# riding untrue wheels



## bigCgt (Aug 12, 2008)

is riding on untrue wheels really bad? I mean does it do an harm to my wheels/bike?

there not rubbing on the break pads (v-brakes) but they do have alittle wobble in them.

I dont think i can ever remeber having perfectly true wheels.

Should a bike shop be able to get the 100% true? 


Thanks


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## mtnbiker72 (Jan 22, 2007)

Most wheel companies consider true to be within 1mm laterally and 0.5mm radially so "100%" true is kind of a high expectation. I always aimed for perfect when I built wheels but depending on the wheel (low spoke count...especially paired spoked were more difficult) 0.5mm both laterally and radially is probably a reasonable expectation on new wheels. Used wheels will vary...depending on the degree of abuse and the actual rim tolerances. I don't bother with my wheels until they exceed this tolerance on my road bike (which still uses rim brakes). On my mountain bike with disc wheels, I am usually much more concerned with even spoke tension than a wheel slightly out of true. Even spoke tension is what will keep your wheels rolling for years.


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## jeffj (Jan 13, 2004)

Riding with spokes at uneven tension is what will make it easier for you to taco (and permanently damage) your rim. A wobbly wheel (rim) is usually indicative that there may be a problem with spoke tension.

Learning to tension them yourself is not that difficult and keeping them properly tensioned will give your wheels the best chance for long term survival.


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## nuggets (Jul 7, 2008)

My bike felt like it was pulling hard. It just wasn't as smooth as before. I flipped the bike upside down and checked the trueness. the front wheel was ok but the rear wheel had a pretty serious wobble. I sat down in an attempt to straighten it when I found a broken spoke. Further examination makes me think my axle is bent. When I spin the wheel the rear cogs tend to wobble a bit. Well this is a job for my lbs. I wonder if I should just get a double wall rim rather than fixing the old rim which is not double walled?


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## nuggets (Jul 7, 2008)

Got a Weinman double wall rear wheel and it rolls smooth. I'm glad I got rid of the single wall rim and bought a new double wall. I have more confidence in the wheel. I still have a single wall rim in the front but I don't think that's as critical.


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