<font size=4> Leon, I have commented on this many times before and it basically boils down to unless you or a buddy can true them up for free, or next to nearly free, then they are indeed "trash".



I true wheels and have the jig to do it but the set-up time, and the correct process that must be done is something that takes time ...and time is money. It is not uncommon to spend 2-3 hours completely truing up a wheel. By the time you factor in labor, then it is not worth what most people will give.



Many will tell you that they have used a press that will straighten the wheel in a few short minutes. The problem is that this method is just like putting sawdust in a noisy transmission. It works for a short time and then the metal's memory takes over again. When dealing with metal, there are two basic fundamental elements that take place. You either shrink it or stretch it. When a spoke is bent, it almost always is stretched. The spokes were designed to be under tension thus when the spoke or rim is bent, the tension is released. Putting the wheel in a press and pushing the rim back into the former shape does not shrink the stretched spoke back into tension. Thus, the only way to truly true a wheel is to use a shrinking method --and the torch with a flame is the most common method. This involves placing the wheel on a jig to indicate where the troubled areas are, and then systematically start shrinking the wheel's spokes. Where this get's even more tense is that for every action there is a reaction somewhere else on the rim. In other words, shrinking in one area usually pulls it in another area.



I hope I have given you some insight. Your wheels may indeed be worth saving but you almost must do it yourself to do it economically.







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