How tell if wheel needs truing?

[danr2013]

Today I was doing some cleaning and tweaking on my trek hybrid which I use seasonally as a commuter and for recreation. After adjusting the rear brake I spun the tire to check for pad clearance. I noticed a slight wobble of the wheel that I would guess to be about 1/8 of an inch or less. The bike is 3 years old with about 800 - 900 miles total. Can I assume the most likely cause is the wheel needs truing?

[binzer]

When you say "wobble" do you mean the entire wheel seems to be shifting from side to side or is it more like a defined area of the wheel rubs the pad as it rotates? If the whole wheel is moving side to side it's likely that your bearings may need adjusted (tightened).<br />
If it's a specific area of the rim that rubs as the wheel spins then your wheel is probably out of true.

[danr2013]

A specific area rubs as the wheel rotates. I found the video on truing wheels I will get a spoke wrench and follow the video's directions. Thanks for your input.
Dan...

[marcdominic]

danr2013
Remember truing a wheel does not only mean making it straight on a lateral axis, you need to make sure it is still round too! This is a complicated job and a wheel truing stand is most advised… Otherwise get the LBS to do it for you…