24
votes
Accepted
Where is the rear wheel quick-release mechanism on my bike?
This is a standard quick release mechanism simply grab the lever indicated below and flip it the opposite direction (green arrow). At which point it should loosen up a bit, then you can spin it around ...
- 9,169
20
votes
Accepted
Freehub pawl system vs star ratchet system
Hope hubs are a very refined, reliable execution of the pawl design. They don't do much to illustrate the disadvantages of the concept that designs like the star ratchet are trying to address.
One ...
- 80.1k
20
votes
Frequent punctures, is my weight the problem?
Increased load (i.e rider weight) on a pneumatic tire does not increase the pressure in the tire. The contact patch on the ground just increases in size until the contact patch area x pressure = load (...
- 75.3k
19
votes
Accepted
New wheel. Does it need that little rubber lining between it and the tube?
Yes, you will need a rim tape to protect your inner tube from the spoke holes or the spokes in your rim. There are a few exceptions we come to later.
The rim is the outer part of your wheel. Along ...
- 9,474
17
votes
Accepted
How to adapt a spoke salvaged from a 26" wheel to a 24" one?
Answer: Buy new spokes.
A spoke is threaded not with a die, but with rollers. The difference is that a die cuts away metal leaving a thread with an OD no-larger than the original. A roller will cold-...
- 120k
15
votes
Reverse Gear in Bicycles
Such a hub exists for trike and quads . Pedal forward with 3 or 5 gears then having a coaster brake to stop . At full stop with the brake engaged continued backward pedal pressure will cause the cycle ...
- 266
15
votes
Accepted
Broken 26'' wheel
That kind of rim damage indicates over-worn brake surfaces. Whether you should replace the whole wheel is a strictly economical question which is hard to answer in general. Wheel building services and ...
- 14.2k
15
votes
What is the best approach to an again and again wobbling rear wheel
Unless the cost of a new wheel that's suitable for you plus any other repairs the bike might need is greater than what the bike is worth to you, than the answer by far is get a new wheel.
Folks in ...
- 80.1k
15
votes
Broken rear brake - told it was unfixable
The brake pivot broke off the frame in a very unusual way. A framebuilder may be able to contrive a pretty cheap way of fixing it by putting a new pivot stud in. This would still require removing the ...
- 80.1k
14
votes
Skewer removal without quick release
You have the wrong tool. Your cassette lockring removal tool has a long pin emerging from its centre, which would fit inside the axle of a QR compatible wheel, to keep the tool centred.
What you have ...
- 12.7k
12
votes
New wheel. Does it need that little rubber lining between it and the tube?
That's called rim tape and it protects the tube from sharp edges in the rim and the ends of the spokes and spoke nipples. Without it you will get endless punctures.
Most wheels come with rim tape ...
- 75.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Jan Ullrich's TT bike in la Vuelta 1999: why the bigger rear wheel?
The rear wheel is normal size (700), the front wheel is smaller (650). It was for aerodynamic reasons. By lowering the torso of the rider, the frontal surface of the rider became smaller.
The ...
- 8,251
11
votes
Accepted
Chain stuck between cassette and spokes and damaged rear hub - any way to fix it?
That's a bit of a mess. Looks like the chain dinged up the hub, freehub body (that the cassette mounts on) and the spokes.
The freehub body is removable, and you could possibly use a fine file to ...
- 75.3k
10
votes
Reverse Gear in Bicycles
While it may be possible, by creating a mechanism that shifts the chain from one freewheel to another, or disconnecting one temporarily through mechanical actuators, the hassle and engineering it ...
- 9,169
10
votes
Chain is jumping regularly on every cog at every speed?
When cogs are worn, new chain makes things worse. In my case, the old chain was skipping time to time but the bicycle was rideable. With the new chain the two fastest gears went completely unusable. ...
- 7,232
9
votes
Skewer removal without quick release
Stop. Right now.
You don’t have a skewer/quick release system, you have a solid threaded axle that is secured to the frame by nuts. A quick release axle has an axial hole through it for the quick ...
- 75.3k
9
votes
Do I need to remove this DT Swiss ring nut? (360 hub)
DT Swiss states that on pawl type rear hubs, the ring nut must be removed in order to remove the driver-side bearing. See section 2.7, page 9, in this manual from DT Swiss:
https://www.dtswiss.com/pmt/...
- 671
9
votes
Rear cassette Identification
The specs for the Schwinn Traverse, made by Pacific cycles circa 2010, are dearth. What I have seen on the Schwinn Traverse is that it is 21 speed (3x7 Shimano, w/SRAM grip shift) mountain style bike ...
- 9,522
8
votes
Servicing a Vuelta XRP Disc Hub
I don't have specific experience with this one, but the pictures suggest it works one of two ways:
From where you're at now, you bonk the end of the axle on the non-drive sufficiently hard and the ...
- 80.1k
8
votes
Can hubs last forever?
If the shell is aluminum and we're talking about the whole thing and not just the bearing races, the literal answer is flat out no, because aluminum doesn't have a fatigue limit. It will crack ...
- 80.1k
8
votes
Used wheels - corrosion or dried rim tape adhesive?
Thats just the adhesive from the old rim tape.
Get a cloth and some rubbing alcohol and rub away, and it should look brand new.
- 46k
8
votes
Accepted
Rear wheel not straight because of worn out dropout?
This almost exclusively happens because of external cam quick release skewers not clamping the wheel tight enough.
Bike manufacturers love them because they're light, cheap, work fine most of the ...
- 80.1k
8
votes
What is the best approach to an again and again wobbling rear wheel
Your rear wheel needs to be replaced or completely rebuilt with all spokes being replaced. To a first approximation, materials have a limited lifetime - the cyclic loading will eventually cause them ...
- 10.4k
8
votes
Accepted
How/where can I find replacements for these 'wheel bearing caps'?
Metal dust shields would be the common name to the extent there is one. The usual protocol is to handle them with care and never remove them, because they're difficult to replace. The OEM hub ...
- 80.1k
8
votes
Rear wheel centered at seatstays but offset at chanstays
On many bikes the right chainstay is shaped to allow bigger cogs on a proper chainline. I'd hazard a guess it's closer to the right chainstay than the left. Here's an old but extreme example (Merlin ...
- 55.8k
8
votes
How to adapt a spoke salvaged from a 26" wheel to a 24" one?
Buy a new one, they cost cents, so the only issue is does it take longer to drive to a bike shop than rehash an old spoke. Used spokes are prone to failure, anyway, heating the spoke enough to create ...
- 47.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Can I continue use abraded rim?
The rim is toast.
Even if the sidewall is structurally sound (no cracks or anything) that’s too little remaining material to safely retain a tyre (i.e. to properly seat the tyre bead). The tyre ...
- 25.8k
7
votes
I messed up my bike
It sounds like the rear wheel shifted in the frame. Look closely at the axle where it connects to the frame at the dropouts, you may be able to see that it shifted.
If you have the tools, loosen the ...
- 6,966
7
votes
Accepted
Removing a rear wheel of a town bike
This picture shows a slightly better angle. You need to first loosen the lock nut slightly, then spin the adjuster barrel until it unscrews right off the threaded rod on the chain. When you re-...
- 23.2k
7
votes
My back tire rubbing frame
Your wheel axle is not aligned in the dropouts properly, causing the rim of the wheel to deviate to one side and contact the frame.
I'm guessing you have horizontal or diagonal slotted dropouts and ...
- 75.3k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible