Wheel Truing
Lateral and radial truing, spoke tension, dish, and building true wheels.
Lesson Details
Skills to cover in the shop
- Understand how a wheel works and its parts
- True a wheel laterally
- True a wheel radially
- Inspect wheel and spokes
- Proper use of the tension meter
Supporting videos
Key procedures / notes
- Spokes only pull. Left-flange spokes pull the rim left when tightened; right-flange spokes pull the rim right.
- Use the correct size spoke wrench (Table 5.1) — wrong size damages nipples. Nipples tighten clockwise.
- Four aspects of truing: lateral true, radial true, dish (centering), and spoke tension.
- Lateral: place wheel in stand; adjust so stand lightly touches high spots; tighten spokes on the side you want the rim to move toward (small increments).
Skill Check: 6 Wheel Truing Skill Check. Diagrams: 6a Wheel Centering, 6b Spoke Nipple Tension. STEM labs available (alignment gauge, wheel size, spoke tension).
What you’ll do
Follow the procedures in the lesson document. Complete any note guides or worksheets, then perform the hands-on skill check.
Support materials
Recommended reading
Park Tool Big Blue Book: pages 54–62 (Chapter 5).