Ben said:Ok I admit, most people here will think I am a jerk for asking this
question, but I need advice.
On my road bike, I got a flat tyre the other day ( Rear )
Ok, I got the wheel of, put it in the smallest gear, no problem.
But could I get the wheel back on ??? NO way, after I covered my hands in
grease, and made a mess of my new bike, I tried over 10 times, untill I
finally got it back on.
It was very frustrating to say the least.
Guys, please tell me any secrets in making this job easy, as I dred my next
rear flat tyre.
Do you lay the bike on the ground, upside down ???
I know once you get the knack, its like pumping up a tyre, but I am far from
getting the knack.
Please advise me on how its done the esay way.
A bery big thankyou,
Ben
Don't listen to those other clowns 😉 This is how REAL 😉 race mechanics change a rear wheel
Flip open the brake QR. Stand on the NDS (non drive side). Face the rear wheel. Lift the rear of the bike one (left) handed with the DS seatstay. Bend over so the seat is in your abdomen. Got it?
Undo the QR lever with your free hand. Swap your free hand to the drive side. Twist derailleur parallelogram backwards. Give the bike a good shake. If the wheel is installed correctly, it should drop out, hence the term "dropouts" for where the wheel goes in. If not, undo the QR nut a few turns and give the wheel a good wallop on the tyre at 12 to 2 o'clock. Still no good? We're into workshop territory now. Undo the QR all the way and take it out. Pull the seatstays apart with your mighty biceps. Still no good? Get a friend to do all the above wheel manipulation while you pull the seatstays apart with your mighty biceps. If no good, swap spots. If still no good, smash bike with large hammer, until frustration is righteously assuaged.
If any of the above, short of the righteous anger, works, check the clearance in the dropout slots - should be +- 11mm. File or bend the slot apart (gently! snappage can occur!) to fit the wheel axle ends - slide the wheel in and out a few times to check.
Some bikes' derailleur hangers are designed to frustrate easy wheel removal. Not much you can do about this. Buy a new frame? What a handy excuse . . .
M "The devil lies in the frame design detail"H