How to True a Wheel Part 2: Lateral Truing

[@greentjmtl]

Park tool is amazing, instead of the usual "buy our tools to fix this problem" from tons of other companies, it's "we have tools for this but if you don't have it you can do this".

[@pgong]

It makes you want to buy their tools just because of that.

[@deltafour1212]

@@pgong That's their plan

[@greentjmtl]

@@deltafour1212 Worked on me lol

[@deltafour1212]

@@larrymartineau7507 I don't know. I never ran a business for profit only or to inspire others.

[@jayking7713]

Their tools are incredibly expensive, but they work incredibly well and are usually extremely reliable. I can't really fault them. These are also some of the best videos out there for people who want to get into cycle mechanics

[@RoySATX]

0:13 "Hi, I'm Truman from Park Tool" Did I hear this correctly? A video on wheel trueing with a guy named true-man? I know Park Tool is awesome, but making a video about trueing with a guy named True-Man is beyond awesome. So awesome I'm having a hard time believing I heard him correctly yet even after several repeats I still hear him say Truman. If you've made a video about derailleurs hosted by Dee I'm going to wet my pants!

[@jimromero5625]

This video should be called "That one weird trick bike shops don't want you to know" but it would not be a clickbait title it would be true!! My son's bike had a badly buckled front wheel. I watched the first five minutes of this video, and did my son's wheel and BAM it went from horribly buckled to virtually true in the space of five minutes! It's like magic!! Thank you so much Park Tool. The bit that helped me by FAR the most was seeing the guy squeezing two spokes together and showing how that bends the wheel to the side. Once you understand this, the task went from utterly confusing to "so simple why didn't I learn this years ago" :) It also helped that there were some quite loose spokes on the wheel, and they aligned with the buckles, so it was extra easy to find where to tighten. And finally, it took me a while to figure out which way to turn the spokes (I know it says in the video but I wasn't concentrating). You have to turn the spoke nipple the OPPOSITE way to the way you'd expect to tighten (i.e. anticlockwise with your hand). Oh yes, and I just used the brakes to align the wheel with the bike flipped upside down. I'll never have to pay a bike shop to true a wheel again!! And it's SOOOOOOOOO satisfying when the wheel suddenly stops bumping the brakes. THANKS SO MUCH :)

[@DR_1_1]

Yes, I wonder why the thread on the spokes is the opposite as normal threads... that's very counter-intuitive! Edit: now I understand it's not the spoke that turns, but the part the spoke screws into! Also some people advise to start by checking tension on the spokes, even by hand, pinching 2 spokes together to feel those that are bending too much. Then only start the truing process...

[@mica514]

@@DR_1_1 It's not opposite, it's just upside down.. The spokes and nipples are right-threaded ("normal" way) but you're working from a different perspective. A good visual example is opening the cap of a water bottle when you hold it face down to drink from it

[@Ikaruszaki]

I've been lacing and truing wheels long before this was produced, but I'm brushing up on my knowledge, and am so glad to see how far instructional videos have come. This video is so well produced, it's a beauty to behold

[@sagichdirdochnicht4653]

I fixed my bike again today thanks to those great videos, thanks! Btw, this is by far the best marketing you could have come up with. Never heared about park took before I tried fixing my bike. Now I own several tools. Not a truing stand, that would be overkill, but the channel doesn't even try to force you to buy (their) specific tools. I usually actively try to not buy products I've seen in ads. Why? Because ads do not provide me with any value, but I'm paying for them, if I buy those products. I usually tend to only buy no name products and/or word by mouth and/or own experiences. This is an exception, it may serve the company as advertisement, and I'm financing them as well, if I buy park tools. However unlike ads, this gives me value. And I'm happy to pay for stuff, that provides me value!

[@garethhelliwell9736]

Never has a person had a better surname to present a video on wheel truing 😂

[@kellenstuart4698]

true man

[@Freshmintpainting]

Aha! Haha... HahuahahHuahaha oh my stomach ahaha hehehe aaaaah no.

