This is an easy to follow procedure that allows anyone to straighten a bicycle wheel rim with no special tools. Only one tool is required. Pliers or an adjustable spanner can be used instead of a spoke wrench.
Nice one buddy 5 mins and my wheel is sorted can't believe I biked around for so long with it out of true causing me stress, you've made my cycling enjoyable again, full marks and respect ;)
Just wanted to let you know how excellent and foolproof your system is. Thanks a bunch. My daughter's bike fell off the car rack and onto the street and bent up the rims pretty good. I've now gotten 'em back to semi-decent. Not perfect but back to rideable.
Great video. One thing I did different, I took the tire off and flipped the bike over with the rim still on. I measured the width of the rim, and cut out a section on a 3x5 card. I then taped that to the frame so that the rim would be in that notched out area. As I rotated the rim, I could see if the rim was rubbing to the right, or to the left of that notched out area of the 3x5 card. I then used blue tape (it's what i had laying around) and put on pieces to mark the rim in the area that was rubbing (from the start and to the end). If it was rubbing on the 3x5 card to the right, I then slightly loosed the spokes on the right in that section, and slightly tightened the spokes on the left of that section. I did this for the entire rim and was surprised at how well I was able to get the rim back to true. Trust me the rim was really messed up after I stupidly just tightened all the spokes because a few of them had become loose.
good example of explanation no need more explain just straight to the point. loose the spokes nearest to you and tight the spokes at opposite side. half turn is enough to align you rim
Great video. Some people on youtube say that one should tighten every second one but it makes more sense to tighten and loose. If one just tightens I guess that it will pull the rim inwards and slightly shorten the diameter which will make the rim bumpy to ride with :)
@Jim White maybe I'm just going over thinking it, but I can't figure out how to get my wheel straight, does it matter what side I make closest to me? If it's upside down, the back wheel pulls away from the chain side. If that is confusing, imagine how I feel. Dyslexia is a b*tch. Your help would be greatly appreciated!!!!! Thanks, E.
I thought this was my rim problem? It seems mine is a problem instead of the small part of the rim has somehow, bulged out like a ridge. I don't know how this has happened as it just suddenly happened, I not hit or banged the rim at all. The back wheel has this odd small budge of the metal rim face in one place and only on the left side on the back wheel only! At first I could not understand why the back wheel was catching on the back brake pad? I saw this small 3 mm budge in the face of the rim... I had to undo the back brake such that it stayed open and undone since I could not get home with the back brake in the normal set distance from the rim as that then stopped the wheel turning. I never seen this sort of problem ever? Anyone know why this small bulge has just happened and how do I fix it.
That’s awesome except the bike shop part. I’ve tried that before and when I received the rim back it was still bent. They said it was as good as it would get. It wasn’t nearly as bent as the ones in some of these videos of people fixing them.
Another method is, make alls operations like this video and check every time tensions on the thread on order to push, pull without any force, fill to finger.
Jon Need: Yes that's correct if you look down the spoke from the centre of the wheel towards the rim it is clockwise to loosen. I avoided saying clockwise or anti-clockwise because it depends on which direction you look down the spoke! But you got it right from watching the video so all good.
Bike shops are too expensive and some crooked. I took my wheel to a shop to get a spoke so I could install and true it myself. The guy took it into the back room and and the next thing I know he is telling me I owe the shop 20 bucks or so because he had installed it into the rim. I said I had only wanted a spoke so I could do it myself and nothing more. Ticked me off because I had expected to pay no more than a couple of bucks for one spoke. A gal that works with my wife took her bike in for a tune-up and when she went back to get it they charged her over 500 dollars. I can't imagine that this 65 year old was riding a bike that even cost that much to begin with. Crooks.
I would personally not loosen any spokes. If you think about it when the wheel was made it was true, after hitting a bump certain spokes lost tension and needed tightening to bring the wheel true again. Spokes can not get tighter when you hit a bump so don't need loosening.
Now after marking the middle and ends, how the hell am I supposed to know which one to mark L loose or T tighten? what determines which order to start with? poor illustration.
