Why do my wheels spin far???

[Daave77]

Hi Folks,

Newbie here so apologies if answer is blindingly obvious.
Just bought a 2012 Specialized Tarmac Expert SL3 with the Fulcrum Racing 4 wheels. Its rides really nice but when i pick up the rear wheel and spin it backwards I was expecting it to spin and spin for ages, but for some reason it doesn't spin much more than my mtb wheel with off road tyres!
The brake pads aren't touching and I'm realiably informed the bike hasn't had much use in the last 12 months so I'm a bit stumped! The wheels are true and there are no unusual noises so...why? Do wheel bearing wear out REALLY quickly?
ANY help or ideas would be greatfully received!

Kind Regards,


Pete
(daave77)

 

[raindog]

It's just the drag of the transmission. If you took the chain off it should spin like the front wheel.

 

[Herzog]

Try spinning it forwards (i.e., towards front of the bike).

 

[Daave77]

Hi guys, yeah I am spinning it towards the front of the bike so the transmission isn't affecting it.

 

[Herzog]

My guess would be a strip and re-grease of the bearings is in order. No strange grinding noise you say?

 

[ColinJ]

My guess would be a strip and re-grease of the bearings is in order. No strange grinding noise you say?

Implying taking the hubs to bits and reassembling them, which should fix any adjustment issues. I have Mavic Aksiums on my Basso and found that it wasn't lack of grease, but overtightening that had caused excess friction in them. Surprisingly, the hubs had escaped without any damage and now spin very freely.

 

[spacecat]

If your wheel had the same rotating mass as your mtb wheel it would spin for longer. Is there any play in the wheel when you wiggle it at the rim? Take the wheel off and turn the axle by hand. Does it feel smooth and really easy to turn? I think these are cartridge bearings, so it may just be that they need to bed in and loosen up a bit, especially if the bike hasn't really seen much use.

 

[Daave77]

So is it worth loosening the real wheel! I didn't think that would make a difference - opps!
Will have a go when I get home later.

 

[Daave77]

My guess would be a strip and re-grease of the bearings is in order. No strange grinding noise you say?

No strange noises Herzog - sounds fine

 

[accountantpete]

Is it a new bike?

A quick look at the tech docs shows the 4 has sealed bearings.

Either they have overpacked them with grease or they have worn out.

Take the wheel off and turn the axle by hand - if it feels smooth but a little stiff then it is probably just overpacked.

 

[spacecat]

So is it worth loosening the real wheel! I didn't think that would make a difference - opps!
Will have a go when I get home later.

I may be mistaken, am sure others will confirm, but I'm not sure there is a lot you can do to adjust these bearings. I certainly wouldn't loosen the wheel!

You can add grease to the bearings by flipping off the rubber seal on the bearing.

 

[spacecat]

Is it a new bike?

A quick look at the tech docs shows the 4 has sealed bearings.

Either they have overpacked them with grease or they have worn out.

Take the wheel off and turn the axle by hand - if it feels smooth but a little stiff then it is probably just overpacked.

Sounds to me like the wheel may just need a few miles put on it

 

[Rob3rt]

Hi guys, yeah I am spinning it towards the front of the bike so the transmission isn't affecting it.

But the freehub has a notable drag effect. Take the wheel off, hold the outer most bits of the hub and spin it and it will spin for ages, then spin it holding the freehub body and see how long it spins, nowhere near as long!

 

[Daave77]

But the freehub has a notable drag effect. Take the wheel off, hold the outer most bits of the hub and spin it and it will spin for ages, then spin it holding the freehub body and see how long it spins, nowhere near as long!

I know what you're saying but I'm directly comparing it to other wheels on friends bikes that spin 4-5 times as long with the same amount of effort.
I'm hoping it just needs a few miles on it as described!

 

[snailracer]

If the wheel is being spun "backwards" then presumably the cranks are also moving, which adds the friction of the bottom bracket bearings into the equation.
Anyway, fancy road wheels/tyres usually have sealed bearings and low rotating mass (as spacecat has already mentioned), which tends to make them perform poorly in the spindown test, but this has no bearing on how well they perform under normal operating conditions.