The big round things your bike rolls on. Rims, spokes, hubs, etc. If it's all about the rubber part, "tire" tag is better.
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2answers
1k views
Why offset the rear rim to the hub and not the hub in the frame?
I'm currently reading The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt, and I'm reading all of the issues with offsetting the rear rim toward the drive side of the hub...
Asymmetry in a rear wheel built for a ...
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votes
6answers
2k views
Front wheel “shudder” or “pulse” when braking
When I apply the front brake I can feel a "shudder" or "pulse" through the front wheel, fork and handlebars. It's faster when I'm travelling faster and slower when I'm moving slower.
I assume there's ...
5
votes
4answers
697 views
How long should spokes last?
Trek Fx 7.3, 1 year old, 1900 miles
3 days short of my 1 year bike purchase anniversary I discovered some broken spokes on the rear wheel. The bike shop gave me a new wheel they had in the shop, an ...
5
votes
3answers
290 views
Damaged rim or just the tube valve?
I had a flat on the way to work today. Not really earth shattering, it was about 5 miles in, only a short walk until the office, where I could fix it in comfort.
But walking the bike, I noticed an ...
5
votes
1answer
149 views
Second wheel set for winter
I commute every day on my trekking bike and when it is snowy/icy, I replace my normal tires with some studded tires.
The studded tires are ace, but replacing the tires is a real pain in the ass.
So ...
5
votes
1answer
415 views
What is the effect of adding weight to a wheel vs adding it to the frame?
There are claims often made that, eg, "An ounce of weight at the rims is like adding 7 ounces of frame weight." This is "common knowledge", but a few of us are skeptical, and our crude attempts at ...
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votes
2answers
1k views
How do I get rid of this clicking sound in the back wheel?
Difficult to diagnose, I know.
Basically, I bought a single speed Schwinn a few months ago, and after riding it for a couple of weeks it started clicking in the back wheel somewhere.
I've taken it ...
4
votes
2answers
2k views
What causes the noise that race wheels make when you are not pedaling?
A friend just got a new tri bike with Zipp wheels and they are loud when she is coasting. What causes that?
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5answers
245 views
Fixed gear wheel hard to spin
My wheel feels harder to spin than usual. I just put new tires on, and at first I thought a tire must be rubbing, but that's not the case. Seems like the hub might just be gunked up inside, but I'm ...
4
votes
2answers
931 views
How long should a bike last before the wheels wobble?
I bought a bike for my girlfriend about six months ago. It's a women's road bike.
She's rode it a bit, but all of it on the road. She's never crashed it and it's always been in good care.
She's ...
4
votes
4answers
331 views
Is 650b a better platform than 26“ or 29”?
I have seen more and more reference to the 650b (27.5") mtb wheel size. Whilst I don't see any need for a new standard, does anyone know of any benefit to have a 27.5" wheel over a 26" or 29"?
While ...
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votes
3answers
949 views
Is it safe to ride on a cracked rim?
Doing my monthly inspection & clean of my wheels last night and I was shocked to see a crack around one the spokes as they enter rim. It is a rear wheel (Shimano R600 I think). I had obviously ...
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votes
3answers
242 views
Do I need a separate dishing tool for building wheels with park tool TS-2.2 truing stand?
I'm trying to get started with some wheelbuilding. I've got a Park Tool TS-2.2 truing stand. Can I just rely on the calipers to provide a guide for centering the rim and dishing rear wheels or will I ...
4
votes
3answers
153 views
Were these bearings defective?
A couple of days ago my girlfriend's bicycle broke. The rear wheel was stuck. Tonight I had finally some spare time to have a look. The bearings had failed, so much so that the wheel must have spun ...
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votes
2answers
917 views
Spoke tension is way off but wheel is true, How do I fix this
After truing my front wheel, it seems that it is laterally true. However, the spoke tension seem very uneven, with a few spokes that are very taut next to other spokes which are more loose. If it ...
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votes
2answers
3k views
How do I know if I can replace the 27 inch wheels with 700c wheels on my bike?
I recently purchased an 80's Japanese bike off craigslist called "Jupiter King." It has 27 inch tires but I want to switch to 700c for greater wheel/tire selection. I specifically want some nice ...
