Home made Truing Stand

[Wildcat]

I used the last of a woman's Emory bike to make this truing stand. I cut it out like a photo of one I saw on the internet. I'm using pieces of aluminum for the calipers to true by, they might not be that workable but I'll try something else if that's the case. I notched out a section of the wood base to store the Park truing tool, the only monetary investment so far. It was eight bucks I think. This stand should work well on a tabletop or desktop. I've got plenty of warped wheels to learn with.
My wife and daughter were wondering what I was making. I told them it was a trophy, like hunters have, and it was going up on the wall in the living room as a tribute to American made bicycles.

 

[naturephotoboy3]

Very cool idea....now the only part is...HOW DO YOU TRUE A WHEEL??? I cant od it to save my life..

 

[largek9]

Thats pretty neat! I did the homemade thing too.I used a 24"MURRAY frame I had for parts.It has room for 26" wheels I like the size of yours mines a little on the big side I'll load pics. on P/bucket tomorrow. I just started doing my own wheels with within the past month or so ,still takes me a while . I not as hard as I thought.Tom

 

[gcrank1]

Nice one!
You might consider 'flipping' the alum piece and making a couple of pivoting 'fingers' on it to adjust to the given wheel you work on, since some are way worse than others and can get hung up in your notch.

 

[Wildcat]

That sounds like a good idea. That's exactly what I'm going to do, and try to true my first wheel (without wrecking it) tomorrow. I've got a good 24" rear wheel from my granddaughter's Specialized bike with a slight warp.

 

[backalleyrat]

after searching lbs for a week, the best i found for 26" respoke/true was $120. I only paid $10 for the bike. it must be time for me to learn this craft.

 

[Wildcat]

My boss at work gave me a woman's beach cruiser for tuning up his bike. I actually trued the rear wheel on it using my home made contraption. It was pretty bad too. First time I haven't made it worse. I just sold that bike for 30 bucks to a lady down the street.

 

[gcrank1]

Yeah, the price of wheels is my major expenditure, though you do get what you pay for. Quality components will up it fast, and the labor is the same if you use cheap or quality parts. I was just looking at the wheels and tires for one project and thinkin' that Im getting close to the cost of a similar factory bike, BUT, it would be bought, not built!
Ive done a couple of motorcycle wheels years ago, and wheelwork can be done in the livingroom, so not a bad thing to learn. If a guy cuts cost having someone else do it by using cheaper components, then by doing it yourself you can use better stuff (and be liberated too), no more spent