Hiya, thanks for commenting on my video. Here's some extra detail: 1. Wheel spokes are always in PAIRS. One spoke pulls equally against the other spoke, and the equal tension keeps the wheel straight. When you loosen one spoke, you must tighten it's matching spoke by the same amount (otherwise the wheel will go out of round). 2. HOW TO IDENTIFY A SPOKE PAIR? This can be a bit confusing, because all the spokes are equally spaced apart at the rim. To make it easy, look at the CENTRE of the wheel where the spokes are connected to the HUB. Spoke pairs start in holes opposite each other on the hub and end up attached to the rim spaced apart by ONE SPACE ONLY. 3. The line you marked shows the high spot on the rim. To pull the high spot back, you will loosen a spoke on the LINE side and tighten the other spoke in the pair on the opposite side. 4. To make sure I always tighten a spoke PAIR, I find the pair, and mark the one to loosen "L" and the opposite one of the pair to tighten "T". Most people don't do this, but I find it stops me forgetting to adjust pairs of spokes. 5. The "T" spoke is always on the opposite side of the wheel to the line you marked. 6. NOW SOME ACTION: You will find that a spoke at the rim doesn't line up exactly with the middle of the line you marked. Don't sweat it, this is completely normal. With the mark on the rim facing you, pick a spoke that is close to the middle mark. Find it's pair spoke. For this pair of spokes, mark the spoke closest to you "L", and the spoke on the opposite side of the wheel "T". Loosen the "L" spoke by 1/4 turn. Tighten the "T" spoke by 1/4 turn. Spin the wheel and see if the rim straightened a bit. Repeat this along the line line you marked on the rim. 7. The spokes won't line up exactly with the line you marked, it's just a guide: The middle mark is roughly where to start, and the ends show roughly where to end. The true measure is when you spin the wheel and it looks like it's spinning straight. 8. Just try one! If you mark and adjust spokes in pairs, you can always adjust them back to where they were, so you can't do any harm. I hope this helps.
Short and to the point. Zero unneeded information. No talking.... no face time ....even better. Wish more did things this way!!!!! thanks.
This is TH-cam gold
Nice one buddy 5 mins and my wheel is sorted can't believe I biked around for so long with it out of true causing me stress, you've made my cycling enjoyable again, full marks and respect ;)
I watched a half dozen that were not explained well. This is well done!
My son's wheel was wickedly out of round and thanks to your video it is true and straight. Two thumbs up.
What's up with those crappy thumbs down??? Great video!!! No talking and very clear instructions. Thank you, Thank you!
Thanks so much for this concise, well explained and easy to follow explanation.
Excellent work !!!
Just wanted to let you know how excellent and foolproof your system is. Thanks a bunch. My daughter's bike fell off the car rack and onto the street and bent up the rims pretty good. I've now gotten 'em back to semi-decent. Not perfect but back to rideable.
You're very welcome. I'm glad it helped!
Great video. One thing I did different, I took the tire off and flipped the bike over with the rim still on. I measured the width of the rim, and cut out a section on a 3x5 card. I then taped that to the frame so that the rim would be in that notched out area. As I rotated the rim, I could see if the rim was rubbing to the right, or to the left of that notched out area of the 3x5 card. I then used blue tape (it's what i had laying around) and put on pieces to mark the rim in the area that was rubbing (from the start and to the end). If it was rubbing on the 3x5 card to the right, I then slightly loosed the spokes on the right in that section, and slightly tightened the spokes on the left of that section. I did this for the entire rim and was surprised at how well I was able to get the rim back to true. Trust me the rim was really messed up after I stupidly just tightened all the spokes because a few of them had become loose.
thank you, so easy even I could do it and I don't even speak bike...respect
One of the best instruction on how to true a Wheel. Simple yet illuminating. Just one query by this method how do we measure truing gauge( Dishing).
Thanks for the video. Now i can fix my daughter’s bike. 🥃
good example of explanation no need more explain just straight to the point.
loose the spokes nearest to you and tight the spokes at opposite side. half turn is enough to align you rim
Awesome. I'm not too handy, but this made it easy. Thanks for taking the time to do this video!
This video is well done, thanks!
THNX FOR THIS PHMIMMY, U ARE A GREAT SPOKESPERSON....
Very Simple and effective explanation.
Good practice to Squeeze spokes before starting.
Slightly deflate tyres first.
Usually more twisting in center, and lesser on ends.
Excellent! Easy enough!
Great video. Some people on youtube say that one should tighten every second one but it makes more sense to tighten and loose. If one just tightens I guess that it will pull the rim inwards and slightly shorten the diameter which will make the rim bumpy to ride with :)
awesome man thanks for the simple explanation will give it a go
You're very welcome, I hope it helps out.
very good advise all around, thanks for keeping it simple :)🎖
Fantastic indications, thanks
Quick tip. Tighten the one really loose spoke hahaha…. Worked for me today!
very concise instructions, time saving, THANKS!
You're welcome! I'm glad it helped.
Just bought a new Trek and the rear wheel is rubbing brakes so will give it a go thanks to the instructions, thanks.
Brakes rubbing has nothing to do with the spokes at all...
Thank you, this was very helpful; BMX wheel now true again
That has to be one of the better wenches I have seen, where can i but one like that, oh and thanks for sharing.
You helped.... straight to the point no *****hit
Great explanation
thumbs up man, helpful
thank you very much... it helps me a lot...
You've just saved me £20. Many thanks.
Jay Sims Nótár Mary
Notarmary
Ihm
I have a bike without spokes. It's these racing wheels. How do you straighten the wheel then?
@Jim White maybe I'm just going over thinking it, but I can't figure out how to get my wheel straight, does it matter what side I make closest to me? If it's upside down, the back wheel pulls away from the chain side. If that is confusing, imagine how I feel. Dyslexia is a b*tch. Your help would be greatly appreciated!!!!! Thanks, E.
