Why New Wheels Go Out of True (And How to Prevent It)

Few things frustrate cyclists more than a newly built wheel that quickly develops wobbles or loses tension.

Fortunately, most wheel truing problems can be traced back to a handful of common causes.

What Does “Out of True” Mean?

A wheel is considered out of true when it no longer spins in a perfectly straight line.

This can appear as:

One of the most common causes of early wheel movement is inadequate stress relieving.

During wheel building, spokes naturally settle into place as tension increases.

Failing to stress relieve allows spokes to continue settling after the wheel is ridden.

Spokes should share load evenly.

When some spokes carry significantly more tension than others, the wheel becomes unstable and more likely to drift out of true.

During tensioning, spokes can twist rather than tighten.

When this twist eventually releases during riding, spoke tension changes and the wheel may develop a wobble.

Proper lubrication or spoke prep helps minimize this problem.

Many wheels leave the work stand with tension below optimal levels.

Under riding loads, these spokes can lose tension quickly, causing the wheel to go out of true.

Even a perfectly built wheel can be affected by:

Wheel durability depends on both construction quality and riding conditions.

Follow these best practices:

Most wheels that go out of true early are suffering from tension-related issues rather than component failure.

A properly built wheel with quality components can remain true and reliable for many thousands of miles.