Road bike wobbling

[philinmerthyr]

I have a Specialized Roubaix road bike. It is 18 months old. Recently I can feel it wobbling even at low speed (10 mph). If I sit up and take my hands off the bars it gets quite bad.

I've put it into 2 bike shops to get it checked and they have replaced the headset bearings and tightened it, trued the front and back wheels and now say there shouldn't be anything wrong. When I rode yesterday the wobble was still there.

When I spin the front wheel it seems ok. The back wheel seems to spin unevenly. It is true but something is wrong. Could it be somehow out of balance like a car wheel while being true? There is a magnet on one spoke for my Garmin but that hasn't been a problem in the past.

Help!!!!

 

[young Ed]

have you checked both front and rear hub bearings are good? hold front wheel in the air and grab the rim and try to wiggle it side to side ie: towards each forks blade now try exactly the same with the rear wheel
if there is any wobble and wiggle room here then get a good LBS (not halfords!) to rebuild the affected hub/s if you aren't confident to do so yourself
Cheers Ed

 

[Kies]

Investigate the rear wheel further. Can you beg borrow or steel a rear wheel from somewhere? Process of elimination is your best bet.

 

[young Ed]

just another very simple thing that might have been over looked, white are the tyres like? is the tyre bead seated correctly an is the tyre damaged anywhere? tread or sidewall?
Cheers ed

 

[sidevalve]

All the above [certainly re-check that rear wheel] PLUS check the steering head bearings. If too tight or slack they can cause you to wobble too.

 

[young Ed]

All the above [certainly re-check that rear wheel] PLUS check the steering head bearings. If too tight or slack they can cause you to wobble too.

both LBS's did headset bearings so lets hope they are good!
Cheers Ed

 

[the_mikey]

Check for a pinched inner tube or tyre not sitting correctly on the rim.

 

[sidevalve]

both LBS's did headset bearings so lets hope they are good!
Cheers Ed

Are those the same two LBS that keep telling you there's nothing wrong ? Sorry but either
1 - You really need to cut down on the booze before riding or
2 - yes there IS something wrong. Bikes do not wobble.

 

[Cold]

My MTB was doing sort of the same and it was because the nut next to the cassette (don't know what it's called) was loose once I tightened that it stopped the wobbling of the wheel.

 

[young Ed]

My MTB was doing sort of the same and it was because the nut next to the cassette (don't know what it's called) was loose once I tightened that it stopped the wobbling of the wheel.

wow! your axle nuts really shouldn't be loose, even the slightest bit
you could of had your wheel fall out going down a hill at 40mph out of the saddle and that would have been the end of you!
Cheers Ed

 

[young Ed]

I think he meant lock-nut.

ah whoops! sorry
Cheers Ed

 

[zacklaws]

As mentioned earlier, process of elimination and try a new back wheel if you can if you suspect the back wheel.

If you cannot get a back wheel, remove the tyre and spin the wheel, if it spins untrue, its the wheel itself, so delve further into it, if it spins true, its a problem with the tyre, so refit it it and try again.

Its odd though the LBs cannot find anything mechanical though?

I once had a good wobble from my back wheel on a ride, it turned out to be the beading on the tyre ripping away and making a kink in the tyre. To get home safe I had to lower my tyre pressure as low as I dare to prevent it coming off the rim or tearing more

 

[philinmerthyr]

Having closely checked the rear wheel, the problem was a crack in the rim.

I have a new wheel being built. I pick it up tomorrow so the problem should be solved.

 

[Globalti]

Ask those bike shops to give you the old steerer bearings back as they are expensive and hard to find and if there's nowt wrong with them, keep them.