Replacing the rear wheel

In article <[email hidden]>,

Bozlo said:

Hey, how much skill does it take to replace a rear wheel of a mountain
bike? I have had the bearing replaced a few times, but it just goes
back to shifting left and right, sometimes against the frame. So I
figure I need a whole new wheel. I rarely do bicycle repair, hence the
question. Any advice/input would be appreciated!

Have you ever seen the movie "American Flyers"? Rae Dawn Chong changes
Kevin Costner's rear wheel in about 10 seconds. I don't know how much
training she received before trying that.

Bozlo said:

Hey, how much skill does it take to replace a rear wheel of a mountain
bike? I have had the bearing replaced a few times, but it just goes
back to shifting left and right, sometimes against the frame. So I
figure I need a whole new wheel. I rarely do bicycle repair, hence the
question. Any advice/input would be appreciated!

If yours is a quick release wheel, note the skewer has a cam in it and
has to be flipped from "open" to "close" (look at the lever), not simply
screwed tight. The two sides of the skewer screw together until that
motion takes effort. The cam multiplies your hand pressure. If it flips
easily , adjust it more tightly.

The cam works better with some lubricant on/in it.

INstall your wheel without the skewer. DOes the axle protrude past the
outside of the frame end? If so, either grind it down a bit or seek a
competent LBS for advice.

The vestigal little cone-shaped springs either go pointy side in or may
be left out entirely. Installing the little buggers backwards can foul
skewer.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Bozlo said:

Hey, how much skill does it take to replace a rear wheel of a mountain
bike? I have had the bearing replaced a few times, but it just goes
back to shifting left and right, sometimes against the frame. So I
figure I need a whole new wheel. I rarely do bicycle repair, hence the
question. Any advice/input would be appreciated!

After you buy a new wheel, you'll have to swap the "cassette" (set of
sprockets) from the old to the new. You need a couple of tools to do
this (chain whip, cassette lockring tool). A new wheel should also be
tensioned and stress relieved. You can read about these things at
Sheldon Brown's web site and/or the Park Tool one.