Wobbly wheels on my fixed gear, this normal?
Wobbly wheels on my fixed gear, this normal?
byu/True_Advisor_5396 inbikewrench
by True_Advisor_5396
Wobbly wheels on my fixed gear, this normal?
Wobbly wheels on my fixed gear, this normal?
byu/True_Advisor_5396 inbikewrench
by True_Advisor_5396
17 Comments
No it is not
It’s not supposed to be like that. Go to a bike shop they can probably true the wheels (make them straight)
It needs a bike mechanic able to true it
Hard to say for sure but the beginning of your video seems to show that the rim is straighter than the tire. With that diagnostic information I would say that your tire is not mounted correctly. To double check this you can compare the rim against the fork leg to see if the metal part of your wheel wobbles too.
You hit something pretty hard and it’s pushed the wheel out of true, a lot. Considering this is a road wheel, it might be a candidate for replacing it rather than straightening it.
Normal if your wheel is slightly buckled which is pretty normal with the state of UK roads, ime.
This is a perfect opportunity to learn how to true a wheel. There are quite a few step by step instructions in this sub. If you want a great ebook on the topic download Musson’s wheelbuilding book. It will teach you everything you need to know and more. I went from not knowing how to true wheels to building my own. And now my standards are way higher than you might think – with the added benefit that properly built and trued wheels stay that way for a very long time.
Since everyone’s addressed what to do here, I’ll be pedantic to answer whether it’s normal, and in a word? Nah.
In a little more detail, it’s not normal for any bike wheel to come out of true, but depending how you ride it, a fixed gear rear wheel will see some significant forces, so the question is less “do rear wheels do this when you’re fixed” and more “is this wheel built strong enough for the way I’m riding?”
If it’s a featherlight rim without a lot of spokes and you’re bump stopping at every corner, your spoke tension might be tested a little. Could be your spoke nipples worked themselves loose a little when a bump detensioned them momentarily. A rear wheel has a hard life, and a fixed gear rear more than most. If nothing in particular happened to cause this, that wheel might just not be built strong enough for the way you’re riding.
They need to be trued, LBS for that
It’s hard to tell if it’s the wheel that’s out of true or if the tire is not seated properly. A video looking at an angle or sideways would let me know if it’s a wheel or tire issue.
I can’t tell if the tire isn’t seated properly or if the wheel is taco’d because you keep moving the camera.
No your wheel needs to be tensioned and trued
Show us the rim of the wheel against something stationary like the seat stay. Seeing just the tire isn’t super helpful.
If someone told you that it is normal, would you believe them?
I guess you have no clue that this is a normal occurrence but that it needs to be fixed by a bike service.
No brakes no worries.
Could use a truing, but not necessarily critical yet, unless you’ve dropped a spoke or two, or if it’s rubbing the frame.
I think you probably have a couple of spokes that need to be adjusted. It is great skill to learn, but takes a bit to learn how to do well. Your wheel will roll try if you do this soon, waiting could cause more rim problems. I concur that the way the tire is seated could also be problematic.