[@noahgoyette467]

[@wzpu3283]

"Tighten and loosen your spokes in a random, haphazard manner, paying no attention to which spokes are adjusted and which ones are not," Tom said waveringly.

[@gamehaus]

Great video! After hammering a 90's era mountain bike on our local trails for some retro perspective, the wheels got badly banged out of shape. Was able to get them back to

[@sinatrabone]

Class act of Park tool to provide this education for free! Thanks guys!

[@cvoges12]

That zip-tie tip is godsend

[@skippyguy3]

Park Tool sell expensive but top quality kit, but the quality of these free well produced videos surpasses anything. Park Tool buyer for life right here :)

[@herethere2518]

Expensive? Try looking at the price of a DT Swiss truing stand or DT Swiss tension meter; exponentially more expensive

[@yamahattr6006]

Thanks so much for this video i finally managed to tru my wheel you explained the squeezing the spock's to see the direction the wheel moves suddenly it makes sense thankyou have not seen anyone say this before

[@parktool]

You are welcome! We think it's such a clever trick, so nice to hear others think so as well!

[@maskedmotorsdiy3575]

Some people call them "rim brake pads." I call them "truing indicators."

[@hash-CCFF00]

dont forget to true them too lmao

[@leafster1337]

@@hash-CCFF00 that’s what i was thinking

[@shortnamecycling3554]

A trick I use is to number each spoke on the brake track of the rim to keep track of which nipple/spoke to tighten. Great video series!

[@Perception_]

Glad to see such a video, because this is actually one of those things I eventually want to learn as I build up with tools. Anything wheel related. I want to be able to maintain wheels, but also build my own so I can just order parts separately.

[@jybuys]

The best videos about wheelbuilding.

[@sebastiancubas]

Babe wake up, new Park tool tutorial

[@kevinandrewmoore9752]

Thanks!

[@samanite865]

To understand what direction is tightening and loosening I just keep in mind that the spoke is the screw. The only difference is the screw stays still while you spin what the screw goes into.

[@dylan-5287]

Good advice. That just helped it click in my mind.

[@oziasazrielben-israel6750]

Awesome video, I was able to true my wheel for my first time, in less than an hour 👏🏿👏🏿..thank you

[@lazylonewolf]

Thanks, fixed my rim brakes hitting the rims. Perhaps I'll try the other truing steps but I only got a cheap bike and I'm happy enough with my problem fixed. Didn't even have a proper bike stand so I couldn't even do the zip tie thing, so I basically just rolled the bike on the ground to check whenever the brakes hit the rims. On hindsight, I'm just gonna flip the bike upside down...

[@depfeffel6455]

That was excellent. 0.2mm is where I dream of, 1mm is where I will likely achieve haha. 7 or 8mm is where my damn wheel is at currently! All the LBS are booked up for 1.5 months currently, it's gonna be a DIY job me thinks!

[@VideoNOLA]

Good to know it's all LBS and not just my local ones. Geesh!

[@girlsdrinkfeck]

@@VideoNOLA i overtightened my Ebike motor wheel and its pulled the side seam apart slightly creating a 1 inch crack , ahah oh no ! ,ah its still works ,maybe ,i stick to 20mph on it now tho ( also got degraded from heavy braking on the rim )

[@leafster1337]

i got mine to .2 on the front

[@hotrodder911]

Absolutely great video's about how to spoke a wheel, how to true it. The most easily understandable videos. Thanks guys 👍

[@nunodfes2]

Best video i found on youtube about how to true a wheel. Subscribed. Thank you!

[@aliancemd]

Can't believe how easy this was. I thought that I will need the tension meter and the calculator to get it properly straight but nope, the technique of squeezing them with the hand and observing the wheel's reaction was enough to get my wheel almost perfectly straight(~0.5mm wobble) in ~3 minutes.

