wobbly wheel syndrome...
Discussion
My front wheel is wobbly (around the axel) and I can't figure out how to fix it. It's on a quick release system and I think it's as tight as it can go but it's still a little wobbly. By wobbly I mean it has about 0.5cm of play in it when you push the top of the wheel - I can make it touch either of the front brake pads when it's standing still…
Any ideas what may be wrong?
(Also: The front release lever has 'open' written on one side and 'closed' written on the other. I believe the 'closed' text should be the side facing and parallel to the wheel? Are you supposed to tighten it then put push the level to closed? Or push the lever to closed then tighten it? Yes I know i'm a spaz so please look past that and give me some contructive advise).
Any ideas what may be wrong?
(Also: The front release lever has 'open' written on one side and 'closed' written on the other. I believe the 'closed' text should be the side facing and parallel to the wheel? Are you supposed to tighten it then put push the level to closed? Or push the lever to closed then tighten it? Yes I know i'm a spaz so please look past that and give me some contructive advise).
Most skewers will have a slight curve in them, like this
and sholud look like the do in the picture when closed, the closed text will be facing out.
With the lever in the open position tighten the threaded end until nearly there and then closing the lever will hold it firm.
If there is movement in the wheel when the skewer is tight it will most likely be the hub bearings either very worn or the cones need tightening.
and sholud look like the do in the picture when closed, the closed text will be facing out.
With the lever in the open position tighten the threaded end until nearly there and then closing the lever will hold it firm.
If there is movement in the wheel when the skewer is tight it will most likely be the hub bearings either very worn or the cones need tightening.
Generally you turn the lever end with this "open" until it is a slight struggle to fold the lever open to the "closed" position
Failing that you are doing this correctly it could be your hub is loose, take the wheel out of the forks and try check for any lateral play in the spindle by pushing up and down on the ends of it, spin the wheel too and you may feel some side to side movement in the mechanism.
Failing that you are doing this correctly it could be your hub is loose, take the wheel out of the forks and try check for any lateral play in the spindle by pushing up and down on the ends of it, spin the wheel too and you may feel some side to side movement in the mechanism.
It sounds to me like the bearings are either very worn or knackered if you're sure that the axle itself is rigid. Adjusting the bearing cones is something which you can do yourself with the correct tools but in your case I'd suggest just taking it to a bike shop to fix.
For tightening the quick release skewer keep the lever in the open position. You want to tighten it enough so that all the play is taken up and you start to get resistance when the lever is halfway closed. Ideally you want it to be tight enough to need a good shove to fully close the lever.
If you do attempt to fix the bearings yourself bear in mind that you need to leave them with a small amount of play when the wheel is off the bike. This will get taken up by the QR when you refit the wheel.
For tightening the quick release skewer keep the lever in the open position. You want to tighten it enough so that all the play is taken up and you start to get resistance when the lever is halfway closed. Ideally you want it to be tight enough to need a good shove to fully close the lever.
If you do attempt to fix the bearings yourself bear in mind that you need to leave them with a small amount of play when the wheel is off the bike. This will get taken up by the QR when you refit the wheel.
Trevelyan said:
It sounds to me like the bearings are either very worn or knackered if you're sure that the axle itself is rigid. Adjusting the bearing cones is something which you can do yourself with the correct tools but in your case I'd suggest just taking it to a bike shop to fix.
For tightening the quick release skewer keep the lever in the open position. You want to tighten it enough so that all the play is taken up and you start to get resistance when the lever is halfway closed. Ideally you want it to be tight enough to need a good shove to fully close the lever.
If you do attempt to fix the bearings yourself bear in mind that you need to leave them with a small amount of play when the wheel is off the bike. This will get taken up by the QR when you refit the wheel.
thanks - bike shop it is! now hopefully i can wobble my way home without splitting my melon..For tightening the quick release skewer keep the lever in the open position. You want to tighten it enough so that all the play is taken up and you start to get resistance when the lever is halfway closed. Ideally you want it to be tight enough to need a good shove to fully close the lever.
If you do attempt to fix the bearings yourself bear in mind that you need to leave them with a small amount of play when the wheel is off the bike. This will get taken up by the QR when you refit the wheel.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff