How To Straighten A Wheel | MTB Maintenance

[@magnusaasheim1714]

This was brilliant! I've never done this before, but I watched the video and went out and fixed my own wheel straight away. Just as explained! Thanks!

[@fragfarmerCA]

"This wheel is going to need a bit of attention / a tension." Brilliant.

[@TravisDutton]

😂

[@ABitePlayer]

A felt tip pen would be a better alternative to using your finger or a tool to find the buckle. Once the buckle hits the pen, it will leave a line, makes it easier to find it

[@matz3864]

it would dent your rim.

[@coleosborne2191]

Straighten a mountain bike rim why is it

[@coleosborne2191]

How to straighten a mountain bike rim

[@JiangHongrie]

@@coleosborne2191 lolwut

[@---GOD---]

Smart

[@scottokelberry6747]

I'm sure it's a bit of a bodge, but I use a couple of zip ties on the chain stays to identify wow's in the rim. You can fasten them and then rotate them inward toward the rim to act as a guide. Works really will and since I have zip ties in my backpack and not tape, that's my go to trail guide.

[@sebomel4298]

thank you for help! i crashed my bike so my back wheel was bent and i managed to straighten it (im 13) and im so happy!

[@emmettolentino2962]

Made the mistake of tightening all my spokes and it was badly misaligned! This video saved me a lot of trouble, thank you!

[@Toastybear1]

zip tie method (credit to seth's bike hacks) put a zip tie just above the brake fixing and rotate in until its just touching the rim on both sides the spin and you can see and hear the bends

[@emiliocabra331]

Damn it I was 10 hrs late

[@OwenFranssenPhotos]

Built up my own carbon rims using this method. The only reason not to achieve perfectly straight wheels i lack of patience

[@Toastybear1]

dishing is a consideration when building from new, but it works great for small fixes!

[@andrewdoy2585]

Seth's bike hacks hadn't been a round as long a zip ties in mtb.

[@rustler08]

Fuck off, don't credit someone that didn't come up with it.

[@borisatanasov518]

Finally, I was waiting for this 10000 years :D

[@mikieson]

i appreciate all the little "how to" videos..i wouldnt mind you going even more in detail with them..very interesting stuff..thanks.

[@hairypaulmm7wab195]

When building or maintaining wheels it is also important to keep the rim as close as possible to 'true round' - This is achieved by adjusting the tension of the spokes from Both sides of the hub to reduce Runout (Often referred to as 'Hop' or 'Out of Round' but the proper engineering term is Runout) This makes a big difference to the overall strength and performance of the finished wheel. - All wheels that I build, repair or maintain must be within tolerance limits of 0.5mm Max for general use and 0.3mm Max for race/pro wheels. - If You are having a go at wheel building for the first time It is worth getting an experienced wheel builder to check your work when You are done. Wheel building and truing does take time and patience to get a top notch result so the best tip is don't rush it! :-)

[@mikeljhonson8959]

Man can you give me your address or number...i think finally i have found a true mechanic who has that deeper knowledge.... both from theoritical standpoint and practical standpoint. Your explanation of radial truing sounds so fascinating that now i am unlacing my factory built stock wheel...packing them to send towards you..and get a relaced and fully rebuild wheel from a pure mechanic who has already earned an engineering degree for wheel building.

[@voqzzaa]

So tighten one side, and losen the opposite site? Or tighten both to get true round?

[@johnd1466]

The Allen key is a Hack more than a bodge (GCN) 👍 great & easy to follow thanks

[@keithlegend]

just got a demo version of this bike, it's amazing!!!

[@yachtmatador]

Thank you so much for sharing your expertise. Impossible to get a bike service at the moment and the bike shop is SO patronising. Very well explained, and I'll have much more confidence checking my bike over. Subscribed for more .....

[@kevinlong3356]

can you do a video about certain mods for tall people?

[@JeremiahMahler]

There is a Park Tool TM-1 on the back wall, use that to check tension!

[@theepimountainbiker6551]

Really useful info, I bent my rim good today coming off a jump. Couldnt possibly make it worse at this point, bike shop is closed to Easter so I might as well try to correct it. I found 4 spokes with 0 tension on them.

