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5.  A L I G N   the   W H E E L S
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     Aligning  a wheel  is more of
an art than a science, but it is a
skill anyone can learn with enough
practice.
     The most common wheel problem
is a lateral or sideways bend. For
a wheel  laterally  out  of  true,
this is what you do:
     Leave  the wheel  on the bike
and  the tire  and tube  inflated.
Hang the  bike up. Turn  the wheel
around  until  you  find  the area
which  is the  most bent.  Use the
brake   pads   (perhaps   adjusted
closer) or  a pencil held  next to
the bike frame to indicate clearly
where the bend is.  If you were to
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shorten  some of  the spokes going
from the bent area  to the side of
the hub opposite  the direction of
the  bend, or  lengthen the spokes
on  the side  towards which  it is
bent,  the  rim  would  bend  back
toward the center.
     And this is  exactly what you
do.  First,  experiment  with  the
effect.  Grab a  handful of spokes
about half-way between the hub and
the  rim  at  the  brake  caliper.
Squeeze,  which  will  momentarily
bend   the   spokes,   effectively
shortening  them and  you will see
the wheel rim move toward the side
of the brake.
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