[@nicknz100]

Thanks Park Tool for another great video easily explaining how to do this, and big props for providing an alternative to buying expensive hardware. I've managed to removed a bit of a wobble (it still wobbles but not as bad) in my rear tire now with a couple of cable ties and masking tape to mark the contact points. We're currently locked down and can't take the bike to the LBS.

[@TheKlazar92]

I can't wait to buy a true stand and practice truing on old wheels, thanks a lot for this great tutorial video.

[@markskapyak2929]

Best explanation yet ! I often make a disaster out of a small "worble".

[@woofbark4475]

Thank you guys glad I heard the last bit about the pinging of the spokes I would have thought something was wrong otherwise.

[@jackschnabel856]

Yeah I freaked out when I started riding and heard it, thought a spoke snapped!

[@philipdavies3415]

Excellent instruction, thanks for taking the time to produce such a clear video!

[@patprop74]

Thank you VERY much, i think this video should be on everyone watch list that has bought a bike from china haha. Cheers and thanks again for the help.

[@impulsethoughts3683]

Thanks for the series! Just a quick note: It looks like the diagram used at 5:22 has an error in it. The diagram should show the rim rubbing on the left side, opposite the side that should be tightened.

[@parktool]

Good eye!

[@Jeff-yu3tf]

Found myself looking at the 5:22 illustration, then through comments like "What am I missing!?" Great videos, though - FIVE STARS!!!!! Thank you, Park Tool!

[@enargins]

@@parktool I don't understand why you guys haven't replaced the video with one that has the correct diagram. I was looking at it over and over, seriously confused, wondering why you were tightening it on the side it was touching. I finally went elsewhere and found articles that showed that wasn't correct. I think it's abhorrent that you guys were made aware of this error a year ago, and yet somehow just left it in place, though this is supposed to be an educational video for people who don't know how to true a wheel. Very disappointing.

[@omer_an]

Ohh finally something that explains why my wheel went worse, as I was tightening on the wrong side due to that diagram: How to untrue a wheel!

[@samvilla6290]

Just snapped my third spoke this month so I’m watching these videos to see if I can rebuild my wheel before my first race next week 😁

[@cyberp0et]

Very informative. Jusy learned new tips. Thank you, Park Tool guys :)

[@thisoldbelair]

Excellent video. I learned a ton. Can’t wait to practice on an antique wheel I have.

[@tibbar1000]

Great video.

[@riteshsood]

Extremely helpful. Thanks!!

[@ainsmas361]

What an amazing video!

[@siaamasghar7416]

Thank u so much now i get how to true a wheel my bikes back wheel has gone bent after bumping into another bike and now im confident to fix it

[@michaelfernandez7237]

Thanks you park tools love you tools!

[@lakshmananchandramohan3050]

Nice idea for that cable tie indicator dude,congrats, keep forward,my wishes to you brother

[@Ryan-td3td]

very well done and helpful vid

[@tookdk8132]

Great video - the ziptie works great!

[@Mr4thetruth]

Top video, so well produced and presented, thank you.:)

[@Tarzandottir]

Really helpful. Thanks😊👍

[@nagylevi3827]

Excellent video. And now to invest in a truing stand...

[@slam854]

After truing my method of detensioning is lay the wheel flat on a work surface, it is out of the bike anyway. Press the axle into the work surface using down force on the rim. Go all the way around, flip the wheel and do on the other side. Repeat again and recheck the rim for trueness.

[@mathasanbouchawang]

Thank you I'm searching for this kind of explanation

[@gregknipe8772]

zip tie: great idea!!

[@parktool]

Glad you think so!

[@paolomalig5025]

Great and informative video. Now I want to see how to true a wheel without that truing tool. Just with 2 cable ties shown on the video. You can also use 2 wires. May it be a laundry wire or solid electric wires. Most cyclists won't spend I guess for a truing stand unless they can be sold at a cheaper price. Or maybe create a truing machine wherein it can detect spokes that need to be adjusted.

