Hello guys , I recently posted here about a disc wheel that appeared to be dished incorrectly.
After sending it to the manufacturer they said this :
“””Thank you for your patience while we looked into the apparent issue with your Black Inc. ZERO wheel. I’m happy to share that the wheel does not have a manufacturing defect. While it’s true that the wheel appears offset to the non-drive side, the ZERO is specifically designed to center itself once a tire is installed.
This behavior may seem unusual, but the ZERO has been engineered this way because carbon disc wheels often deflect slightly once a tire is mounted. We’ve taken advantage of this characteristic to ensure the wheel aligns precisely where we want it when inflated to normal tire pressure.
Attached are photos of the wheel with and without a tire, mounted in a frame. As you can see, without a tire, the wheel does appear offset to the non-drive side (as you originally noted). However, once the tire is installed and inflated, the wheel centers perfectly. We’ve tested it on multiple frames and confirmed that it aligns correctly in all cases.
Given this, we don’t believe there’s a manufacturing issue with the wheel, so we’re unable to offer a warranty replacement. Additionally, since the wheel was purchased last summer, it falls outside our return policy window.
That said, we’re happy to send the wheel back to you so you can test it again with this new information. Alternatively, since you’re the original owner, we can offer our No Fault/Crash Replacement pricing (50% off MSRP) toward either our 48|58 or SIXTY TWO wheelsets. Please note that as part of this program, we must retain the original wheel before issuing the replacement.
Let us know which option you’d like to proceed with, and we’ll take care of the rest.”””
It’s just so strange to me that this wouldn’t be mentioned anywhere especially with black inc being part of factor, a reputable brand, and I can’t find any information on this type of engineering for wheels for other brands. Does anyone have any experience or opinions on this ?
Thank you
by Senior_Biscotti3496
6 Comments
I can’t speak for disc wheels in particular, but it’s quite common for tubeless wheels with traditional spokes to shift noticeably in dish when a tire is installed and inflated. How much they shift depends on the specific rim and tire combination. A sometimes significant drop in spoke tension is also common.
There are wheel builders who take this into account when dishing tubeless wheels, but it’s generally not enough movement to cause issues if the wheel is just centered when built.
So, as a wheel builder, I’d say there is no reason to doubt Factor / Black Inc’s explanation. I’d check it myself to be sure, but the explanation makes sense to me. And Factor is generally known for high quality engineering.
I’m an engineer, not a bicycle or mechanical engineer, but I do have a pretty good understanding of the general mechanics of things. I can’t begin to understand how this would work.
Edit to add: wanted to make this clear, I’m not saying it doesn’t happen, I’m saying I don’t understand it. Physics is wild.
In my humble opinion it does make sense. I had an issue with a regular wheel set with spokes becoming de-tensioned very quickly, it turned out my pump gauge was broken and I was putting in way too much air which de-tensioned the spokes significantly. Since the drive wheels are asymmetrical due to the drivetrain I can see that a manufacturer would use this effect.
Thank you guys ! The amount of knowledge in this forum never ceases to amaze me
I have no thoughts on their explanation, but if you don’t have rim brakes, does a couple mm offset even matter?
Yes this is normal. I’m a hobby builder, and not a professional, but this is pretty well known to wheel builders. Most builders will leave the dish “off” slightly to the non drive side to allow for the effect that mounting and seating a tire has on spoke tension. This is true of nearly all asymmetric (not single speed) spoked rear wheels, not just aero disc wheels.