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votes
2answers
442 views
I assambled rear wheel hub, but now rear wheel is not turning freely
I disassambled/assambled rear wheel hub, but now rear wheel is not turning freely, what have i done wrong?
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votes
3answers
275 views
Shaky Freewheel
I posted a question some time ago about vibrations in the frame of my road bike (a 1973 Sekine). Recently, I determined that the rear wheel is sliding back and forth across the axle, with about 0.5cm ...
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votes
2answers
368 views
What are wheel tension relief machines called?
At a San Diego bike shop I saw a machine that is purported to take the tension out of a wheel while it's being built so that the tension won't be released when you first start to ride it.
...
4
votes
1answer
243 views
Mountain bike axle diameters
Out of interest I would like to understand the benefits of having a 15mm or 20mm through axle over a 9mm QR (and a 10mm vs. a 12mm TA on the rear).
What difference does it make to the ride?
4
votes
1answer
127 views
How many speeds will fit on a wheel?
I have a cassette style wheel. How do I measure whether it will take a 7, 8, or 9 speed cassette?
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votes
3answers
2k views
What is the widest tyre that you can get away with, on a standard road bike?
In general, what is the widest tyre that you can get away with, on a standard road bike (with dual pivot brakes)?
Edit: I have a Campagnolo Eurus wheelset.
4
votes
1answer
311 views
What causes a wheel to suddenly go out of true?
This morning I noticed that my wheel was suddenly out of true and rubbing against the brake pad at one point. My first guess was that I had broken a spoke, but all of them seem to be intact. A few ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Straight-pull spokes - worth it?
Straight-pull spokes have been around for awhile on MTB wheels, but mainly just on very expensive wheelsets (Mavic Deemax for example). Recently the better wheel component manufacturers have been ...
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votes
4answers
4k views
Are double walled rims worth the money?
I need a whole new front wheel.
I have been around some of the bike shops in my city and found that the cheapest whole new wheel (wheel, tire, tube, tape) is about £55.
I also asked at the shop I ...
4
votes
1answer
381 views
Putting wider wheels on a hybrid bike
I've recently had a bike donated to me by a friend so I can start commuting to work. It's a hybrid style bike, and uses 700x32C tyres. My ride to work is along a pretty bumpy, muddy canal path and my ...
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3answers
3k views
Deep-Profile Carbon Wheels — How to choose depth?
I'm doing research for a future purchase of new wheels (for everyday riding) for a 2012 Cannondale CAAD10 Ultegra. I want to spend ~$1000 (give or take $200 or so). In my price range I've found: Boyd ...
4
votes
1answer
611 views
How do I correctly align the brake disc with the callipers when replacing my quick-release wheel?
My bike's front wheel is quick-release (QR), but the rear has a traditional skewer (because of the hub gears). It also has disc brakes, and as you'd expect, there isn't a lot of clearance between the ...
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votes
6answers
555 views
How to build a wheel
I'm in the planning stage of building a new bike. This will be a light road bike for city runs and transport. For racing I have other bikes.
I'd like to build the bike from ground up by assembling ...
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votes
9answers
3k views
What should I use, VeloPlugs, Rim Tape, or Rubber Rim Strips in new wheels?
I'm building two new sets of mountain bike 26" wheels, and I'm wondering what to go with. Both are double walled rims, so in addition to the standard rim tape and strips, I can use a product like ...
3
votes
2answers
125 views
Replacing rear coaster brake wheel on 1959 Roadmaster
I have to replace rusted/'bent rear wheel with coaster brakes on my 1959 Roadmaster.
I have found on Amazon the same size (24 X 2.125) new rear coaster brake wheel.
Will it fit? What parameters I ...
3
votes
4answers
1k views
Steel vs. Aluminum Wheels
I was at my local bike dump looking for a spare set of wheels for an older bike I have. He said that they have lots of steel wheels but very few aluminum. Whats the deal on this?
What are the ...
3
votes
2answers
263 views
Why are hand-built wheels considered to be better than machine-built wheels?
Why are hand-built wheels considered to be better than machine-built wheels? I would think that a machine-built wheel would be better and cheaper, since machines generally do a more precise job than ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
A general explanation of rim, tire and tube specifications
My bike's manufacturer page specifies that it has a rim size of 700CX14GX36H. It provides a tire size of 7X28C. It also mentions that it uses high performance 700C tires, which I think is also ...
