Tires Back tire wobbles a little

[Keepthedrivetommy]

Hi all,
I noticed a little while ago that my back tire does not spin completely straight like it use to. When I am riding my bike, it wobbles a little from left to right, not a huge amount but enough to notice. I feel a little unsafe, but I figured that since the drive chain sprocket is only on one side, when the motor pulls it, it is creating an uneven balance, therefore the tire wobbles. But maybe I am wrong. Is it normal for the tire to wobble a little like that, or am I putting myself in harms way?
If you need clarity of what I mean when I say left to right wobbling, I mean if you are standing behind the bike looking at the back tire, and then the tire starts to spin, the tire will move left to right and wobble. Not the entire tire, but almost like the tire is slightly bent.

????
Tommy

 

[turbo/chaos]

man for safty just get a new one and make sure it is a 3 walled rim for long lasting ride time but it seems like the waqy you are saying it, it is bent on the rim from probly hitting something at 25 mph just hitting a lil rock can bemd the rim at that speed even pop the tire at that but to see if you can still use it take the rim off and look at the hub bearing and see if you have to tighten it and then look at the spokes and see if ther is a bend in any of them if so just trash it or take it to the bike shop and get new spokes and ballnce it it will cost you but it is almost the same price for a rim thats why i say trash it but the choice is yours man later
TURBO CHAOS Z?
Gaijin productions

 

[srdavo]

Hi all,
I noticed a little while ago that my back tire does not spin completely straight like it use to. When I am riding my bike, it wobbles a little from left to right, not a huge amount but enough to notice. I feel a little unsafe, but I figured that since the drive chain sprocket is only on one side, when the motor pulls it, it is creating an uneven balance, therefore the tire wobbles. But maybe I am wrong. Is it normal for the tire to wobble a little like that, or am I putting myself in harms way?
If you need clarity of what I mean when I say left to right wobbling, I mean if you are standing behind the bike looking at the back tire, and then the tire starts to spin, the tire will move left to right and wobble. Not the entire tire, but almost like the tire is slightly bent.

????
Tommy

Hi Tommy,
To begin, let me say....I am NOT a wheel builder or an expert.
I can true a wheel, if it's not too bad. (If not careful, I can also make a wheel bad...this is TRUE)

you mentioned that your tire seems bent. It could be!! If the inner cords have a break in them, your tire will take on a crazy free-form rolling look.

First, Is everything tight inside your axle? any side to side movement when you push on your wheel? If so, this is a good place to start. Our wheel-bearings need re-packed with grease frequently, due to our higher than normal speeds. If you use coaster brakes, that'll need generously greased too.

With your wheel off the ground....go around the wheel, squeezing each "pair" of spokes, above where they cross. Squeezing, simulates tightening. Watch which way your rim moves while squeezing. this also helps you find that pesky broken spoke.

I true most wheels, while still on the bike. I use the brakepads as a reference point.

Mark the area along the rim where it begins to be un-true. I use small pieces of tape. Using my squeeze method, I can tell which spokes need tightening.

you should also loosen the opposite side spokes first, in sorta equal amounts, so not to over-stress the spokes you are tightening.
Start with 1/4 to 1/2 turns and recheck your progress. your turns will get progressively larger as you reach the point furthest out of true, then progressively shorter as you move past.

check your progress often.

Be very careful, as it doesn't take much to make it worse. Been there/Done that!!

Look what I just found...an existing thread on the topic!! great info!!
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=6058



Turbo/Chaos has the best advice...when in doubt, take it to the professional bike shop.

 

[Large Filipino]

Here's a good thread to use for my problem instead of starting a new thread I'm such a good boy!
Yesterday in the rain was a fun day. I rode about 90 miles in the bike path to Downtown Denver from my house in Northglenn. I stopped and turned around at Cherry Creek.
So today I'm riding my bike around the neighborhood and I too noticed my rear end wobbling. I mean it's wobbling so much that my handlebars do a dance. So I check out the spokes and it's finger loose..most of them.
Now I understand the fundamentals of spoke tightening and such so I mount my bike up on my bike rack attatched to my truck (yep. That's my bike stand. It works.) and started tightening up them spokes. In my childhood when I was a little twerp I laced these 20 inch rims and failed miserably so with that phobia I tightened all them spokes finger tight and gave the spokes a half turn starting with a "pair" (where two spokes intersect,that's a pair) then across and back trying to keep things true. Got back on the saddle and it impoved tremendosly with no wobble. So I rechecked them spokes and about 6 of them were so loose as to almost be seperated from the spoke. That's how loose they were. So this time back on the rack and gave each spoke a full turn,around the block,then loose again! Turn and a half,around the block,3 loose. Two turns,around the block,3 loose again! When I say loose I mean finger loose,unscrewing themselves.
I don't want to tighten them up so much that the spokes poke the inner tube or I get a bent rim from it so what do I do?
Should I just keep going with the way I've been doing it?
Is there a faster way of doing this like when your on the side of the road and there's no way to lift your wheel up? Like walk it and squeese the spokes,tightening as you go?
I noticed too when you tighten a spoke,the opposite spoke loosens. If I keep going,my spokes will punture my tube.
HELP!!

 

[Jim H]

At one time, many years ago, I attempted to true a bicycle rim...I leave that to the professionals now so I concur with Turbo/Chaos...

 

[turbo/chaos]

man i lost my rim yesterday i was driving and yeah my back hub
lost the bearings and the nuts grind clean off man a 3mil walk home is not fun
!@#$!@##@#$@#$ as you can see i whant to say something but cant Z?


but am going to be on the road in the next 30 mins with new rim wish me luck
i need it bad

 

[Large Filipino]

Anyone has a link to a solid 26"rim that you can still mount a sprocket? Or even some kind of kit that would do away with spokes?
It just gets loose from regular riding. I got it all figured out now. It's all still tight from about a mile of riding,but as long as you have spokes,tightening is a daily affair. One day I'm gonna be miles from home and that one loose spoke I tighten will have green ooze flowing from it.
I could really visualize it. It's scary.

 

[Alaskavan]

Large,
How about loctite or fingernail polish to keep the spokes from coming loose?

 

[Keepthedrivetommy]

with the sproket on?

Can you still tighten the spokes even when the back sprocket is on? It seems like the two pieces of rubber would hold the spokes still and not allow them to turn. I want to just take the wheel to my bike shop and have them true it.

 

[azbill]

the spokes themselves do NOT turn
the nipple at the rim end does
yes...you can tighten with sprocket attatched