[@trevorcortis7760]

Thanks for your videos! I'm just getting into mountain biking and I find them really helpful. I managed to bend my front wheel after a big hit on a rock but have just managed to straighten it again thanks to this video!

[@scottmaslowe8916]

Thanks, this was simple, cogent, quick, without all the extraneous crap you don't like to run into. Well done.

[@karlish8799]

I recently succedded in making my wheels run truer. every other time I've tried it resulted in horrible failure haha. it does seem to take a long time, but once I've done a few i'm sure I'll get faster :)

[@flashbang9832]

You COULD use the park TM-1 (for those who dont know the thing on the wall under the big blue handlebar looking thing it looks like a hourglass with black handles on the sides)

[@mathewpitman3314]

Thank you, watched this video couple of times and used it's advance to save a second hand wheel I bought of FB that was of questionable quility 🤙

[@gmbn]

Great to hear Mathew! Glad we were able to help you make that wheel work out

[@ivankendellen6462]

Deffinitely worth knowing this for everybody and some thing alot of us (including me) should check on our bike more often

[@nobody2254]

Greetings; A couple days ago I had to do the Job at home. I did pretty much the same way; however I did not have an idea on "how tight / loose" it should be. I think some spokes wont even move at all. So they're probably too tight. I gave the bike a test after truing the wheel and from time to time I felt like there was a click on the wheel. Can this be due to my terrible job / spokes too tight? Keep up the superb job. Been learning a lot with you. Best regards;

[@Jonathan-iw5ic]

This video has helped..I think as I've not yet put it to the test. I'm trying to save money by not taking my untrue wheel to the bike shop. Any pointers would be appreciated.

[@pympin87]

its a good practice to take a new bike back to a shop and get the wheels profesionally trued after the first few rides

[@wodstalker2819]

Thank you that helps so much ! Mines were getting loosen and i added some tension... Just a question : is there any problem with highly thighten spokes ? I am scared to thighten too much...

[@Davide_sd]

If you apply too much tension to the spokes, sooner or later they will fail (break down). In my opinion, if you don't have the proper tools, you can go with Neil's method, just don't apply too much tension! You should apply a bit of tension, go for a bumpy ride: if nothing brakes, you can eventually apply a bit more tension where needed and so on. I use this method from time to time, but every now and then I also take the wheel to the pro-mechs to give it a proper fix.

[@wodstalker2819]

ok ty for advise !

[@wodstalker2819]

aw damn i hope no wound !

[@Toastybear1]

or stip the spoke nipples, but just do a quarter turn at a time, its amazing how much difference a tiny alteration can make! :)

[@wodstalker2819]

toasty bear Yeqh i added a quarter to each spokes, i hope i wont have any noise anymore

[@jerryforsberg9879]

Holy. It thought my wheel was done! But i manager to fix it by watching this vid! Thank you😀

[@ufukinturk8883]

Thanks this saved me a trip to the mechanic

[@kryghyzho7868]

You probably want to put a bit of lubricant on the nipple/rim and nipple/spoke interface when adding more tension. This will make it move more freely and will therefore in turn decrease the chance of your spokes winding up. When you ride new wheels the sounds you sometimes hear have to do with spokes unwinding - which brings your wheel out of true again. Also I'm not too big of a fan of adding more than 1 quarter of a turn of tension per go. Stick with one quarter, recheck where the wheel is out of true, do another quarter etc.

[@MrPOWP]

1. Use zip tie instead of Allen key which would mess up your beautiful rim. 2. If the rim is so bent that some spokes has come really loose, tighten those spokes won't bring the wheel back to life. If it's just a trail side repair, then tighten the spoke on the opposite side, till tire stop rubbing the frame. Go to a bike shop and get a new wheel built (In some cases, just need to replace the rim.) 3. To get rid of the first ride creak and your "trued wheel" become out of true, lay your wheels down and apply some side-to-side force to the rim then check it again. It is a main step of building/truing a wheel. Skip this process and you'll find your brake rubbing real soon if you're using rim brake.

