This stupid rear wheel again

GWashington1732

GWashington1732

Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
13,240
A couple of months ago I took my bike to get the rear wheel fixed, it was wobbly. I didn't ride for a while until two days ago, it made it about 6 miles and it started up again. Wobbly to the point where it was causing the derailleur to malfunction. :grumpy:

I have no idea what's wrong with it. It moves back and fourth on the axle, last time this happened the bearings were loose.
It looks like this.

View attachment 321084
View attachment 321083

Any suggestions on how to fix it myself? It's been to three bike shops and I'm tired of spending $40-$80 every time something goes wrong.

This wheel has been a major pain since I got the bike, a little over a year and a half ago. The axle on this wheel has been replaced twice not counting the time I broke it after a crash. The rim has been trued three times, not including the crash. I had to replace three spokes. Plus that crap where the bearings came loose, twice. I'm pretty well finished with it. I don't even like riding anymore, because every time I do the wheel breaks and I'm out a whole load of money.

I'm planning on just replacing the whole damn wheel, but I don't want to get the same brand, because they obviously suck, that means I can't go to the place where I bought it because he only sells this one brand. So how do I go about buying a decent rim? I obviously need to get the right size. But what else should I be looking for?
 
It sounds to me like somebody isn't adjusting the preload on the bearing correctly to start with!There really isn't any other way for the bearing to get "play" in it.
 
I suggest that instead of spending from 40-80 bucks per obviously-not-working repair session, you buy a new wheel. Nashbar shows an entry-level mountain wheelset (both wheels) for about 100 bucks.... If you check Craigslist or whatever you should be able to find a good used wheel for very little, as riders often are compelled to upgrade and then sell off the original equipment items.

That being said, this should be an easy fix. I've re-built hundreds of rear wheels; it's not rocket science though getting the bearing adjustment right can take some fiddling. Once assembled properly and put into the frame and the quick-release tensioned... There should be very little to get loose..... Perhaps a spacer is missing? That might allow the lock nuts to loosen, as normally they are secured against movement by the rear dropouts.
 
mwerner said:
I suggest that instead of spending from 40-80 bucks per obviously-not-working repair session, you buy a new wheel. Nashbar shows an entry-level mountain wheelset (both wheels) for about 100 bucks.... If you check Craigslist or whatever you should be able to find a good used wheel for very little, as riders often are compelled to upgrade and then sell off the original equipment items.

That being said, this should be an easy fix. I've re-built hundreds of rear wheels; it's not rocket science though getting the bearing adjustment right can take some fiddling. Once assembled properly and put into the frame and the quick-release tensioned... There should be very little to get loose..... Perhaps a spacer is missing? That might allow the lock nuts to loosen, as normally they are secured against movement by the rear dropouts.
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking. Good luck.
 
I need a decent rim that I can get for not much more than $100, preferably less. What are good brands that I should be looking at? The only thing I want is something that won't need constant major repairs after a few months of use.
 
I may have fixed the problem, at least temporarily. The axle looks like it has a slight bend in it, as a result when you tighten it down to the point where it doesn't move, the wheel feels too tight. I put it on the bike this way and it still moves with no wobbling. I don't know if I'm comfortable riding it though. I don't want to damage the frame.
 
Shouldn't the bike shop be responsible for fixing it again, or did you wait to long??.
 
If it's just the axel that's bent it's an easy and cheap fix.
You can buy a replacement axel, borrow some cone wrenches and bearing grease from a friend, and tackle the job yourself.
However, it sounds like you haven't had any maintenance done to it for quite some time.
If so, I'm sure all the grease is gone, which means scoring on the cups and cones of the bearings.
Might be quite a bit of rust in there too if you ever ride thru water.
In that case, it's better to buy a completely new wheel.
Just go to the big online bike shops (Performance, Nashbar, CBO, Jensen etc) and look for good deals on wheels.
Mavic, Bontrager, Swiss DT, Shimano, WTB are all good brands.
Here's a nice simple Shimano wheel. Shimiano Hubs are built like the proverbial brick s#*t house.
http://www.cambriabike.com/shopexd.asp?id=164405
This is a disc wheel though.
If you have rim brakes, though, you need a wheel with the proper sidewall for rim brake pads.
Good luck,
Lenny
 
Oh, sorry.
I didn't mean to insinuate anything.
Take it to a different bike shop.
Taking the bike to the same shop that many times without them fixing it tells me that
the mechanics just don't know what they're doing (or just don't care).
Lenny
 
Lenny said:
Oh, sorry.
I didn't mean to insinuate anything.
Take it to a different bike shop.
Taking the bike to the same shop that many times without them fixing it tells me that
the mechanics just don't know what they're doing (or just don't care).
Lenny
Click to expand...