3
votes
2answers
184 views
Front wheel getting misaligned while climbing hills
I've got a single speed bike with bullhorn handles. When I'm climbing steep hills I pull on the bullhorns quite hard, and once I'm back on a flat I'll occasionally find that the front wheel has become ...
3
votes
2answers
368 views
Is there a special technique for truing flat spoked wheels?
I have a set of Shimano R560's that have flat, bladed spokes (16 front & 20 rear, from memory). They are a little worse for wear after a couple of years and at least 10,000 kms. My usual LBS has ...
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votes
4answers
343 views
Breaking spokes on adult tricycle
My mother is 60+ years old and 200+ lbs. She never learned to ride a bicycle, so she rides a Schwinn Town & Country adult tricycle. She loves it and rides it everyday, 2-5 miles everyday. The ...
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votes
3answers
463 views
Mountain bike rear wheel tilts after remounting
Backstory: Total newbie regarding repairing cycles and the proper cycling terminology, so please take that into account.
Actual story:
I had a fall and the rear wheel started touching the brakes ...
3
votes
1answer
101 views
Retrieving Loose Nipple from Inside Rim
So I have a wheelset that I really like, only problem is the first time I rode the wheels a nipple came off the spoke when I launched off a speed bump going downhill. For a long time it was silent ...
3
votes
2answers
509 views
How do you evaluate a wheelset?
I'd like to upgrade my wheels but beyond the price, I'm not sure how to compare different options or even to tell if a given wheel is an upgrade or a downgrade from my current wheelset. I'm looking ...
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votes
4answers
1k views
Terry front wheel (ISO 520 vs 540), big difference?
Preamble
I'm building up an old early 80s Terry Precision bicycle. Most of my time has been spent researching and sourcing the front wheel. It's a smaller frame which uses a smaller front wheel for ...
3
votes
2answers
288 views
Mounting a 7-Speed Cassette on an 8/9 speed hub
I asked an earlier question regarding putting modern road wheels on my old steel frame.
After clarifying a few things the main issue to me is the number of gears on the freehub. (The freehub I'm ...
3
votes
2answers
246 views
Sounds like there is stickiness on my tire, but there isn't!
I noticed starting yesterday my front tire has been making a strange sound. It sounds like there is a small piece of tar stuck to the front tire and it makes a faint noise of sticking and unsticking ...
3
votes
2answers
92 views
lacing Alfine wheel, trailing spokes inside or outside hub flange
I am about to lace an Alvine hub wheel. Reading Sheldon Browns article there is a suggestion that the trailing, and so key, spokes might be better laced the opposite of what would be done for a ...
3
votes
1answer
220 views
How much does nipple choice affect wheel weight/stiffness?
Would I be a fool to replace the nipples on a Dura Ace 7900 C24 wheelset with a set of DT Swiss anodised alloy nipples, in the interest of aesthetics? I want the bike to look nice, but don't want to ...
3
votes
1answer
155 views
Am I going to do any damage by swapping cassettes frequently?
I've got a separate wheelset for cylocross riding and road riding. Would it be detrimental to the life of my cassette or hubs If I swapped the cassette between my road and off-road wheelset ...
3
votes
3answers
864 views
Can I lace my hub with all inward or outward facing spoke heads?
It seems conventional wisdom says to alternate inward vs outward spoke heads going around the flange when lacing a wheel, like this:
However, I'm wondering what the reason for this is, and if it ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
What are the pros and cons of Double Butted vs Straight Spokes when building a wheel?
Straight spokes will have the same diameter through the whole length, double butted spoked are thinner in the middle than at the ends. Here's my current understanding of the benefits of each:
Double ...
2
votes
3answers
347 views
Rim tape doesn't quite meet, but covers all spoke holes - OK?
The ends of my rim tape are about 1mm apart, but the spoke holes are covered. Is this ok, or should I pull it off and start with a fresh roll?
Here's a picture.
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6answers
1k views
How does a two wheel drive bike work?
A two wheel drive bike is a bike without a motor that can still turn. The front and back wheel both get power. How does a bike with this type of drivetrain work?