[@MrPOWP]

+Bungle2010 I meant scratching the stickers or shinny surface

[@MrPOWP]

I've scratched my own rim when replacing a spoke. even the thread of the spoke can scratch the black surface off. Use something soft or something with a smooth end.

[@TheDarkerAges]

literally just snapped a spoke an hour ago. great timing!

[@williamkeys5701]

If you snapped one, check the spokes around it. You may have others that are going to go soon. I can think of a few times when a customer had us replace a broken spoke only to come back a few weeks later with another broken spoke.

[@TheDarkerAges]

+William Keys got it back from my LBS today actually, I've just doubled checked each spoke and all seems well. Thanks for the heads up!

[@nicojean]

why the spokes of my back tire (hardtail) always get loose after a good practice of technical sections?

[@moonte7933]

and i was worried that i had like 1.5 mm oval variation on the rim of my hardtail which has taken lots of 5 foot drops...now i am glad i didn't spend money trying to get it perfectly rebuilt.

[@jack_g4666]

Any chance you guys could do a video on replacing shock bushings? Cheers

[@gmbn]

Good idea, thanks.

[@NorwayLove]

1. Is it normal that the spokes on one side of the wheel has less tension than the other? Does it depend on how the wheel is built? 2. Is there any point in laying the wheel down on the ground and putting pressure on it AFTER tightening the spokes and then check it again? 3. I hate truing wheels. TY for any answers!

[@5uper8anana]

"This wheel is going to need a little bit of a-tension" ;D haha

[@hermanviray7136]

haha

[@biemleichel1648]

Really at the right moment, I borrowed my dads mtb (Merida Matts TFS xt edition, hardtail) to practise a bunny hop (I have to save some money before I can buy my own), and I bended it a little (about 2-4mm), I haven't told him yet, so I'm gonna fix it and he won't notice (I hope...)

[@FuDgYness1]

i see your new outro there, just need some help on how i can get the clickable logo thing, thanks

[@jacobhunter3100]

Just strained my wheel thanks GMBN👍

[@kabir4122]

how do you loosen the spike near the curve

[@tomkendall1837]

thanks so so much gmbn. it just so happen i bend my wheel earlier today and here you are with this video. :)

[@ChristianEilers]

Can you guys do a HowTo on a complete pro-bike fit for different types of mountain bikes that exceeds the "straighten out your leg and put your heel on the center of the pedal to determine your saddle height" methodology? I find there's a lot of information on how to do the fit for a road bike or time trial bikes but the information on pro-fit approaches to XC / AM / Enduro bikes seems limited in comparison and it's harder to find information beyond "how to reduce pain xyz" - you only read time and again that the pros spend hours doing it to perfection and adjusting major or minor things. There are apps like "Bike Fast Fit" or "Size my Bike" that allow you to get into things with relatively low entry knowledge, but getting an idea on how certain things like opening the hip angle or tightening the shoulder angle impact your performance and what some pros go for would be interesting (although they might be hesitant to give away those secrets). I know of a lot of local bike stores that offer "pro fit" services that they charge big for (and try to up sell them with the bikes to "increase the riding experience"), but that do not actually do a lot towards improving the rider's riding experience at all or give the required level of comfort and/or aggressiveness for the intended purpose. I was doing a bike fit for a friend who was complaining about back pain on her mountain bike when her cross bike was perfectly fine, so she wanted to mimic the position on the cross bike to the fully mtb. Initial measurements revealed that her position on the cross bike was way more stretched out and way more aggressive (longer top tube / stem, tighter hip angle) which normally accounts for _more_ back problems, but during the course of the fit we found that her "knee-over-pedal" position was way too far back and thereby she was "rolling in" with her lower spine to push power through the pedals and created the pain... I think you guys are doing great with where the channel goes and touches subjects around the sport, but to some videos (and this becomes an increasingly present impression on the howto-section) we would appreciate some more depth in the videos that exceed the current level.

