Stiff Wheel

[Banjo]

Hello People. I had the back wheel off my hybrid Appollo CX10S (nuts not Q.R.) and noticed it wasnt spinning freely on the axle.

I slackened the nuts slightly and now it spins OK.Is there a set procedure for how tight the nuts should be or is just slack enough to let it spin OK?

Wheel is still off waiting for new tyres in the post today hopefully,fingers crossed as Im getting withdrawal symptoms only partly relieved by the odd spin on the wifes shopping bike.

 

[Mr Pig]

When you tighten up the nuts you compress the spindle slightly. The bearings in the hub have to be set so that they are correct once this extra compression is applied.

If the bearings have been set so that they are correct when the wheel is off the bike, they will then be too tight once you bolt them up. You may need to back off the hub bearing slightly.

 

[jimboalee]

Make sure the drive side cone and locknut are 'Rock solid'.

Leave some looseness in the non drive side cone and locknut.

Put the wheel in the dropouts and tighten up the drive side track nut.

Check the cone play by waggling the rim.

Tighten up the non drive side cone and its lock nut with a cone spanner until the hub stops waggling in the free play. Check how the wheel spins.

Tighten up the non drive side track nut a little. Check how the wheel spins between 1/6 turns of the spanner.

Play with the cone, lock nut and track nut until you have a good feel to how much the spindle is compressed by the tight track nut.

When you're happy, take the wheel out and pinch the non drive side lock nut up to the cone, trying not to move the cone.

Put the wheel back in and tighten the track not as usual.

Repeat if you are not happy.


It's sometimes possible to pinch the cone back to the locknut with the wheel in the dropouts between 1/6 turns of the track nut.

 

[Banjo]

Thanks for the advice guys. Now sorted.