, and leave off. Come back later and you'll see the piece that fits in.
"Softly softly catchee monkee".
Mick F. Cornwall
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