[@danj4043]

what about a race between gmbn presenters? hope you see this

[@chinonian7729]

Hahah I wanna see that too

[@MrKane101111]

This is like the dentistry of bike riding. Really takes careful work to get it nice, but its so important.

[@Road38910]

Do you recommend a drop of oil onto each nipple eyelet where the spoke enters to inhibit corrosion and allow the spoke-nipple combo a degree of flex?

[@jackzwart4443]

GMBN is the only reason my bike still works

[@traquino98]

How about a video on how to build your own set of wheels?

[@curtrobertson6799]

Resurrecting an old video but is the process the same for asymmetrical wheels? @gmbn

[@paulnelson1215]

a tie wrap is a good guide for truing wheels. doesnt scrach your rim.

[@peljesacrockriders3030]

can someone say me who are winners of Crankbrothers pedals

[@sensai_miagi]

Suggest using a plastic cable tie, not a metal allen key, unless you want to scratch your rims

[@relaxationchannel309]

Can u do a video on how to avoid problems with your mtb

[@colinmcnally5931]

The problem with using an Alan Key is that you may scratch the wheel!! Use a cable tie and no scratches.

[@Dejuze2]

Be very careful with this. My wheel is anything else than straight now.

[@justrem5416]

@Wolfsbain same did u manage to get it fixed

[@PabloMollAN]

You just need to turn it no more than half o a quarter of a turn. It might seem too little but it can make a big difference. Just one by one.

[@Boxbeat666]

U wind the spoke from the opposite side of the buckle guys

[@gimmetaco2037]

You guys having issues-you're doing it wrong.

[@YorkshirepudMTB]

Well that means it’s obviously the guy in the videos fault?!! 🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️ 😂😂🤦🏼‍♂️

[@RretroChannel]

Hi matey so if the spokes on the disc side you turn it clock wise and if it's on the cassette side anti clock is that collect ?

[@Ad_du_73]

Love the suggestion to learn how to straighten a wheel on the learn how to whip videos 😂

[@jamieh6084]

You released this just when I needed it, but I buckled my wheel sideways.. by a lot. And it needs a lot of work, more then just the spokes, the actual rim is bent. It wobbles by around 3cm.... Do you think I should just replace the metal part of the wheel?

[@heinzketchup3323]

You'll need to change the rim probably, 3cm is quite a lot, even if you true it it'll be a relatively weak wheel.

[@erlendruud1083]

As heinz said, you will need to change the rim. You could either buy a new rim and lace it again. (For that, go watch seth's bike hacks he made a video about it) though i would recommend getting a bike shop or mechanic to do it.

[@jornmulder]

and i have a wobble in my wheel, or tire, can it be some spokes are too tight? its not side to side up and down. what can that be ?

[@4c107]

I fixed a wheel that was being really stubborn by putting the bent side on a brick (covered in a towel) and then putting my weight on it. Took a surprising amount of weight to get it bent back (probably 120lbs) just a little but it worked great and I was able to get it almost perfectly straight. If you cant get a wheel straight by spoke tension then the rim probably needs to be bent back, they are super strong and can take the force of being bent back into shape without getting messed up.

[@fragfarmerCA]

This wheel is going to need a bit of attention/a tension. Brilliant.

[@vybtom1]

I need an advice. I have a 26" enduro bike, I do a lot of downhill on it and sometimes short trips (20-30 km) as well. I'm thinking about getting some downhill tyres for this bike. Should I go for it? Thanks

[@antsarumae4659]

Just bought myself a new spoke wrench to straighten out my wheels and I was thinking is it okay to have the spokes under slightly different tensions

[@TheOlly3]

Is this the same with flat spokes as when I have tried this b4 with a set of grips my spoke seems to twist

[@HalidMulic]

Can u plese tell me how can we thinghet it up if we dont have the right tool

[@ashtonlarson7616]

Leave the wheel on the bike and use a zip tie to gauge the trueness of the wheel

[@kaltonian]

I use one of the kids crayons or a piece of chalk to identify were kinks are in case some struggle with what's shown.

