Rear wheel wobble/squirming (mystery!)

charliesymcox
charliesymcox Posts: 10
edited March 2014 in Workshop
Hi all - this is my first post!

I have an issue with my bike and the movement of my rear wheel. Since before Christmas I have seen a gradual deterioration in a few aspects of the rear wheel. Under half to 3/4 of my pedal power the wheel feels squirmy and slippery as if the tyre is losing grip - fell off a few times! I thought this was due to the wet weather and occasionally riding on ice patches, but I went out today on Tarmac, warm roads and with a brand new continental gatorskin tyre and the same happened! The new tyre was my last option - I don't know of anything else to do? The bike feels so unstable at the rear.

So far I have checked the QR scewer, checked the rear wheel bearing for excessive play (magic aksium), trued the wheel (but without a tensionmeter).

The last things on my list are: Is the frame fatigued (2006 Specialized Allez). Or is the overall tension of the rear spokes lacking and therefore move/bend when I'm riding?

Lots of questions, no answers! Please pass in your experiences!!!

Charlie

Comments

  • dgunthor
    dgunthor Posts: 644
    any cracks on the frame inside the chainstays?
  • freezing77
    freezing77 Posts: 731
    dgunthor wrote:
    any cracks on the frame inside the chainstays?

    Sounds a bit like a frame problem to me as well.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    checked the rear wheel bearing for excessive play (magic aksium)

    I think you'll find your problems lie in the fact that you're a Muggle :wink:
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,355
    take the wheel off

    grab one side of the rear triangles in each hand, as near to the dropouts as you can get, shove/twist/push/pull to see if there's any give in one or both sides of the frame

    have a close look at the dropouts themselves, any sign of cracking there?
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    Dgunthor, Freezing77 - Ok, I have thoroughly inspected the frame and there seems to be no crack. I have google'd aluminium frames crack and found some quite obvious cracks, I did look for these but also for some very subtle ones....nothing to report on my frame.

    Sungod - thank you I have played around with the rear triangles, both of which have the same amount of flex and neither show up any cracks with movement.

    Please anyone else have any ideas...I'm hating riding my bike, I have absolutely no confidence in it any more - I look like a beginner when i go round corners now I that scared of it!
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    Anyone you know who will lend you a bike or some wheels? You can swap wheels easily (assuming the right make of groupo and gear numbers). Then a quick spin on the three combinations (start with mate's bike/mate's wheels, then mate's bike/your wheels and finally your bike/mate's wheels) would rule out one of the two main variables that are under suspicion.

    If you can't get a bike then just spare wheels will do, as in if you swap wheels on your bike and the problem remains it has to be the frame.

    If it turns out to be the frame then no big deal, you have had your money's worth. Buy a new Allez frame off fleabay for about £150, swap all the components and job's a good un. Wheels are a £70 fix by buying R500's.

    If you cannot get a test bike/wheels, just buy some R500's and see if the problem goes away. Spare wheels are always useful (winter/turbo, etc.) or you could eaisly sell and recoup the layout.
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    Bobbinogs - Cheers I'll try my spare wheels, see what happens...
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    Problem I had with wobbly rear was that the rear drop out, that was screwed to the frame, had become loose. Possibility??
    Easily sorted with hex tool.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    freehub jammed and skipping the pawls?
    left the forum March 2023
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    How about a broken axle? Easily missed when the QR is done up.
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    freehub jammed and skipping the pawls?

    Do you mean the rear cassette freehub? What is the pawls?

    Ok I'll double check the rear drop outs. Nothing found elsewhere yet.
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    The problem is your description is too vague... you either identify the problem and explain it better or I suggest you take the bike to a shop and bite the bullet
    left the forum March 2023
  • me-109
    me-109 Posts: 1,915
    If it's not the frame then I reckon the drive side (if not both sides) spokes have lost tension.
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    The problem is your description is too vague... you either identify the problem and explain it better or I suggest you take the bike to a shop and bite the bullet

    That's the whole point of it being a mystery to me! If the problem was specific then I would have solved it with an obvious solution.

    Yes you're right, I might need to take it to a bike shop.
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    Me-109 wrote:
    If it's not the frame then I reckon the drive side (if not both sides) spokes have lost tension.

    Having found no cracks and trued my wheels without a tensionmeter I think this is a likely cause. My issues only really arrive below max power. Maybe when I'm flat out everything pulls tight?
  • dgunthor
    dgunthor Posts: 644
    as above - take the wheel out and spin the axle - ensure it's not snapped in the middle - does happen
    (obviously it's snapped if only one side spins)
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    dgunthor wrote:
    as above - take the wheel out and spin the axle - ensure it's not snapped in the middle - does happen
    (obviously it's snapped if only one side spins)

    This is all great stuff thanks guys...I'll give it a go!
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    The spokes on an Aksium wheel are not overlapped and rely on high tension, what it means is if you have no tension you might experience significant side to side wobble as you pedal.
    If you have trued it by reducing the tension, then it's a possibility
    left the forum March 2023
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    ugo.santalucia wrote:
    The spokes on an Aksium wheel are not overlapped and rely on high tension, what it means is if you have no tension you might experience significant side to side wobble as you pedal.
    If you have trued it by reducing the tension, then it's a possibility

    I made sure my adjustments were all to add tension but still might not be enough
  • charliesymcox
    charliesymcox Posts: 10
    Ok axle not snapped and rear dropouts are fine - think I'll take my wheel to bike shop and get the wheels tensioned!
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    charliesymcox wrote:
    Ok axle not snapped and rear dropouts are fine - think I'll take my wheel to bike shop and get the wheels tensioned!

    why not take the whole bike seeing as you are going?
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    charliesymcox wrote:
    Ok axle not snapped and rear dropouts are fine - think I'll take my wheel to bike shop and get the wheels tensioned!

    Have you tried riding with your spare wheelset yet to see if the wobble goes away? If not, I don't understand why you wouldn't do that before trotting off to get a problem fixed that might not be the problem.

Categories