[@mrmoustache9009]

What I wanna know is, who are the 8 people that disliked that video!?🤷‍♂️😂 Pretty dang informative and well done.

[@depfeffel6455]

I know right, how much more specific could the title be? You don't "stumble upon" this video haha

[@unclecrow4011]

Very good explanation, thank you .

[@mishkameow]

Your videos are really, really good. Wow, thank you!

[@sophiescyclingandwalkingch4294]

Thanks, brilliant & helpful 😊

[@douglase.williams8682]

You R a true professional you know exactly what your talking about continue to keep the cyclist world informed, thank U !

[@joreemmcmillan7145]

"...u R a true professional.." That's probably why he can TRUE a wheel. 😄

[@BboyGraphicx]

Absolutely brilliant

[@spandanroy2331]

Thank you bro it helped a lot ☺️

[@condoriris6286]

This is amazing.

[@paisfr]

Hello Bonjour , thanks For lighting . 😊✌

[@Rickydbaby]

Awesome video. I'm building a wheel now with your videos. Spent a lot of time on it. I've got my wheel very close. Still some small deviations. Gonna check with the paper how bad. I noticed that as you close in on overall tension measuring with the TM-1, perfect truing becomes hard to obtain. If I correct minor deviations, my consistency of overall spoke tensions starts to worsen fast. Thinking overall even tension might be a hair more important and live with a few minor deviations.

[@parktool]

Especially for a disc hub wheel, overall even tension is more important. Rims come new with internal tension from being bent. Things are not perfect. Perfect true and perfect tension occur only on paper, not on the bike.

[@kaan898]

that was awesome...

[@dj_anabel]

Шикарно спасибо мужики

[@johnflandrick962]

Thank you…Park Tool

[@10OZDuster]

I use a dial indicator with my Park tool Truing jig

[@Sam-fb8fy]

good

[@jimsjacob]

How do I give this more than a single like?!? Great info

[@go1og2le3su4xxx]

Hello and thank you for the great instructional video ! I would like to ask a quick question - many people have told me that while truing we need to always tighten on one side and at the same time un-tighten on the opposite side. What would be the correct way ? Thank you again

[@parktool]

The reason to do this is to equalize tension. This is not needed in most cases, especially if you do not have a good way to measure spoke tension.

[@mariits]

Coool thanks

[@_Zane__]

I was trying to true an old chrome rim today with a loose sturmey archer rear hub. I could feel my hair falling out as I faffed around with it for hours... sigh

[@d_anthony]

Is the diagram mismatching with the stated example at 5:29? In the diagram, it looks like you'd want to tighten the blue spoke to pull it to the left, which is opposite of the stated example. (?)

[@parktool]

The animated insert is opposite of what the stand is actually showing in the video. The information in the animation is correct other than the indicator hitting the wrong side.

[@johnlwangasi4137]

Truing is like a dj on the controls

[@sop4688]

I'm surprised Park Tool recommends to only tighten the centre spoke on the one side of the lateral deviation. It seems to me that doing this will : 1. put too much tension on that one spoke and lower the tension of its neighbouring spokes; 2. increase overall tension on that segment of the wheel, creating a low spot radially. I've learned to release tension on the opposing spokes to maintain radial balance and also spread the re-tensionning to all of the spokes in the section of the wheel touching the indicator. Am I complicating things too much for nothing proceeding this way?

[@parktool]

This can be necessary but not all the time. As rims get more and more bent it can be required to do as you do but if being mindful of tension, radial true, lateral true and dish you will correct any error created by a previous adjustment. The wheel is effected in many ways but loosening spokes is not something we want to suggest to people that may already have low spoke tension.

[@sop4688]

@@parktool Ok thanks, it makes sense.

