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).
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…