How To True A Bike Wheel Without A Truing Stand

Not everyone has an expensive truing stand. So I show how to true bicycle wheels with the wheel mounted on the bike. This is just simple truing and assumes the wheel is in good shape and just has a little bit of side to side wobble. If the wheel has more serious issues, truing an be much more involved.

* When I say "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise" in the video, the reference point is looking at the nipple from the spoke side of the rim. The side where you are actually turning the wrench. Not from inside of the tire.

These are the Park Tool spoke wrenches that I use:

If you want a professional level truing stand, this is what you want. The Park Tool TS-2.2. I have the older TS-2 model. The TS-2.2 will do the larger 29" wheels.

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[ohioflyfisher]

Instead of a screw driver use a pieces of chalk or soap stone. It will mark the wheel leaving a visual reference.

[TheRadzoid]

I was able to successfully true the wheels on both of my kids' bikes thanks to your instructions. Your time, talents, and efforts are very much appreciated!

[JT-fdtf]

Fun tip ... LISTEN to the spoke sound before getting started. Use pencil, chalk, a screwdriver or whatever to find the bent section. Then pluck the spokes in that area to see if there's one that's obviously different from the others. If you hear "ping, ping, ping, bong, " and the bong spoke is on the correct side to fix the bend, start with that one first. I often see this after landing a jump, where one or two spokes will come loose and cause a wobble. Much quicker when you know which one is loose.

Only compare sounds on the same side of the bike. The side with the shorter spokes on the drivetrain side will always sound higher pitched.

[jmargolin]

This was the clearest video I've seen on the topic. I love the fact that RJ works with regular bikes that 95% of people ride, not some fancy road bike with the latest parts.

[endlesssummer]

after years of thinking this was some kind of black art that only the initiates at the local bike shop could perform, thanks to your video I have trued my mountain bike's back wheel and saved myself £15 and a few days without the bike, Thank you!

[radiohobbyist]

I bought a new bicycle and saved 100% on car insurance. Love your vids, keep'em coming.

[RJTheBikeGuy]

* When I say "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise" in the video, the reference point is looking at the nipple from the spoke side of the rim. The side where you are actually turning the wrench. Not from inside of the tire.

[Hilary-ysgk]

This is probably one of the clearest and best diy on YouTube... f

[ironfacef]

I truly learned something, Never knew that about spokes.

[TheMrGreen]

Watching this having flashbacks as kid doing this after laying the wheel down on tire and jumping on it to get it mostly straight. Then going through all the spokes.

[stepwise]

Just want to thank you for all your videos. I've only done very basic maintenance on my bikes over the years but I just converted my mountain bike to an ebike and I had to learn a lot of new adjustment techniques. My hub motor wheel wasn't true out of the box, I had to adjust my derailleur because I had to swap my freewheel with the one in the kit, and I converted my V brakes to disc. Your 3 videos on these topics gave me confidence and the end result is a perfectly tuned, safe, and fun to ride ebike. All because you do excellent, in depth, and well explained videos. Thanks RJ. You rock!

[Werkaholik]

I just explained this to another cyclist. I have the ring spoke tool. I have it marked so I know which notch to use on my bike. If you take two spokes, on the same side, in one area and squeeze a bit, you can see the movement of the rim. This action also frees up the spokes at their point of contact near the hub. I also do this to see if the spoke is worn at the point of contact. Great video!! :)

[divzeci]

I followed your instructions and got rid of the sticking points in under one minute! I know the wheel is not completely true, but that's okay for now. Thank you so much for your clear instructions!

[sarcasmisthelowest]

Judging by the way my bike mechanic smiles 🤑he loves me every time I try this.🥴 Thanks, I’ll get it true by myself one day.♾🔜

[minicooper]

Thank you so much for the detailed video! I was able to fix my bike with the $7 tool, few minuets of my time And your instructions. I was in a tight schedule yesterday to go with my friends for a 2 hour biking trip. Had I not fix this bent wheel, I wouldn’t have been able to catch up with my friends who bought new bikes. I was a little confused with the direction to tightening and loosening in the beginning, but I went back and watched your video again and realized I was doing it in the wrong direction Thank you so much. You saved me money and frustration

[jonestizmo]

Please also note that when you true wheel, you need to release spoke tension from time to time. When i first tried it, it seemed it worked. But the wheel went back to untrue when i rode my bike again because i didn't know that there's something like ''false'' truing if you don't release spoke tension by squeezing them during the operation. I think it's worth to mention. Otherwise, you have to do it again. I have seen many wheel truing tutorials but spoke releasing is not mentioned often.

[amirmograbi]

Thank you. This video helped me true my wheel. It only took me around 10-15 minutes and got me 99% of where I wanted it to be.

[shirajulislam]

when EVERi want to check on how to do something on a bike ... R.J. my man there you are showing me how its done its like having a a friend on speed dial keep it coming ill keep smashing the like button

[prf]

Got my rear wheel "true enough" from your advice. It really needs a professional touch, but at least it's usable for the time being. Thanks for the info!!👍👍👍

[gregordonnach]

Nice! These videos help promote bicycling. If we users understand better I think yes, may may save a few bucks here and there but at the same time we come to appreciate the shop mechanic's talents and trust spending with them rather than just selling the machine off to another victim. The goal should be to enjoy cycling, reduce vehicle dependency where we can and improve life generally. Cycling does sooo much on that order. It's all just plain fun.