[@haithamalzayaneh4066]

Does the direction of tight and loose differ depending on where you look at the wheel? This is hard

[@DR_1_1]

New bike, 3 weeks, 350 km, and already a side wobble, obvious to the eye while riding! It's a CX bike, I'm not into competition or riding like crazy, but maybe 20% of my rides are on trails, some with small rocks, gravel, etc... Also it's aluminium, so the frame won't absorb any shock, fork is carbon but straight tubes that won't flex much, either... Is that normal? With my road bike and lighter wheels I had no issues for years!

[@richardmcnally2056]

Great. Thank you.

[@brianbagnall3029]

Slight error with the graphic shorn at 5:23. The graphic shows the rim touching the right indicator, and suggests tightening the right spoke. You would actually want to pull it away in the opposite direction by tightening a spoke on the left side.

[@parktool]

At exactly 5:23, the left side indicator is touching the rim. The flashing red spoke should be tightened to bring this part of the rim right, so it will no longer rub the left indicator.

[@VideoNOLA]

A good rule of thumb (pun intended) for anyone unsure which direction to turn the spoke wrench for tightening their spokes, is called the RIGHT HAND RULE. Let your right hand curl as if you are grasping the spoke, with your thumb pointed toward the hub flange. In this position, your fingertips will indicate the direction to turn the nipple for tightening. Try it!

[@bobalazsgaming]

that would be counter clockwise, which is tightening.

[@clay0302]

Since I tend to focus on the rim & nipple as I am working, the LEFT HAND RULE works better for me, but it's the exact same concept: you curl your left hand with thumb pointing towards the rim and nipple. That's the direction to turn the nipple to tighten the spoke.

[@l.d.t.6327]

2 comments: Lateral truing can influence radial trueness. I understand you want to keep things separated, but they are intertwined. Riding is quite a frustrating way of destressing, as you have to mount a tire / cassette / wheel. It's much easier to either pull the spokes with your hands, or take the wheel out of the truing stand and push at all sides. Also, push the rim while the wheel is on one side of the hub. This will truly destress the wheel, and after destressing, you always need some truing.

[@rternowski]

so you don't have to loosen one side before tightening the other?

[@davideparise]

Hello, I'm scratching my head on lateral TORSION of my back wheel, when I'm sprinting hard I can feel the tire rub on the frame, wich is wired considering the fact that the tire is from factory spec, same for the wheel... Wheel itself is very true, it just flexes a lot under side load... Any solution? Beside changing wheel or running a narrower tire

[@dennisreinink2779]

Try putting a little bit more tension on the spokes just a little it shut get rit of it (sorry for English)

[@dennisreinink2779]

@MRGRUMPY53 treu but some wheels lose a bit of tension after a few months if it a new bike the first time check the tension and keep checking it if you ride a lot or have some wight moost rims can take a lot before they brake moost times the spook brakes

[@JibbaJabber]

Tru Man!!

[@UsaRubber]

I cant tell if hes tightening the inside or outside spoke. Like if the wheel is wobbling to the left do i tighting the right side or left side spokes? Or just the closest spoke to the deviation

[@parktool]

Try this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKHEZZ2paM2inac

[@bethdewolfe8085]

I had the lateral almost perfect, when I then went and did the radial true, the lateral is now waaay off, and I cant get it back again. Did I bend the rim somehow? I have tried loosening the spokes all back to just a little tight, but lateral is still waaaay off, no matter what I do. Spokes are almost getting stripped from loosening and tightening so much.

[@parktool]

Going between lateral, radial, tension and Dish is a balancing act. Making minor changes to each as you go. I do not think your wheel is bent if you had it close before.

[@beamaybelarmino3437]

How to know if the problem is on the rim itself or to the spokes tension? If some part of the rim is not centered on the v-Break while biking?

[@parktool]

Inspect the area of rim that is the worst. Check the spoke tension on both sides if this area. Assume the worst area deviates to the right. If the right side spokes in this area are loose, it indicates the metal is bent in this area. Changing spoke tension might help a little, but tension cannot re-bend the metal back straight.

