Relieving Stress in a Bicycle Wheel

Video Transcript

"This clip will show you how to stress relieve the wheel using two different techniques. As we finalize the true on this wheel, we want to release the stress, the stress that builds up as we tension it. And we do that by actually physically pushing on the wheel. We take it out of the truing stand, and I use a little bench like this, and I physically lean on the thing, on opposite sides pushing down on the center lightly axle at each of these intersections, and this releases the tension from the wheel. We're going to do that on both sides, flip it other, try it on the other side. Sometimes you'll hear a little popping sound, that's the tension being released from the wheel. If you were to skip this step, of course that would happen on your first ride, and you'd have an out of true wheel. You want a wheel that when you put in the service, and ridden hard and not need any immediate attention. The process of tension release on these wheels should probably occur three or four times during a wheel build. As you bring the pressure up, release the tension, fine tune the true, release the tension, fine tune the true, repeat as needed. One more time to the tension release and I'll show you an alternate technique. And actually if you don't have a work bench to work against, you can use your body. Kind of hook this into your pelvis there, and use your elbows to push down again the rim, we're just kind of giving it a light taco shape there. Don't go too crazy, we don't want to bend our wheel, but we do want to release the tension on these spokes. And we do that all the way around the wheel, flip it over do the other side. Laying in just a little bit of that taco shape, just to release the tension off those spokes."