I thought this was my rim problem? It seems mine is a problem instead of the small part of the rim has somehow, bulged out like a ridge. I don't know how this has happened as it just suddenly happened, I not hit or banged the rim at all. The back wheel has this odd small budge of the metal rim face in one place and only on the left side on the back wheel only! At first I could not understand why the back wheel was catching on the back brake pad? I saw this small 3 mm budge in the face of the rim... I had to undo the back brake such that it stayed open and undone since I could not get home with the back brake in the normal set distance from the rim as that then stopped the wheel turning. I never seen this sort of problem ever? Anyone know why this small bulge has just happened and how do I fix it.
Will this rim full repair?
Excellent!
That’s awesome except the bike shop part. I’ve tried that before and when I received the rim back it was still bent. They said it was as good as it would get. It wasn’t nearly as bent as the ones in some of these videos of people fixing them.
Another method is, make alls operations like this video and check every time tensions on the thread on order to push, pull without any force, fill to finger.
What a great straighten. I subscribe............
many thanks.. :)
What if the wheel is way more bent?
v clever using pen to spot high points great idea! tks
CORRIGEEN71 I'm glad it's useful! I discovered the first time that the rim must be clean or the marker stops working quickly
Thanks !!
Very Good :)
thank you!
excellent!
How do I change the spokes?
What a godsend!
Good... thanks.
Thanks! The wheel kept getting in contact with the brakes because it was bent.
New sub here ty
Thanks for being the first person ever to comment on my video!
Bike upside down right tightens left loosens correct ?
No, the other way round: left tightens, right loosens when the bike is upside down.
It's a bit opposite to what screw's usually do? Yes?
No problem. I'm happy it's helping out
I was following you till you did the spoke tightening and loosening. You turned the spokes clock-wise to loosen? And counter clockwise to tighten?
Jon Need: Yes that's correct if you look down the spoke from the centre of the wheel towards the rim it is clockwise to loosen.
I avoided saying clockwise or anti-clockwise because it depends on which direction you look down the spoke! But you got it right from watching the video so all good.
Jim White x
عالی بود
Bike shops are too expensive and some crooked. I took my wheel to a shop to get a spoke so I could install and true it myself. The guy took it into the back room and and the next thing I know he is telling me I owe the shop 20 bucks or so because he had installed it into the rim. I said I had only wanted a spoke so I could do it myself and nothing more. Ticked me off because I had expected to pay no more than a couple of bucks for one spoke.
A gal that works with my wife took her bike in for a tune-up and when she went back to get it they charged her over 500 dollars. I can't imagine that this 65 year old was riding a bike that even cost that much to begin with. Crooks.
I would personally not loosen any spokes. If you think about it when the wheel was made it was true, after hitting a bump certain spokes lost tension and needed tightening to bring the wheel true again. Spokes can not get tighter when you hit a bump so don't need loosening.
Using your method gives you elliptical issues
I just destroyed my wheel by making wrong adjustment
Now after marking the middle and ends, how the hell am I supposed to know which one to mark L loose or T tighten? what determines which order to start with? poor illustration.
Hiya, thanks for commenting on my video.
Here's some extra detail:
1. Wheel spokes are always in PAIRS. One spoke pulls equally against the other spoke, and the equal tension keeps the wheel straight. When you loosen one spoke, you must tighten it's matching spoke by the same amount (otherwise the wheel will go out of round).
2. HOW TO IDENTIFY A SPOKE PAIR? This can be a bit confusing, because all the spokes are equally spaced apart at the rim. To make it easy, look at the CENTRE of the wheel where the spokes are connected to the HUB. Spoke pairs start in holes opposite each other on the hub and end up attached to the rim spaced apart by ONE SPACE ONLY.
3. The line you marked shows the high spot on the rim. To pull the high spot back, you will loosen a spoke on the LINE side and tighten the other spoke in the pair on the opposite side.
4. To make sure I always tighten a spoke PAIR, I find the pair, and mark the one to loosen "L" and the opposite one of the pair to tighten "T". Most people don't do this, but I find it stops me forgetting to adjust pairs of spokes.
5. The "T" spoke is always on the opposite side of the wheel to the line you marked.
6. NOW SOME ACTION: You will find that a spoke at the rim doesn't line up exactly with the middle of the line you marked. Don't sweat it, this is completely normal. With the mark on the rim facing you, pick a spoke that is close to the middle mark. Find it's pair spoke. For this pair of spokes, mark the spoke closest to you "L", and the spoke on the opposite side of the wheel "T". Loosen the "L" spoke by 1/4 turn. Tighten the "T" spoke by 1/4 turn. Spin the wheel and see if the rim straightened a bit. Repeat this along the line line you marked on the rim.
7. The spokes won't line up exactly with the line you marked, it's just a guide: The middle mark is roughly where to start, and the ends show roughly where to end. The true measure is when you spin the wheel and it looks like it's spinning straight.
8. Just try one! If you mark and adjust spokes in pairs, you can always adjust them back to where they were, so you can't do any harm.
I hope this helps.