How to true a bike wheel

Share

As part of my project to do my own bike maintenance, I thought I'd take a shot at wheel truing.  I had just gotten through rebuilding the suspension on my recumbent bike and I wanted to make sure my wheels were as straight as possible.

Truing a wheel is deceptively simple.  There is only one adjustment possible:  you simply tighten or losen the spoke nipple.  How hard could that be?  Doing a little research I realized that there is quite a bit to the subject.  First of all, unlike traditional bolts on a bike, you don't adjust spokes to a specific torque setting.  Although a spoke is really a very long, thin bolt, you adjust spokes by turning the nipple (nut) to adjust the tension.

Furthermore, there are four different parameters that you are adjusting during the truing process.  These parameters are lateral true (side-to-side movement), radial true (in-out movement), dish (the offset of the rim relative to the center of the hub), and spoke tension.

Balancing all of these parameters at the same time is what makes truing a wheel a challenge.  However, with the right tools and a little bit of patience, it is a rewarding process.

Rebuilding a Ballistic 600 AII front suspension fork

Share

Recumbent bikes are a ton of fun and the Vision R45 is the second that I've owned.  I consider the Vision R45 a nearly perfect bike for me.  Mine has front and rear suspension, aerodynamic wheels, a short wheel base design, and under-seat steering.  It even has a fairly nice component group.  There is only one problem:  it is more than 10 years old and the company that made it (ATP) is now out of business.

I'm not about to buy another recumbent bike and if anything breaks on it, it is up to me to fix it.  Recently I went about doing a complete overhaul on it to get everything back into top shape.  Bike maintenance really isn't that hard and it is really enjoyable with the right tools.  See this article for how I first got started doing my own maintenance.

One of the biggest challenges in overhauling the Vision R45 was rebuilding and servicing the suspension systems.  The rear shock (a Cane Creek AD-5) isn't a problem as you can still get a rebuilt kit for it (with instructions).  However, the front shock (a 20" Ballistic 600 AII) is another matter entirely.  It seems there is almost no information about this shock online even though it was a very common shock for recumbents with suspension.

So, in the hope that it will help others, I'll share my complete rebuild instructions and even a tip to make a minor improvement.

Troubleshooting and fixing a bicycle "creak"

Share

I had just bought a new mountain bike and really enjoyed my first few rides on some trails near my house.  At first I couldn't be more pleased with it.  The bike rode great and was a huge improvement over my old one.  Unfortunately, I quickly noticed a problem when climbing up hills.  After each pedal stroke I heard a rather loud and annoying "creak".   I'm used to most normal bike noises, but this one had me worried.

Of course a "creak" is usually caused by two parts of the bike rubbing together under pressure.  The real question (and not so simple one at that) is which two parts.  I could simply ignore it, but that is almost certainly a bad idea.  Creaks always seem to get worse over time and can end up in something breaking catastrophically.  I can still remember when a "creaking" stem on my bike suddenly snapped into two pieces (an experience I don't recommend).

After several disappointing experiences with local bike mechanics, I had already decided I was going to do all my own minor bike repairs.  I was especially concerned about this particular problem because it only showed up while climbing steep hills.  I couldn't make the problem happen on a bike repair stand or with the rear brake on.  This meant that it wouldn't be easy for a bike mechanic to troubleshoot in their shop.  I could easily see myself having to take the bike to the shop several times as they tried various "fixes".  All the more reason to do it myself.

If you Google "bike", "creak" and similar terms you will find an overwhelming amount of information.  Turns out "creaks" are a really common problem with multiple causes including:

1. A cracked frame
2. Bottom bracket shell / Bottom bracket bearing cups
3. Chain ring bolts
4. Crank arms / crank spindle
5. Pedals / crank arms
6. Rear wheel quick release too loose
7. Spokes
8. Seatpost / seat post clamp
9. Saddle / saddle rails / saddle clamp
10. Handlebar / Stem / Headset
11. Loose rear cassette

Fixing this problem turned out to be a fun little project and I learned a tremendous amount at the same time.  It also reinforced my belief that bikes really are precision machines that have quite a bit of impressive technology.  However, with some patience, the right tools and healthy dose of curiosity even "non-experts" can fix them.

I'll go over the steps I took to diagnose my problem, how I eliminated the easy stuff, then what I did that eventually fixed the problem (hopefully) for good.

First up, how I started the troubleshooting.

Do it yourself bicycle maintenance

Share

If you are like me, you love bikes.  However, bikes are only fun when they are working right.  Nothing is worse than riding down the trail/road and having your bike shift badly or sound like it is about to self-destruct.  A simple twist of a screw may make all the difference between a great ride and walking home in frustration.  The trick is in knowing a little about how bikes work and having the right tools.  Once you get started I think you'll find it is really interesting and fun.

Now you are probably thinking, "what does bicycle maintenance have to do with either technology or saving money?"

While a bike may not be "tech" in the same way as a computer, don't underestimate how much technology has been incorporated in modern bikes.  New bikes are now using aerospace grade materials and alloys (carbon fiber, titanium, scandium), radical frame designs (with endless suspension variations), ceramic bearings, etc.  New bikes definitely have more than their share of "tech" features to keep your inner nerd happy.

Furthermore, saving money isn't obviously a great reason to fix your own bikes (there are far better reasons).  You need to invest a bit into tools and spend some time learning.  As with a lot of things, paying someone else to do it might seem cheaper at first.  Nevertheless, doing your own maintenance can more than pay for itself in the long run.

To get started with "do it yourself bicycle maintenance", I'll talk a bit more about recent bike technology advances, go over the real reasons why you should do maintenance yourself, and finally show you some of the tools and other stuff you will need.

Let's start first with technology...