[@harris660]

Why don't you cell the long gmbn tops as well

[@iamaherono1]

Can someone please explain to me what if the rear hub is not at the center of my rear axle? How should I straighten the wheel and adjust the tension of the spokes from both side? Should I keep them relatively the same tension between left and right spokes which will make the wheel not at the center of the frame (not right below seatpost) or make the wheel center but the spokes are loose at the left side and really tight on the cassette side?

[@kerinjii1852]

If your wheel isnt aligned, is it normal for the rotors to hit the calipers?

[@theylivewesee1674]

any advice on why spokes unwind and start to rattle during every ride

[@lorealparis762]

I have recently buckled my back wheel and im pretty sure I have cracked the rim. I don't have much money so it would be great if there was a way to fix it myself. Is there any way that I could fix the bike up myself?

[@benjongis5556]

Pls can you make a video about how to make the hubs connect to the rim holeswhat excuses i can make about that

[@titas5841]

Could I use pliers to try straightening my tire?

[@phillipdelaney2989]

i completely tacoed my front wheel on my xc bike at about 20 mph, not fun.. no chance in hell for a trailside repair on that one, i was walking for a while. Guess it was my own fault for not checking the spokes? how do i know if it is a defect though? are XC rims generally lighter and therefore less durable?

[@audunjemtland8287]

I have a bike without spokes. It's these racing wheels. How do you straighten the wheel then?

[@JL-cn1qi]

Don't use something metal to scrape your rim. Piece of chalk, tape it to something hard to reenforce and ziptie it next to the wheel. Give it a wearl and it will mark the bits that need attention.

[@stuartcarson9378]

Clear as mud.

[@gekkardboy]

Good stuff.

[@farghom]

so if its coming in loosen and goign out tighten?

[@minikc9050]

Thanks really helped

[@Boxbeat666]

What tension is in a spoke normally?

[@jlethal3304]

Is it normal for left side to be tighter than the right side?

[@bryansai6819]

Can I do this without a spoke wrench

[@bluemugs1820]

When will pedal winners be announced

[@johnelona14]

What is the weight capacity?

[@adrianobausch1261]

hi folks i don't have side to side movement i have a "hump" how do i get rid if that

[@DavidBrownFan]

So basically if you find a bend at one side of the wheel you tighten the spokes on the other side to straighten it?

[@xXopticsquigglesXx]

yep

[@cameronroche9239]

yeah mate so if you are looking at your wheel from the back of the bike, if the rim appears to move to the right in one spot, you tighten the spokes in that area that connect to the left side of the hub.

[@Skooteh]

you can also loosen the side that's bent out (and might have to depending on spoke tension)

[@Dejuze2]

+Cameron Roche thx this helps alot

[@joonsupgymnastics]

When will the winners to the giveaway be chosen?

[@christophernorman9540]

can you do a video on how to correctly measure for a new chain?

[@patroohb]

Just put of next to your old one

[@lbi7926]

awsome video

[@jzbae2354]

There's one spoke that rubs in my caliper's what can I do?

[@BowlGOfficial]

i have one spoke which is really loose and if i tighten it, it bends my rim into the wrong direction. if i let is loose the way it is; the wheel is straight

[@costi08]

Did you loosen the spoke for the purpose of the video, or the wheel got a hard landing?

[@LukeGoesOutside117]

You guys should make custom stickers that people could put on their gear. Because who doesnt love stickers.

[@ianmangham4570]

I hate the fact I have a multi size tool 🔧 😅 drives me mad ,and I got 12g rear 14g front spokes 😅

[@marklitvin9291]

Can you do this process without removing the tire?

[@matthewwright2323]

when will the give away winners for the crank brother pedals be realesed and the helmet give away Great vid!!

[@calumbarr7797]

the entries for the crank bros pedals ended today(still waiting to hear when the winners) And the helmet winners will be announced n this friday's dirt-shed show

[@ashokranasingh648]

My whell rub with frame what should I do

[@MrCable75]

have u got a video on how to put helicopter tape on your bike?

[@JOZLEDEACHE]

that's a weird looking allen key, eh Neil hahaha cheers guys

[@olliepilbrow9584]

#askgmbn what are the different types of axels.