If you’ve got a serious wobble or issue, it can help to take the tire off first. At the very least, take some air out of the tires. If not, one will likely pop while you work. [1] X Research source
Looking to protect your beautiful wheels from marks? Take a small piece of masking tape and use it to make the spots where there is some wobble.
If a spoke is extremely loose, you should still go ahead and try to fix it. That said, you may need a new rim if this happens regularly– it should be a rare occurrence. [2] X Research source There are rare cases where a spoke feels too tense, which can cause a wobble as well. The technique to fix it (shown below) is the exact same, just with loosening instead of tightening.
Trace the spoke down from the rim down to the center of the wheel to see which side it pulls towards. [3] X Research source
Don’t have a spoke wrench? A pair of needle-nose pliers will work in a pinch, but you should buy a spoke wrench cheaply as soon as you can. Remember to get the right side! If the wobble is to the left, you need to tighten the spoke that pulls the rim back to the right. [4] X Research source
Don’t have a spoke wrench? A pair of needle-nose pliers will work in a pinch, but you should buy a spoke wrench cheaply as soon as you can. Remember to get the right side! If the wobble is to the left, you need to tighten the spoke that pulls the rim back to the right. [4] X Research source
Keep this simple math equation in your head as you work – “if I tighten one spoke, I need to loosen the two spokes next to it half as much to make sure it stays balanced. " The opposite equation, loosening one spoke and then tightening the other two half as much, also applies.
You will likely get smaller and smaller adjustments as you work – using only turning the nipple by small increments. At this point, you should be spinning the wheel after every tightening, making only the smallest adjustments until you hit perfection. [5] X Research source
After every set of turns, spin the wheel and double-check the lateral truing again, making sure you’ve not introduced a new wobble. [8] X Research source
