My wheel is touching the left side of the breaks. I need to know which spokes to loose and which one to tight.
Personally, I know how truing is done, but am no expert. Given the price of wheels these days, I just take them in and have them trued. It costs about $7 and sometimes, especially if it's really minor, they don't even charge. That way I don't have to worry about doing it wrong and putting a flat spot in the rim. Also there are issues of spoke tension and twisting to consider. I'd just find someone reliable to do it.
First check to make sure the wheel is centered in the fork or rear drop out. Next check to see if the brake is centered correctly. This way it removes other possibilities that may be the culpret aside from a bent wheel. Open the brake and then spin the wheel, if it wobbles side to side, then the wheel needs to be trued. Using what you posted as an example, since it is too far to the left, you tighten the spokes on the right. This will pull the rim away from the left and towards the right. You tighten the spokes so that the rim doesn't wobble side to side. Ideally you try not to loosen spokes unless you have to and then only as little as possible.
The ones on the left. Wheel building and truing is an art, and is by far the most complicated repair process on a bicycle. If you don't understand exactly how a wheel is built, how all the parts work together, how to relieve spoke stress, how to keep the wheel in round, what proper tension or wheel dish are and don't have a truing stand and the proper spoke wrenches, take your bike to a shop. I cannot begin to tell you how many people that claimed they knew what they were doing have DESTROYED their wheels, as in game over, buy a whole new wheel, pal. There's a reason shops charge money to true wheels, and it takes years of experience to do it right.
You will need to buy a spoke tool that is the correct size. You are going to want to tighten the spoke nipples OPPOSITE of where the rim is touching. DO NOT loosen any spokes. The problem with truing a wheel is that even if you are getting the rim straight, you may create too much tension of one end of the wheel and will create ahop" in the wheel. A respectable bike shop should be able to true the wheel for $15... might just save you troubles. Good luck!
Truing a wheel is actually pretty simple if you have the knowledge and the tools to do the job. First off you're going to need a spoke wrench that is the correct size. Second do not under any circumstance try to true the wheel on the bike, there are to many variables involved. If you're persistent on doing it yourself you'll need a truing stand and if it's a rear wheel, possibly a dishing tool to do it correctly. There's alot involved in truing a wheel, more than tightening the spoke nipples opposite of where the rim is touching, remember for every spoke you tightened, there's another that has to be loosened or you'll create flat spots. Don't listen to people they say it's not a big deal because 99% of those people end up at a bike shop with a more screwed wheel than they started with. My advise is to take the wheel to someone who knows what there doing and has the tools or a bike shop and save yourself alot of money and headaches.
