Rear wheel won't spin freely

Burghley
Burghley Posts: 412
edited June 2007 in Workshop
Hi All

A friend approached me about a rear wheel problem, having tried (unsuccessfully) to get three bike shops to take an interest!

Hardtail Saracen mountain bike with cable disc brakes.

Rear wheel hardly spins round when in the bike. However, when the wheel is out it spins freely. When put back in loosely, it also spins freely (so no brake rubbing?), but when the Q/R is tightened up the wheel hardly moves.

My guess is a cracked/broken axle.

Urgent advice please...

Rgds

Pete
www.bikesetup.co.uk
miles more cycling comfort

Comments

  • msb123
    msb123 Posts: 274
    have you had the q/r out and checked that the cones, locknuts etc are properly fitted, tightened etc?
  • AndyGates
    AndyGates Posts: 8,467
    Cracked axle should be obvious: you remove the wheel from the bike and two half-axles fall out in a shower of bearings.

    Sounds like cones/locknuts to me, too. Either they're moving, or they're just being squoosh a little and binding up (in which case loosen them maybe an eighth of a turn; you may then have a tiny bit of play in the wheel when it's out of the bike, but that doesn't matter.

    <font size="1">
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  • monty_dogcp
    monty_dogcp Posts: 382
    Yup - obviously check to make sure the axle hasn't snapped first, but suspect it would feel rough and noisy if it was bust. More likely not enough play in the bearings such that tightening the QR causes them to bind - need to back-off the lock nuts / cones by about quarter turn such that pressure from QR takes up the play.
  • Burghley
    Burghley Posts: 412
    Thanks for all the advice.

    Apparently, it was left for repair in one bike shop, but they said that it was "contaminated" brake pads and they couldn't repair it!

    Dodgy bearings/cones seems the most simple explanation.

    Rgds

    Pete
    www.bikesetup.co.uk
    miles more cycling comfort
  • Burghley
    Burghley Posts: 412
    Thanks for all the advice.

    Apparently, it was left for repair in one bike shop, but they said that it was "contaminated" brake pads and they couldn't repair it!

    Dodgy bearings/cones seems the most simple explanation.

    Rgds

    Pete
    www.bikesetup.co.uk
    miles more cycling comfort
  • cpeachey
    cpeachey Posts: 1,057
    I had this problem on the front wheel. The "lawers lips" were causing the axle to bend or the cones to tighten when the QR was tightened as the QR was not sitting flat.
    Chris