BIke problems.

GWashington1732

GWashington1732

Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
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I've got a problem with my bike that I'm wondering if I can fix myself. The rear wheel wobbles on the axle. I was thought I had somehow bent it but when I got off I noticed it's actually loose on the axle. It moves side to side very badly, it didn't do this yesterday or on the way to class today, it just suddenly started :confused:. Is there any way to make it not broken?
 
Take the wheel off of the bike and determine if the axle is still one piece or not. It is possible that the axle shaft itself has fatigued and broken in half. This happens to me every 3-5 years. If this has happened then you will need a new axle shaft. If you have the right tools it isn't hard to put on.

I suppose there are other things that could have happened but I haven't seen them before.
 
Seems like it could be the bearings are destroyed if the wheel has a lot of play. Could possibly just need adjustment if it's not too bad. Thin (2-3mm) wrenches called "cone wrenches" are used to work on most hubs. With the wheel removed from the bike, it may be possible to tighten it by hand enough to keep rolling until done properly. With bearing adjustment, there's a fine line between too tight/too loose. Without much experience with hubs it'd be best to have shop look at it. Google/utube should provide some good info as well though if it's something you want to get into yourself.
 
Loose bearings. Sounds like a less expensive bike with cup/cone loose ball bearings. There will be a cone shaped nut on the axle that sits just against the hub. See if you can tighten it by hand. Things like this don't normally catastophically fail, they wear out over time. If the cone on the non-drive side (left) is tight against the hub then the cassette will possibly need to be removed to tighten the drive side. A little more info would help,what brand hub/wheel, quick release or bolt on, how many speeds, all this will determine what tool will be needed, what procedures to use an such.

Good luck!


-Xander
 
Most likely, if you've never adjusted or had the bearings repacked, that's it.
If you've never done this, take it to a good bike shop and have them do it.
Check for play occasionally afterwards.
Then buy the appropriately sized cone wrenches and adjust when necessary.
Lenny
 
Sounds like kuuto and fast14 have it right. I've got a Schwinn fast14 and I get wobble sometimes. Its not just cheap bikes that wear out. Granted I have close to 900 miles on the stock wheels (and half a dozen bearing replacements) but thats beside the point :)

Here is a video of basically what you should do. Just two open end wrenches (I think 17 mm...depending on make and model) and some tightening. Dont over tighten or else your tire wont spin freely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_2FoUpOAM
 
Lt.Col.Vortex said:
Sounds like kuuto and fast14 have it right. I've got a Schwinn fast14 and I get wobble sometimes. Its not just cheap bikes that wear out. Granted I have close to 900 miles on the stock wheels (and half a dozen bearing replacements) but thats beside the point :)

Here is a video of basically what you should do. Just two open end wrenches (I think 17 mm...depending on make and model) and some tightening. Dont over tighten or else your tire wont spin freely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9_2FoUpOAM
Click to expand...

Loose ball bearing systems typically reside at each end of the spectrum; inexpensive and boutique high end hubs. I still ride loose ball bearings in many of my hubs, but I tune them and maintain them regularly. 900 miles is extremely low to be seeing wear and tear on bearings, I used to ride 3x that many miles in a month (when I was comfortably unemployed and before children!) and still would only have to adjust them every couple of months. But I adjusted them myself to the exact specs I prefered.

Hopfully now that the OP has had their hub tuned it will stay in adjustment for a long time. For basic maintenance reading I highly suggest the books by Leonard Zinn. Easy to understand, thorough, and good reference material.


-Xander
 
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