What mistake might I have made while truing this wheel? I bought a spoke wrench and tried to true up a wheel (for a heavier rider 220+ lbs.)

However, as soon as they got on, there was a chinking noise, and the brake rub I had just fixed resumed (albeit slightly.)

I used the motion of the brake pad (I had one pad rubbing on the rim) as the stand.  There was still a slight hop in it.  I wasn't systematic, but, whenever there was too much deviation in one spot I would tighten or loosen the spokes a few times until it was fairly straight.

Does anyone know the most likely error in my process?  Thanks.
Wheel truing is an iterative process.  The "chinking" noise is where the spokes cross and they are moving relative to the other one.

I'm guessing you trued the wheel but the spoke tension had not been relieved - and when it did relax, the rim went a little more out of true.

The fix is to stress the wheel sideways somewhat, by:


Gently laying it on the ground and press opposite sides of the rim
Ride it a little
Grab pairs of spokes in your hands and give them a solid squeeze.


...and then to continue with the truing.  You also want to check wobble, vertical displacement, and spoke tension.  Alternate around, working on the worst thing to make it better but not perfect.   There's little point in fixing one area of the rim perfect, then adjusting another bit which puts the first bit out of whack.

Another gotcha with using the brake pads as a truing reference is that the rim may not be consistent width.  A rim that has taken an impact may be bulging or widened, which can put your measurements off.

Truing with the tyre on can also make it harder to get that very last bit out.  For a quick improvement its fine, but to do a really nice wheel you want the tyre/tube off.  Some people will even remove the rim tape.