[@beamaybelarmino3437]

@@parktool noted, thank you so much for the help :)

[@45graham45]

When is a spoke too tight? There must be a point when a rimm is too out of tru to straighten using spokes. In this instance, can s rim be physically bent inyo shape?

[@parktool]

That is a good question. If the rim has been deformed from hitting something, it may help to tighten a particular spoke. But if the metal is too deformed, this will not help. In theory you want to reverse the impact at that point. That is not something that works consistently. Replacing the rim is a better idea.

[@trippen5017]

Should I tell you why he is so good at truing There’s true in his name

[@Red-ju4mi]

What if I have to make 2 turns? is my wheel just super out of true and I need to bend the rim. Also is it bad to make a spoke crazy loose?

[@parktool]

If some spokes are very loose, and in th same area some need to be very tight, it is likely this area has been bent. If it is spinning adequately, just ride it. There is no good repair once the metal is bent.

[@benglad4096]

I have one spoke less and now the wheel is wobbly. Is it recommended to put in a new spoke? Or shall I try and true the wheel?

[@parktool]

Yes, you should get another spoke the same size and install it.

[@benglad4096]

@@parktool thanks for the quick reply. I was just wondering out of curiousity: if I'd remove one spoke the opposite side of wheel radially and laterally, wouldn't that solve its wobbliness as well? :P

[@parktool]

You need to replace the spoke that broke. Removing more will just make the wheel weaker and will come out of true more often or possibly fail.

[@benglad4096]

@@parktool understood! Cheers!

[@gymz1103]

so this is useful and all but what if u have a missing spoke?

[@parktool]

If a spoke is missing or broke, that section of rim will not have the pulling or tension it needs. You can minimize this to some extent by loosening the opposite side spokes, but you wheely need that missing spoke.

[@TimeHunter2305]

I tried it and had no progress what so ever I turned the nipple who knows how many times in both directions with no improvement. When I spin the rear wheel on my bike it wobbles together with the cassette and a brake disc. Is this normal when spokes are loose or there is another problem attached to it?

[@parktool]

it is not common that there is another problem but there is of course that possibility. If all of your spokes are loose you should go around and give them all 1-2 turns then check tension. If you tighten one spoke many turns it will not do much and will cause the wheel to be out of round. The spokes act as a team and the whole team needs to be pulling its weight or in the this case tension. Check for cracks in the hub or in the rim. Those are possible areas that would allow you to continually tighten.

[@hasurohit4780]

What are lateral turning and radial turning ??

[@parktool]

Lateral truing corrects left to right movements as the wheel spins. Radial truing corrects up and down movements as the wheel spins.

[@zardozica]

Should you deflate the tire before truing?

[@parktool]

It is typically not necessary. We show it with no tire because it is much easier to film.

[@LaughingSaint66]

ha i see one of my many errors direction of tightening is different if im tightening spoke at brake bad than if its at my chest !! damn that's why I fucked it up so badly

[@kusheen...]

Kusheen was here...

[@johnspain2037]

Is there something like a rule for switching the indicator finger? The left indicator finger touches, you tighten some spokes on the right side of the hub. Then you focus on the right indicator finger, tightening some spokes on the left side of the hub..... Why switching the indicator finger at all? Why even using just one indicator finger? Thank you

[@parktool]

If you switch fingers every 3 or 4 corrections, you tend to hold the current dish.

[@Remmie1977]

dont forcet, not too much air inside the tire. 8 bar make the wheel small. When the air is out, you can start all over.

[@wasnietak3384]

8:16 That was good tasty easter egg gentelmans

[@christophertimosan4657]

Imagine receiving a MTB from Park Tool

[@oheso]

Direction of tightening: right-hand rule, my dood

[@TheFloridaBikeVlogger]

man this is so hard'

[@natr8301]

if the tyre doesnt rub the frame its true enough🤣