Wheel wobble

[Penny S.]

one of my goals this year is not to pass off adjustments and repair to the hubby or LBS.

OK, took a kids out for a short "get the kinks out" ride and right away I notice something funky
with my rear brake. On closer inspection, the rear wheel is not true ( anymore) I checked for
broken or super loose spokes, but don;'t have a clue what to check next, steps for trouble shooting
or repair.

the main symptom is that when the rear wheel rotates freely, its definitely out of whack. I"m pretty
clueless but very trainable and have basic mechanical aptitude.

penny

 

[Jeb]

On Sun, 23 Mar 2003 15:52:27 -0800, "Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote:

>one of my goals this year is not to pass off adjustments and repair to the hubby or LBS.
>
>OK, took a kids out for a short "get the kinks out" ride and right away I notice something funky
>with my rear brake. On closer inspection, the rear wheel is not true ( anymore) I checked for
>broken or super loose spokes, but don;'t have a clue what to check next, steps for trouble shooting
>or repair.
>
>the main symptom is that when the rear wheel rotates freely, its definitely out of whack. I"m
>pretty clueless but very trainable and have basic mechanical aptitude.
>

Get a spoke wrench. Then as you might guess ... you need to tighten the spokes near the "bubble" to
pull it back ... and loosen the opposite spokes a bit at the same time. Spread the changes over
several spokes ... not just one or two ... and more if you need to move the rim a lot. Use something
like a brake shoe or the frame for a reference (to keep track of how far the rim is out) and go
slow. It's possible to get the rim pretty straight this way.

I've been tempted to buy a dial indicator for this type of thing but don't do it often enough to
make the investment. (that's a gizmo that you could let rub on the rim and it would show you
"runout" in .001")

 

[Sorni]

"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> one of my goals this year is not to pass off adjustments and repair to the hubby or LBS.
>
> OK, took a kids out for a short "get the kinks out" ride and right away I notice something funky
> with my rear brake. On closer inspection, the rear wheel is not true ( anymore) I checked for
> broken or super loose spokes, but don;'t have a clue what to check next, steps for trouble
> shooting or repair.
>
> the main symptom is that when the rear wheel rotates freely, its
definitely
> out of whack. I"m pretty clueless but very trainable and have basic mechanical aptitude.

Assuming the wheel's not "clunking" sideways (like my front wheel now -- hub needs overhaul, and
axle may be tweaked), then just try to true it.

Use/buy a good spoke wrench. Turn bike upside down and watch wheel spin between brake pads (if no
disks, of course). You should see a definite "out of whack" spot where rim moves sideways, either
closer to or away from pad. Isolate that section, and tighten/loosen involved spokes. (It's
counter-intuitive, as turning nipple to right TIGHTENS spoke tension and vice versa, just like cable
adjuster knobby thingies.) (OK, I'm no Sheldon Brown!)

If you already knew all this (I didn't for quite a while), sorry

Bill "don't listen to what Michael Paul says about my wrenching" S.

 

[Slacker]

"Penny S." <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> one of my goals this year is not to pass off adjustments and repair to the hubby or LBS.
>
> OK, took a kids out for a short "get the kinks out" ride and right away I notice something funky
> with my rear brake. On closer inspection, the rear wheel is not true ( anymore) I checked for
> broken or super loose spokes, but don;'t have a clue what to check next, steps for trouble
> shooting or repair.
>
> the main symptom is that when the rear wheel rotates freely, its definitely out of whack. I"m
> pretty clueless but very trainable and have basic mechanical aptitude.
>
> penny

http://www.bbinstitute.com/manual.htm#order/download

bottom of page "Chapter 17 Wheel Truing and Repair"

--
Slacker

 

[Jonathan Bond]

Penny S. wrote:
> one of my goals this year is not to pass off adjustments and repair to the hubby or LBS.
>
> OK, took a kids out for a short "get the kinks out" ride and right away I notice something funky
> with my rear brake. On closer inspection, the rear wheel is not true ( anymore) I checked for
> broken or super loose spokes, but don;'t have a clue what to check next, steps for trouble
> shooting or repair.
>
> the main symptom is that when the rear wheel rotates freely, its definitely out of whack. I"m
> pretty clueless but very trainable and have basic mechanical aptitude.
>
> penny
>
>

First things first, I don't think anybody has mentioned this yet: Open the QR (with the bike
standing upright, not on a stand), smack the saddle a couple times, then tighten the QR again. An
improperly seated QR can surprisingly closely mimic an out of true wheel.

Jon Bond

 

[Stu]

you don't have a son call bruce do you penny maybe he got your bike and his dads mixed up but he
swears he didn't bend the wheel go easy one him and next time dont let him fix your hubbys PDA lol

 

[Clydesdalemtb]

Penny S. wrote:
> I"m pretty clueless but very trainable and have basic mechanical aptitude.

My kinda lady!

but seriously get a copy of Jobts's book "The bicycle wheel" even if you never intend upon building
a wheel, it will help out out greatly.

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

Penny S. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> I"m pretty clueless but very trainable

Fetch!

',;~}

Shaun aRe

 

[Stephen Baker]

Shaun says:

>Penny S. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>> I"m pretty clueless but very trainable
>
>Fetch!
>

That's not very nice, SR. I thought she was quite fetching already........

;-)

Steve

 

[Penny S.]

Shaun Rimmer wrote:
> Penny S. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
>> I"m pretty clueless but very trainable
>
> Fetch!
>
> ',;~}
>
> Shaun aRe

Fetch, my ass. Go get your own dang beer.

penny

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

Stephen Baker <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Shaun says:
>
> >Penny S. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >
> >> I"m pretty clueless but very trainable
> >
> >Fetch!
> >
>
> That's not very nice, SR. I thought she was quite fetching
already........

That's because she's both alive, and in your age group.

Shaun aRe - A rare creature indeed.

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

Penny S. <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Shaun Rimmer wrote:
> > Penny S. <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >
> >
> >> I"m pretty clueless but very trainable
> >
> > Fetch!
> >
> > ',;~}
> >
> > Shaun aRe
>
> Fetch, my ass. Go get your own dang beer.
>
> penny

Heheheheh - nice one Penny! It's no wonder the folks 'round here love you, is it eh?

Shaun aRe

 

[John G]

Penny S. wrote:
> Fetch, my ass.

Must........ resist..................

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

Stephen Baker <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Shaun R says:
>
> >That's because she's both alive, and in your age group.
>
> Hit him, Penny!

She wouldn't do that, being the sweet, kind, nurturing creature she is ',;~}

> ;-)
>
> Steve

Shaun aRe - Heheheheh..........

 

[Shaun Rimmer]

John G <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Penny S. wrote:
> > Fetch, my ass.
>
> Must........ resist..................

Heheheh - yeah, it was the fact she'd used a comma that sealed the deal for me - if she'd omitted
that, woulda been fair game fer sure....

Shaun aRe