Bike feels uncertain at times

andy83

bike feels little wobbly at times, tends to be when turning but also noticed when say going down hill can feel a little uncertain.

only thing i can thing different is changed seat clamp and also had little fall but was only at around 2mph when coming out of house, hadnt even started riding lol so bike just got threw from underneath me. checked the bolts around the headset etc and all seems fine.

did leave work other week to find tyre flat but been fine since i pumped it up, could it be problem with wheels??

biondino

You should be able to tell pretty easily if any of the obvious points that could be loose (headset, seatpost, saddle, pedals, axles etc) ARE loose - give your bike a once-over, looking for give in these parts and if it's there, fix it immediately. For example, I found that a pedal was at an odd angle, and a bit of research (plus a roadside phone call to cjcp!) made it clear that a crank was working itself loose, and thankfully was very easy to sort out, as any tightening of this kind can be, with the possible exception of the headset (look for online instructions if you're a noob) or bottom bracket (uh, take it to the lbs!).

The other obvious area is the wheels. Are they true? Are the tyres sufficiently inflated (they'll have a guide on the tyre wall as to how much you should inflate them)? Are the tyres suitable for the road surface (knobblies will be less sure-footed on tarmac)? Are any of the spokes loose or broken?

I'm sure most of the above is obvious but you never know what might be useful. Can you be any more specific about how it feels wobbly?

andy83

thanks for reply

it just kind of feels that the back wheel is going from underneath me at times and im having to be a bit more cautious when riding.

tyres are flats so fine for road use. just checked and wheel does seem to wobble a little from side to side when it is spun but not massively. im still a little unsure if its just a case of me still worried about falling off and psychologically has effected me. Im ok at the maintenance side of things as built up bike however dont think id feel comfortable truing the wheels, how much should this cost?? would this be the likely cause and also just checking the tyres dont seem as pumped up as they could be, maybe time to invest in a decent track pump

Should it be safe to continue riding till the end of the month??

biondino

If there's nothing obviously loose in terms of the frame and peripherals it probably is the wheels/tyres. The bike is the GT in the photo in your sig? Certainly if widish tyres like that are underinflated you could be getting unwelcome roll - without seeing the bike it sounds like the most likely cause. If you[re using a handpump, inflate the tyres until you don't have the strength to inflate any more (obv without killing yourself) - this should make them rideable without a doubt.

As for the wheels - can you tell how many mm they are out of true - if it's only a couple it's very unlikely to be affecting the handling. If it's more than that it's worth sorting out, and your lbs should be able to do that quickly and simply if you don't have the tools or confidence yourself.

Is there any chance there's looseness in the axle/skewer area?

andy83

yea its the bike in my sig

skewers seem tight and solid enough but come to think of it did have to stop on roadside and undo skewer for summin but cant remember for the life of me, wheel seems solid and no movement when locked in. my pump bust on the end yesterday so just having to wait for new one to come or could just go to the garage and get it done there.

think you may be right with the roll as when i was riding home last night looked and tyre did seem a little squashed

the wheels are only a few mill out, nothing massive i dont think

good pump of the tyres will hopefully do the trick

thanks for help

andy83

ok feel really stupid

seat post was a little loose and realised it was the post moving that made things little uncertain, well hopefully seems to have done the trick on last few rides

biondino

No need to feel stupid - it's great when the problem is so easily and cheaply fixed!

andy83

cheers

realised it had happened since got replacement seat clamp, and then i realised the problem stopped on my next ride but my seat post had dropped a little bit. problems seems to have gone now

wind was a nightmare yesterday, lovely an quick going into work, nightmare coming back

el_presidente

I had a similar feeling this week & couldn't place it - eventually my left crank fell off!