How much to true a bike wheel?

I’m riding along the Golden Gate Bridge, listening to Gimmee Shelter by the Rolling Stones. I’m dealing with a lame crosswind, and there are people everywhere keeping me from going in a straight line. 

After the chorus finishes “War, Children! It’s just a shot away!” The bridge opens up and they begin to play the harmonica and some non-descript percussion instruments. I’m listening, and oddly enough, the percussion instruments are off-beat. 

The thought goes through my head “I know the rolling stones are into syncopation… but they’re really not the types to simply play music poorly.” Alas, I go on and cross the bridge. 

I reach halfway rise onto Hawk Hill and all of a sudden, I realize that the same clanging that the rolling stones were doing is now in my melody of Rihanna’s Work. 

This gives me pause and I finally decide it may be time to look around and see what this is about. I look and see that one of my spokes is missing, and that my tire now have a very fluid S-curve throughout the body of the wheel. 

5 minutes later, the tire will not spin true to shape and is jammed against the side of the brake caliper. I might have even gone farther without noticing if they were disc brakes. This is an excellent example of your wheel coming out of true.

I will not be enjoying a downhill speed run today.

I sullenly walk home because it’s well past any time to have my bike taken in to a shop and go in the next day. I was sure that the tire was ruined and I needed a new bike wheel.

With one single tear, I give my bike wheel to the mechanic. 10 minutes later, the mechanic tells me “Here is your wheel freshly trued. That will be $20, thanks.”

In all seriousness, if you want to know how much to true a bike wheel, it is typically $15-$20. Almost any bike mechanic can true a wheel, and do not overthink where to go or if there are any special bike mechanics for special wheels.

Can you true a bike wheel yourself?

The tools that you need to true a bike wheel are:

• A bike truing stand: There are other ways to true a wheel without a bike stand. If you are in a pinch, turn the bicycle upside down, use a pencil and a rubber band on the fork of the bike in the same fashion that a bike stand works to mark it’s straightness.
• A bike spoke wrench: There are some aero rims with internal spokes, so you may need an internal spoke tool. There are different sizes and sometimes they can be a torx screw. Check your rim manufacturer to know the specific size for these.

Yes, you can and it is pretty easy to learn. It is recommended that you practice on an older wheel first because there will be mistakes that are made the first time that you would like to sort out before moving to your specific wheel. The reason being is that it is a case of feel, rather than a simply a step by step procedure. There are a lot of great videos on exactly how to true your own bike wheel that are a stronger resource than text can be for truing a bike wheel yourself.

Conclusion

How much to true a bike wheel? It will typically cost about $20 to do a simple wheel truing repair. Truing a wheel yourself is very simple once you have had practice and although it is truly advisable to learn, it is not advisable to learn how to true a wheel on your prized racing aero bike.