Wheel truing and lateral runout correction: complete guide

Why wheels go out of true

A wheel goes out of true when spoke tension becomes unbalanced. Common causes include hitting a pothole, a broken spoke, gradual loosening during the break-in period, or simply metal fatigue on older wheels. A 1-2 mm wobble is common and easy to fix. Beyond 5 mm, or if the rim is cracked, it's time for a professional or a replacement.

Tools you need

• Spoke wrench: the size depends on your spoke nipples (3.23 mm for standard Shimano/DT Swiss, 3.45 mm for Mavic). A Park Tool SW-2 or Unior wrench covers the most common sizes
• Truing stand: ideal but not essential. Free alternative: attach two zip ties to your fork or chainstays, trimmed to about 1 mm from the rim. They serve as visual indicators
• Tensiometer (optional): a Park Tool TM-1 lets you measure actual tension. Without one, you can squeeze two parallel spokes and compare the "pitch" they produce — higher pitch = more tension

Fixing lateral runout (side-to-side wobble)

This is the most common issue. The wheel deviates to one side.

1. Locate the wobble zone. Spin the wheel slowly and identify where it moves closer to your indicator (zip tie or stand gauge). Mark the zone with a marker or tape
2. Identify the relevant spokes. In the wobble zone, check whether spokes pull toward the left or right side of the hub. If the rim moves right, you need to tighten left-side spokes and/or loosen right-side spokes
3. Turn in quarter-turn increments. Start with the center spoke of the affected zone: 1/4 turn at a time, no more. A spoke gets tighter when you turn the nipple counter-clockwise as seen from outside the rim (careful — this is counter-intuitive because the threading is reversed)
4. Spread the correction. If the zone spans 3 spokes, give 1/4 turn to the center and 1/8 turn to the two adjacent ones. This prevents creating a new wobble right next to the old one
5. Check after every pass. Spin the wheel again. Repeat until residual wobble is under 0.5 mm

Warning: never tighten a spoke beyond 120-130 kgf (1200-1300 N). An overtensioned spoke will crack the rim or break at the elbow.

Fixing radial runout (hop)

The wheel isn't round: it "hops" at one point. This is rarer and trickier.

1. Locate the high spot (the area that moves away from the hub)
2. Tighten spokes in the high spot area, on both sides evenly (1/4 turn each)
3. For a low spot, loosen spokes in the affected area
4. Acceptable radial runout is under 0.5 mm

Typical tension values

The tension difference between drive and non-drive sides is normal on rear wheels: the dish offset requires shorter, tighter spokes on the cassette side.

When to see a pro

• Cracked or split rim at an eyelet
• More than 2 broken spokes on the same wheel
• Wobble greater than 5 mm despite your corrections
• Carbon wheels (the technique differs and the cost of failure is high)

Need precise tension values for your wheel? L'Atelier knows manufacturer specs for hundreds of rim models and can guide you step by step.