How to Make a Bike Truing Stand

A bicycle wheel truing stand sets the wheel onto a fork with two metal tips, used much like a caliper, to help realign the rim. Truing stands are available for sale in most bicycle shops, but a simple and effective truing stand can be made at home if you want to save money. Ideally, the stand keeps the wheel on a rotating hub where it spins past two set points. Use the points to evaluate bent rims and spoke tension, which is adjusted to bring the wheel back to true.

Things You'll Need

  • Bench vise or C-clamps
  • 4x4 timber 2 feet in length
  • Power drill with circular saw bits
  • Discarded front bicycle fork
  • Metal drill bits
  • PVC tube. 1 1/2 inch diameter by 2 feet in length
  • Silicone caulk and caulk gun
  • Liquid adhesive
  • Two 2-inch metal screws, flat tipped
  • Small dowel
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the 4x4 onto a work bench and clamp it down with a bench vise or C-clamps. Measure out the dead center of one side of the block. Place a 1 1/2-inch saw bit in the drill and drill out a hole in the center of the block.

    • 2

      Place the discarded fork into the bench vise so the fork ends are exposed. Drill a hole in each fork branch at the same height and one-third the length of the arms from the bottom. Make the hole the same diameter as the screws to be placed in the holes.

    • 3

      Push the PVC tube into the hole in the center of the block to the end of the drilled hole. Place the bicycle fork stem into the PVC tube so the fork's cradles are facing up.

    • 4

      Hold the fork straight up and fill the PVC tube with the silicone caulk. Hold the fork until the caulk begins to set and then let the caulk dry with the fork encased in the caulk.

    • 5

      Squirt liquid adhesive around the edge of the PVC tube where it meets the wood. Let it dry.

    • 6

      Screw the two metal screws into the drilled holes on the edge of the fork branches until the tips reach the inner sides of the fork.

    • 7

      Set the wheel to be trued into the fork cradles at the top of the branches. Turn the screws until the tips are 1/4 inch away from the rim on each side. Spin the wheel to find the bent and out-of-true sections of the rim.

    • 8

      Attach a 1/4-inch bit to the drill and drill a hole through the PVC tube one inch below the drill screw holes. Drill the hole at a 45-degree angle so the dowel may fit through the drilled hole. Push the dowel into the drilled hole so it sticks out at the same angle as the wheel when in the cradles. Pull the dowel out or push in to align it to the rim with no rub to check for the radial true of the rim.