Does anyone else balance their wheels

barrie h

I`ve always balanced my wheels, when I go to bike shows and look at stands selling expensive wheels I spin then slowly and watch the wheel rock back and forward, Is it too much to ask wheel builders who build fantastic wheels to finish the job off and balance them

Barrie

dodgy

What you're doing isn't balancing, it's just OCD. This is how you would balance a wheel if you could be arsed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX4k3_NDvj8

barrie h

Its amazing you can tell how I balance my wheels from a computer, I must have been doing wrong all these years
I bow to your insight

Barrie

pride4ever

Lol Balancing.

nweststeyn

Barrie could you explain to me how you balance your wheels? I'm curious.

Stevie_gee

Is there any point? Fair enough on a car when both wheels are connected to the steering and an imbalance will cause steering wheel wobble but on a bike all you'll get is a slight fore/aft 'shuggying' effect which wouldn't be noticeable in the slightest.

You'll go faster if you spend the time you waste dicking about with your wheels actually riding your bike

LegendLust

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/miche-zero-poin ... ncing-kit/

barrie h

Try hanging you bike from a strap round the seat and one round the bars, put the bike in top gear and spin the gears round with the pedals, if the bike starts jumping on the strap the back wheel is out of balance
The front wheel will always stop at the same point if its not in balance
Alloy wheels have a metal insert at the opposite side to the valve to keep the two ends of the rim together I`ve found that this always more than the valve on light weight wheels.

Barrie

imposter2.0

barrie h wrote:

Try hanging you bike from a strap round the seat and one round the bars, put the bike in top gear and spin the gears round with the pedals, if the bike starts jumping on the strap the back wheel is out of balance
The front wheel will always stop at the same point if its not in balance
Alloy wheels have a metal insert at the opposite side to the valve to keep the two ends of the rim together I`ve found that this always more than the valve on light weight wheels.

Barrie

just wondering - have you been riding long ?

TakeTurns

I experience the unbalanced effect all the time on descents. Never bothered me as much to actually take action.

It's all part and parcel of having sexy deep sections.

Grill

Where is the popcorn emoticon when you need it...

barrie h

nweststeyn wrote:

Barrie could you explain to me how you balance your wheels? I'm curious.

I use thin lead flashing , find the right weight by trial and error, paint the same colour as your rim and fix to the rim between the spokes away from the brake area with car mirror fixing tabs, It adds a few grams but seeing my bike is just over 6.1 kg its not much to add, If you have a puncture mark the tyre in line with the valve so it goes on the same place but most tyres are pretty even its the wheels that are out of balance
I`ve been ridding for well over 40 years so I`ve had plenty bikes and wheels to play with

Barrie

Grill

If someone tried to put a weight on my RZR's I'd smack them in the face.

Wirral_paul

Do you also fit lead to the non-driveside crank to balance out the weight of the chainrings and spider on the other side. Maybe stick some on the rear hub too - to balance out the cassette.

Maybe you should right to Team Sky and tell them their mechanics are useless as they are missing out on the blatantly obvious in their quest for "marginal gains!!

This is going to be the funniest thread in a while for sure! Ok who wants sweet and who wants salted popcorn??

Bike Radar

Why bother though? Is there any benefit?

amaferanga

Bike Radar wrote:

Why bother though? Is there any benefit?

I wonder if the OP or anyone could actually tell if a wheel had been balanced while riding their bike. Makes no difference really what a bike does when it's hung up.

pride4ever

LegendLust

Before you lot pour scorn on this post - Ambrosio, who most in the know regard as some of the finest alu rims made, counter balance their top end rims.

http://fairwheelbikes.com/ambrosio-neme ... -2897.html

imposter2.0

amaferanga wrote:

Bike Radar wrote:

Why bother though? Is there any benefit?

I wonder if the OP or anyone could actually tell if a wheel had been balanced while riding their bike. Makes no difference really what a bike does when it's hung up.

apparently it's really important at bike shows though..

dodgy

LegendLust wrote:

Before you lot pour scorn on this post - Ambrosio, who most in the know regard as some of the finest alu rims made, counter balance their top end rims.

http://fairwheelbikes.com/ambrosio-neme ... -2897.html

Before tyres fitted?

andrewjoseph

barrie h wrote:

nweststeyn wrote:

Barrie could you explain to me how you balance your wheels? I'm curious.

I use thin lead flashing , find the right weight by trial and error, paint the same colour as your rim and fix to the rim between the spokes away from the brake area with car mirror fixing tabs, It adds a few grams but seeing my bike is just over 6.1 kg its not much to add, If you have a puncture mark the tyre in line with the valve so it goes on the same place but most tyres are pretty even its the wheels that are out of balance
I`ve been ridding for well over 40 years so I`ve had plenty bikes and wheels to play with

Barrie

wouldn't it be easier to put a few extra valve stem nuts on the valve stem? or does the lead end up nowhere near the valve?

in which case this contradicts the assumption that it is the valve that is unbalancing the wheel.

and you should be lining up the tyre logo with the valve instead or trying to mark it. i'm sure it's a 'rule'.

also, now i think about it, the tyre logo paint must unbalance the tyre, so if you are not following tyre mounting rules and putting them anywhichway, then that could be the reason your wheels are not balanced. :-)

i recently put spare magnets opposite the tyre valve on my road bikes, didn't make any difference that i could discern.

Grill

pride4ever wrote:

QFT.

desweller

Nope, never balanced them. Not been a problem so far.

nweststeyn

My wheels have a slightly heavier non-bladed spoke amongst the bladed ones to balance the wheel. However, I doubt it makes any significant difference

Mind you, I used to care a lot about stuff like that. I then decided to just ride my bike.

LegendLust

nweststeyn wrote:

My wheels have a slightly heavier non-bladed spoke amongst the bladed ones to balance the wheel. However, I doubt it makes any significant difference

Mind you, I used to care a lot about stuff like that. I then decided to just ride my bike.

There was a bloke who was around in the 60s and 70s who obsessed about every little detail on his bike. Mind you he also used to ride it a lot as well. And won a lot.

First name was Eddy.

There's nowt wrong with obsessing with bike details - after all, that's where the Devil is

de_sisti

Should this thread be in the Workshop section?

pride4ever

oldwelshman

barrie h wrote:

nweststeyn wrote:

Barrie could you explain to me how you balance your wheels? I'm curious.

I use thin lead flashing , find the right weight by trial and error, paint the same colour as your rim and fix to the rim between the spokes away from the brake area with car mirror fixing tabs, It adds a few grams but seeing my bike is just over 6.1 kg its not much to add, If you have a puncture mark the tyre in line with the valve so it goes on the same place but most tyres are pretty even its the wheels that are out of balance
I`ve been ridding for well over 40 years so I`ve had plenty bikes and wheels to play with

Barrie

What bike is it? thats well below the legal limit so its good you add weights becuase if you do a UCI ratified event they would make you add more

barrie h

Its Cannondale Black EVO, I`ve no intention to race I just enjoy riding a responsive bike

Barrie

themekon

my first Zip 404 wheels def' needed balancing which was done in exactly the same way I balanced my motorbike wheels.

barrie h

Some scoff but to see a bike bouncing from hanging straps with a wheel spinning must take some energy, so for a very small outlay you might not feel it but the energy is used
Think how much people pay for ceramic bearings for less friction you cant feel them you will go farther for the same power used , small gains but together it adds up

Barrie