Yeah, I stopped taking it to the one guy when I caught him spraying the chain with WD-40. I think he uses cheap parts too, which would explain why I've had to replace the axle more than a couple of times. I'll probably give the new guys another chance since I had to take the wheel completely apart to find the problem and they did a good job with everything else.
 
It wasn't the axle. Guy at the new shop replaced it, he tightened everything up on it again today, fixed the derailleur issues I was having, everything looked good. I took it for a ride around the block, by the time I got back it was wobbling worse than it was before. :(
 
GWashington1732 said:
It wasn't the axle. Guy at the new shop replaced it, he tightened everything up on it again today, fixed the derailleur issues I was having, everything looked good. I took it for a ride around the block, by the time I got back it was wobbling worse than it was before. :(
Click to expand...
Dang. Yeah, bikes are strange animals. I started out on a Wal-Mart mountain bike, but knowing what I do now, I don't think I would even trust the brakes on the residential road in front of my house.

From what I figure, there are about 4 stages of bikes

First, the cheap ones that a lot of people say or think that they can just fix up. The problem with these is that you will have a bad experience with them. I view them like a ring from a 25 cent candy machine- they are rings, but they are made from heavy pot-metal. try to stay away from these if you can.

Second, you have the value bike from a dealer. These are somewhat stronger, but you are still delaying big problems (I'm guessing your bike is in this class. I had one too). things like having single-walled rims and a tapered end crank assembly, and possibly no disk brake mounts on the frame if you want to upgrade. I had wobbly rims and the crank arms literally were falling off all the time.

Third are the bikes that start out with a good frame, These bikes are the type where you have done your research and know the names and models of all the components on the bike ( these are the bikes that some people see, and think they can just fix their bike up to be like) I think you would have the best experience at this level, these are user bikes and will hold up, you just have to invest in the better parts to have a better experience.

Forth, ultra light weight

Good luck man, it's a fun hobby, and like any other hobby you gotta' pay to play.
 
Wow, that's getting crazy. Did you take it back to the last guy who fixed it?
There's not much else in the hub to go wrong like that... and only around the block... weird.
How much side-side movement?
Did they replace any bearings?
The freehub... the part the cogs are attached to... also has bearings inside. Some brands use the freehub as support for the axle... maybe it's damaged.

well... sounds like a new wheel might be the way to go. A rim brake style wheel shouldn't be too pricey.
As mentioned... look into wheels with Shimano or WTB hubs... strong, good value, serviceable.
The shop can swap the cogs onto the new wheel.
Selection should be easy enough in terms of size... if it's a mtb, should be 26" rim, 135mm wide hub.
 
At this point, I would check the bearing races in the hub, if you were interested in keeping the wheel. But I agree that a new wheel would be the best option. One thing that comes to mind is either too small of bearings are installed which when the cone is tightened will not have play, but as you ride they will move in the cup and decrease tension on the cone/locknut allowing it to loosen up. If the cup (integral to the hub) is worn or deformed there may not be much you can do to save the wheel.

Also, are you of a larger stature, over 250 pounds? Often times lower cost wheels just can't take the forces from extra weight (whether from a larger rider or a fully loaded bike with panniers). I had one customer that was having continual issues with broken spokes, bearings, truings and bent axels, but he was 430 pounds on a walmart bike. We eventually got him set up with Shimano XT hub to a Sun Ringlé double wide rim and 36 spokes.

If you want to learn a bit about bike repair, a book I recommended in your original thread, "Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance" by Leonard Zinn is a very good one or go to Park Tools website, they have an excellent repair section with videos and what tools you need.


-Xander
 
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