wheel keeps coming loose

R34PER
R34PER Posts: 193
edited December 2008 in The workshop
in the last month i have had to tighten the cone on my rear wheel twice now. it has never come loose before but i have also recently fitted a pannier rack and when fully loaded it can be quite heavy although to offset this a little i have also lost around 2 stone which should make up for this. its on my mtb commuter and there should be a link in the sig bit below. i would take some close ups but it doesn't seem worth it as i can see no obvious problems. in the previous two years of owning the bike i have had no problems whatsoever so i'm just wondering if wheels have much of an expected "life" and if so should i start looking for some new ones. i do clean them up and regrease them every now and again and the bearings still seem ok to me. any ideas what causes it?
90's P7
http://www.tankslap.co.uk

Comments

  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    Are you tightening up the locknut enough?
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • R34PER
    R34PER Posts: 193
    yes, the issues only started when i started putting extra weight over the back wheel with the panniers on. pre panniers i never had any troubles with it. having thought about it for a bit its only happened when they have been at full load capacity. so now i'm thinking it must be that causing it.
    90's P7
    http://www.tankslap.co.uk
  • ansbaradigeidfran
    ansbaradigeidfran Posts: 526
    (Warning: complete lack of knowledge)

    Could the type of dropouts (horizontal, vertical) be helping this?
  • robbarker
    robbarker Posts: 1,367
    It's possible, but unlikely, that the threads are worn or damaged on eitherthe axle, cones or locknuts. You can eliminate this by stripping it down and checking the threads, and that the the cone and nut screw along the thread without any play. Check the bearing cups in the hub too - some have seperate cups fitted which can come loose.

    It's more likely that you're not tightening the locknut suffuicienty, or possibly the quick release is not being tightened correctly when you're reinstalling the wheel - this does affect things as it squeezes the whole plot together. The quick release lever should start to bite when it's sticking straight out from the bike at the 90 degree position.

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