Pencil - easy and effective

Using a pencil and a rubber band you can build a very fast and easy but also very helpful truing stand. Only disadvantage: you might want to clean all the pencil lines off the rim after the truing work is done.

Dial Indicator Gauge

A wooden stand and a dial indicator gauge can become a very accurate truing stand as many many people have done already (see also here and here). Not DIY but another version which looks very promising, because you do not need to get the wheel out of your bike.

Relly anything

Brake pads (if your bike has rim brakes) or really everything can be used. Also clothespins or mini-clamps seem to do a good job (crayon is a usefull marker by the way).

DIY truing stands at bikehacks.com

There is a list of 7 nice DIY truing stands abt bikehacks.com.

Stomp Straighten a Bicycle Wheel

If a truing stand does not help, you might want to follow these instructions. A truing stand might be useful later on to do some fine adjustments.

Old electronic truing stand

This catalogue from the early 1980ies has a nice electronic truing stand (as well as mechanical ones).

Duchamp

Other useful tools

Other useful tools when truing a wheel include:

• bicycle spoke tension meter

• dishing tool (or using DIY methods)

Other links

Some more links and pictures.

• http://www.wheelfanatyk.com/blog/category/pk-lie-truing-stand/
• http://forums.mtbr.com/tooltime/my-diy-wheel-building-truing-stand-844767.html
• http://www.pklie.de/truing_stand.html
• http://tuckamoredew.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/scrap-metal-challenge-diy-bike-wheel-truing-stand/
• http://www.tretharley.de/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=24765