Basket
Is your wheel slightly warped? Lateral deformation (warping) or sinking of the rim (jumping): you need to act. To restore spoke tension and re-center the wheel, an unveiling is necessary. Although the maneuver is delicate, you can do it yourself with patience and a good dose of concentration. Ready? Learn how to unveil your bike wheels by following the steps in this tutorial step by step!
1. Prepare the material to unveil a bike wheel
To proceed with the unveiling, you need:
a centering stand, or unveiling bench, which will accommodate the wheel to be put back on the right track (if you don't have one, a workshop stand can do the trick);
an alignment dial indicator (handy, but not essential);
a suitable or universal spoke wrench to adjust spoke tension (essential).
The manipulation is ideally done on a disassembled and stripped wheel, without tire or tube.
2. Check the spoke tension
Palm the spokes of the wheel to check their tension. To spot loose spokes, use your thumb and forefinger to pinch two spokes at a time, as if you were trying to pull them together.
If any are loose, tighten them with your spoke wrench by screwing the nut on. Go carefully: no more than a quarter turn at a time. Be careful to adjust the tension evenly, without overdoing it, or you risk breaking the spoke.
3. Use the alignment comparator
If you have an alignment gauge, it can be helpful to check the centering of the rim, especially if your wheel is particularly warped.
The goal? Make sure the rim is properly aligned with the hub. The centering gauge will allow you to check this aspect.
In case of a rim misaligned to the right, the remedy is to tighten all the spokes on the opposite side, so those connected to the left flange of the hub; and vice versa.
4. Locate the damaged area of the warped wheel
Is your rim alignment corrected? Is the spoke tension even and corrected? Now it's time to identify the source of the problem.
To detect the warped area, place your wheel on the centering bench or shop stand and slowly rotate it. There are warping indicators that allow you to accurately observe the start and end points of the warped area.
5. Unveiling the bicycle wheel
Once you've located the warped area, you can proceed with the unveiling.
Depending on the direction of the rim's lateral deformation, you'll need to tighten only the group of spokes on the warped surface on the right or left side.
To erase a rightward deformation, and thus bring the rim back to the left over the identified area, you'll thus need to tighten the spokes on the left side or loosen the spokes on the right side (in case of an already overly tight tensioned area). And vice versa!
Now you know how to unmount a bicycle wheel by yourself. With a little practice, you'll quickly become an expert at unveiling!
