wobbling rear wheel. (advice needed)

NITR8s
NITR8s Posts: 688
edited May 2012 in Road beginners
I had to change my rear innertube on sunday due to a puncture and I have noticed that the rear wheel doesnt spin straight, it wobbles from side to side and if I lift the back tyre up it almost feels like one part of the tyre is heaver than another. as can feel it pulling down.

Please could someone provide some advice to the possible cause of this?

Comments

  • Ringo 68
    Ringo 68 Posts: 441
    Sounds like the whel is just gone out of true. You should easily be able to true it up by adjusting the tension of the spokes.
    Have a look on Youtube, there are plenty of vids showing how to do it.
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  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    No worries I will have a look on youtube at lunch, do I need special tool for tightening the spokes?
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    NITR8s wrote:
    No worries I will have a look on youtube at lunch, do I need special tool for tightening the spokes?

    Yes you do need a spoke key... to check the tension you need a gauge, which is not a cheap tool... you can do without but chances are you'll do what I call a LBS job... looks OK and it's exactly where it was within a week
    Wheels are not true when the tension is not right... only the right tension makes it for a wheel that stays true
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  • giropaul
    giropaul Posts: 414
    I'd check first that it really is the wheel. It could be that, after the puncture, the tyre isn't seated properly.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    Just had a look my LBS charges £10 to true a wheel, so might just get them too do it. However they charge £40 for a service which includes truing, plus doing other stuff as well. Might just go for that.

    That way if wheel becomes untrued after a week, I could just take it back to them and tell them to do it again.
  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    giropaul wrote:
    I'd check first that it really is the wheel. It could be that, after the puncture, the tyre isn't seated properly.

    I deliberatly tried to make sure it was seated correctly, but wouldnt rule this out as the problem. Surely if I took bike into LBS if they were decent they would advice that the wheel doesnt need truing and is just seated incorrectly.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    NITR8s wrote:
    Just had a look my LBS charges £10 to true a wheel, so might just get them too do it. However they charge £40 for a service which includes truing, plus doing other stuff as well. Might just go for that.

    That way if wheel becomes untrued after a week, I could just take it back to them and tell them to do it again.

    They do normally charge 10 pounds... if they did actually spend the 20 minutes they charge on the wheel, they would do a good job. Often they spend less than 5 minutes, assume the wheel only needs minor tweaking... an untrue wheel is a symptom not the problem... it does take at least 20 minutes to find and fix the problem. Check them out... :twisted:
    left the forum March 2023
  • Blonde Cyclist
    Blonde Cyclist Posts: 328
    A quick trick I was taught is when putting the wheel back on turn your bike upside down, tighten it to the right point but leave the skewer open, then clamp the brake to hold the wheel in the centre and close the skewer. This centres the wheel between the brake blocks and unless it is really out of true stops it from rubbing. Might be worth a try before you spend money.
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  • NITR8s
    NITR8s Posts: 688
    Thanks blonde cyclist, I will do that tonight. I have booked my bike in to LBS to be severiced on saturday as thought it was a good idea anyway as got first 100m sportive on Sunday.

    £40 for the service but includes truing of both wheels, seeing as £10 for one wheel didnt think it was a bad price.

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