Odd dragging feeling

[maxfox44]

Just had a sneaky look. There no sign of anything. But the front wheel vibrates through the forks when spun off the ground.

 

[raleighnut]

Is the back brake not releasing cleanly, sometimes a ridge in the brake block can cause one of them to bind for a time. (and it is hard to see when moving)

 

[maxfox44]

@raleighnut Ah, that's a thought. The block on one side has worn down quite quickly and as this is the most cycling I've ever done, it thought it must be normal.

 

[zacklaws]

Some things are not obvious when you are not actually riding, hence my questions about mudguards and wheels. I have had my bike in a stand and all was well, but as soon as my weight was on the bike, the problems manifested themselves. (Wheels/forks flexing enough for tyres to rub on frame/forks/mudguards.)

And I recall a time once Colin when you found it hard going whilst I was riding with you on one of your "hilly rides" for you to discover your mudguard was full of mud rubbing on the tyre slowing you down.

As you say, somethings are not obvious straight away and the simplest thing can be overlooked.

Regarding brakes, have you checked that they are not adjusted with such a minimal clearance that the rims are touching the pads when the wheel flexes under pressure. That sometimes happens to me.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Thanks again for the replies above. The crank is fine with and without the chain. The wheels are a bit dodgy, but don't catch or rub anywhere.
I think I need to remove the rear hub and re-grease almost to satisfy myself. Trouble is, I don't have any specialist tools. Only the useful DIY toolbox stuff.

If the hubs are spinning freely, don't bother looking for the problem inside. They may well need a service but they are not contributing to the problem you are experiencing. It may be psychosomatic. My bike feels draggy every Monday.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

@raleighnut Ah, that's a thought. The block on one side has worn down quite quickly and as this is the most cycling I've ever done, it thought it must be normal.

This is easier viewed with the bike upside down in good light.

 

[sight-pin]

Just had a sneaky look. There no sign of anything. But the front wheel vibrates through the forks when spun off the ground.

Could that be a sign that the bearings need some attention, maybe they're not so good under load? (i don't have much exp with this though)

 

[wisdom]

Stick a picture on of the brake set up and if possible the worn and not worn blocks.There could be a problem that is intermittent

 

[ColinJ]

And I recall a time once Colin when you found it hard going whilst I was riding with you on one of your "hilly rides" for you to discover your mudguard was full of mud rubbing on the tyre slowing you down.

It was amazing how much difference that made! The long gentle downhill into Todmorden is normally easy to do at 25-30 mph but I was struggling to even get close to 20.

I once did a 200 km audax ride with a back brake rubbing and it nearly finished me off. I asked a rider behind if the back brake was dragging and he said no. 10 hours later I discovered that it was! (He had been riding slightly to the right of me so he couldn't see that there was no clearance for the left hand brake block ...

 

[maxfox44]

Did some tests on the way home. It definitely occurs when you put maximum power down. It feels a bit like someone changed up a gear and didn't tell you.

 

[Crackle]

Is your wheel properly in the rear dropout and how's your spoke tension, no broken ones?

 

[ayceejay]

Having experienced a similar thing recently I think Colin may be on the money the problem is wheel flexing that can't be detected off the bike but as soon as you start to pedal there it is. If your brakes have a release lever try riding with that up or loosen them a long way from the wheel, if this removes the soung there ya go.

 

[maxfox44]

Wheel is seated and I've released the brake up. See what tomorrow brings.

Thanks for your help guys, really appreciate it. Of course the overall solution might be to press checkout on my Ribble basket!

 

[maxfox44]

Quick update. Done another 40 miles since the last post. I'm fairly confident that the problem is the rear wheel. Under stress, the tyre was rubbing on the top of the brake block. There is a sort of wear stripe on one side.

Thanks chaps.

 

[ColinJ]

That could have led to a rather nasty tyre failure!

I'm glad that you have tracked it down. Maybe your brake blocks are a bit too far up the rim so when you apply the brakes, the block catches the tyre? Sometimes brakes get knocked to one side so one block drags even when you release the brake lever.