Wheel won't stay true

Discussion in 'The Roadie Hangout' started by Cilantro13, Aug 17, 2011.

  1. Cilantro13

    Cilantro13 ...

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    My front wheel will not stay true. If I true it so it spins without wobble, I get about 50 miles out of it before a significant wobble is back. The wheel has less than 500 miles on it. When I bought it, I had it completely rebuilt at a bike shop and it was fine for about 400 miles.

    Is this an issue of a bent rim? Or Could it be a spoke tension issue?

    Any help would be appreciated. It is driving me nuts.
     
  2. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej Well-Known Member

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    Take it back to the shop that built it. Properly built wheel should not be getting a wobble in it unless you are putting an excessive amount of side/twisting loads on it.

    Or

    You are using the wrong equipment for it's intended use.
     
  3. Mr. Beanz

    Mr. Beanz Member

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    Spoke tension issue. But don't touch it any more, take it back and have the shop true the wheel and adjust the tension to correct values.

    If you have been truing the wheel without knowing the correct procedure, you could be doing more damage than good. I've seen too many riders just tighten here and tighten there, this isn't acceptable.
     
  4. Rockinthecasbah

    Rockinthecasbah A.D.D. Unleased

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    you need to loosen every spoke then re-tension them evenly
     
  5. new2mtb

    new2mtb I'm a newbie!

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    if you built it yourself, or factory wheel it sounds like tension problem. just retention and u should be good
     
  6. dstepper

    dstepper (R.I.P.) Over the hill

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    Have you tacoed it and tried to true rather than replace the rim?

    Dean
     
  7. Cilantro13

    Cilantro13 ...

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    LOL. Yes, I left out the part where I malloted the wheel back into an approximate circle after turning it into a square on the road.

    Thanks for the advice. I have actually taken it to shops twice to true it (I have since moved and don't have the option to take it back in to where it was originally trued), but of course nobody let me in on the tension issue. And yes you are all right, I have been tighening and loosening willy nilly to get it to spin correctly. I really want to learn how to build wheels the right way.
     
  8. dstepper

    dstepper (R.I.P.) Over the hill

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    It will be easier starting with a rim that can hold a true.

    Dean
     
  9. Mr. Beanz

    Mr. Beanz Member

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    Read Sheldonbrowndotcom's section on wheel building. I used it to build my first wheel back in 2005. 20,000 miles out of my first rear wheel with one small minor true at 14,000 miles. Pretty good for a clyde rider 220-250 lbs.

    BTW, read the truing section first, it helps you understand the need for even tension. Then the building section a couple of times. Relax and don't try to take it all in at once. Big part of building a wheel is patience.
     

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