Learning to true a wheel WITH AND WITHOUT A TRUING STAND | Syd Fixes Bikes

Got a wobbly wheel? Once you understand the basics, fixing it is a breeze!

What you'll need:

Other things in the shed:

00:00 Intro
00:18 What you'll need
00:31 Why should you do this?
03:53 Check spoke tension
07:42 Tightening and loosening spokes
14:15 Truing a wheel without a truing stand
16:15 How to true a wheel in one minute

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[sydfixesbikes]

If this video was helpful and saved you time and/or money, consider supporting the channel by hitting the "Thanks" button above to leave a tip.

[andersama]

I bet others have said this, but the moment you said you could listen to the sound the spokes make. I immediately grabbed my phone and pulled out my guitar tuner app. I might be terrible tuning by ear, either way, without knowing what was and what wasn't good tension having a relative measurement helped. Pretty much immediately straightened out my wheel no problem.

[ggebhard]

I love how you make Syd think on her own! When I was a kid, (I'm now 71) my father bought me a spoke tightener tool, because I was trying to remove spokes with a needle nose pliers. I had a hub that broke, so I took another wheel completely apart and switched hubs! Luckily the hub fit on my better bike. I put every spoke back on and after quite awhile, I was able to tighten all the spokes back to true. I loved my dad, because he didn't help me. He aways let me learn by trial and error. He did, however, show me how to pluck the spokes for sound. We were farmers. All my bicycles were hand me downs or junkers.

[Drzhounder]

I actually LOVE that you guys go into the ‘why’. No other trueing video I’ve seen does that. And btw, damn nice trueing stand you’ve got there.

[ryancherian]

this video is better than both the GCN videos on truing. The fact that Syd goes through all the steps in the process as if she's someone who doesnt know what theyre doing makes it perfect for those who don't know what they are doing!!! thanks sm

[stevenhowes]

I love the pinging of the spokes. I've rarely trued a tire but was never confident on which to loosen or tighten. that helps

[paolocapozzi]

You guys are really good at explaining!
Another thing I would suggest is, before you start the process put a drop of oil where the nipple enters the rim. Also, whenever you turn any spoke, turn it a 1/4 turn more than you want, and then turn that 1/4 turn back. The first thing helps with the nipple getting stuck on the rim and the second helps against spoke twisting.

[nickkent]

The best "how to true a wheel" video I've seen. The section on tone of spoke for about 5 minutes was a Eureka moment!

Thank you

[SuperPetVet]

What I've found works great at keeping track of what spokes you're working on is using painters or masking tape. Rip off a couple of small pieces and stick one to the first spoke of the section you're working on and then stick the other to the last spoke. Once you've finished that section, use the same pieces of tape to mark off the next section, and so on. Works like a charm.

[dhorubaPRIME]

She did an amazing job at acting like she didn't know what she was doing! She asked all the questions a viewer like me would ask! In short, a fantastic video on how to true your wheel and why!

[Goosefang]

Love the dynamic that you two have. Macky is very informative without being condescending. Makes for great teaching. Syd, you are just awesome! Glad I found you guys.

[SteelRt]

Absolutely brilliant. Easily the best guide I've seen. It helps that Syd's not too sure of what she's doing because it's easier to understand the same kinds of questions that go through your mind as a novice when you come up against the fairly frequent, "so what do I do here" situation.

Loved the "twang for note of spoke" tip to assess tightness too!

[DanT]

You can use a phone app to listen to the frequency of a spoke if you are tone deaf. This was an awesome(!) video. Definitely worth a subscribe.

[nettle_head]

this is extra cool. i love watching a tutorial where im learning along with multiple mechanics, a more experienced person and someone who is actively puzzling it out. this is awesome.

[trophy]

I have been putting off truing my wheel for a while. Your video is both informative and entertaining. Cheers.

[jfpjfpjfp]

Used the zip tie method this morning on a wonky front wheel. With a little trial and error got it looking pretty good.
Now I can adjust and use the front pinch brakes again. Thanks!! Great vid.

[joegentry]

Had fun learning this with you. Thanks for being willing to do it on camera.

[RenaxTM]

As a general rule of thumb, a spoke will never just magically for no reason work itself tighter, it'll almost always be the other side becoming looser. either by stretching or just the nipple works itself a bit loose.
If they've become tight its mostly because they've gotten a sharp kink that won't straighten out and at that point its spoke replacement time.. you can loosen it a bit and keep riding a weakened spoke, but in addition to not being as strong the kink will slowly work itself out and you'll need to keep tightening the spoke multiple times.. so just replace it and be done.

[PreludeDude]

I love the realism of these videos, it absolutely makes me feel like when I talk to my girlfriend who is interested and figuring it out as we go along. I like to give her mini quizzes and make her think about the process too

[markobz]

Thank you two so much I had a headache for 2 weeks how to do this now my wheel is true ! And the process of learning how to do it in the future is priceless 😎