Proper maintenance is essential for the safe enjoyment of your bike, whether you ride daily or just go out a few times a year when the weather is nice. When people hear “bike maintenance,” they often think of brakes, transmission, and chain; wheels and tires only gain attention when the tire is flat. Keeping the wheels in alignment, which means keeping them perfectly straight and round, requires equal tension on all spokes, which is essential to the bike's performance and safety. A misaligned wheel can wobble or rub against the brakes unevenly, potentially leading to an accident. The following information will show you, step by step, how to align your wheels.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Get Ready to Align the Wheels
Step 1. Inspect the wheel for bent spokes
Step 2. Check voltage using a lightning wrench
At the end of each spoke there is a screw (nipple) that you can use to tighten or loosen the spoke, so you can adjust the tension of each spoke individually in relation to the rim. In a perfectly aligned wheel and rim, all spokes have the same tension.
You may want to mark those that are particularly tight or loose. Some people use different colored ribbons for this purpose
Step 3. Place your bike upside down, resting on the seat and handlebars
Bike stores use mounts, but turning the bike upside down allows the wheels to move freely, so you can watch carefully if they're wobbling.
Method 2 of 4: Check Rounding
Step 1. Remove the tire and inner tube for best results
It's easier to straighten the shape of the rim without these things on the bike. Put the rim back on the bike so you can test it.
Step 2. Place or affix a ruler, pencil, pen, or other object with straight ends to the fork so that it almost touches the rim
This will allow you to see the smallest wobbles as the rim approaches or moves away from this straight edge.
Step 3. Rotate the wheel
The place on the wheel where it touches the guide object, or nearly touches it, is misaligned and will need to be adjusted.
Step 4. Squeeze the spokes below where the wheel has touched the object
Be sure to tighten each spoke equally and no more than half a turn at a time. Also make sure you're squeezing the spokes on both sides, or you'll throw the rim out of side alignment.
Step 5. Rotate the wheel after each adjustment
Keep adjusting until the rim keeps the same distance from the guide object at all times.
Method 3 of 4: Align the Wheels Sideways
Step 1. Rotate the wheel and make sure it is perfectly aligned
If it's perfectly aligned, each point on the rim will be the same distance from the brake shoes when you turn the wheel.
Step 2. Apply the brakes gradually and note the points that hit the brake shoes first
Step 3. Squeeze the spokes opposite the place where the brake shoes touch the rim to center it
As if grinding a circle, work slowly and gradually tighten.
Step 4. Adjust and tighten the spokes by turning the bolt until there are no places that touch the brake shoes before any others
Method 4 of 4: Check the Lightnings for the Last Time
Step 1. Check the rays you marked at the beginning of the process
Most of the time, the adjustments you've made will have corrected the excessive tension or looseness you originally encountered. If not, repeat the procedure.
