Will I Need To Buy A New Wheel?

[Cletus Van Damme]

I am currently on holiday at Centre Parcs I came on Friday and when I was fitting the bikes onto the roof carriers I noticed loads of play in the rear wheel on my wife's Giant CRS 4.0. We stopped to get some shopping on the way and I bought some cone spanners from Halfrauds as there was one on the retail park. I had a rough idea how to adjust them as I had read up on it before, I have no grease with me so did not want to dismantle the hub. It took me ages to adjust them so there was a little play in them for the quick release. Even after adjusting them properly the wheel ran fairly roughly. Seen as the bike would not be doing many miles I thought it would be ok and I just thought that the wheel was shagged anyway. Checked it again today and it has a bit of play in it again. I guess this maybe is to be expected as it was so rough. It's probably my fault for not checking the wheels, although the bike was bought in 2010 it has done less than 150 dry miles, so I guess I was not expecting this. Then again maybe OEM wheels are just shite as the Alexrim on the rear of my Secteur was constant trouble going out of true all the time from new. I am just wondering if it is worth trying to repair or just junking it as the Mavic Aksium's were money well spent on my Secteur. Obviously not the kind of wheel that I would be buying for this as this has wider rims on it, unless I bought a set.

If it is knackered what is a decent reasonably priced 7 speed rear wheel to buy that has a decent hub and will not go out of true, weight is not really an issue. Thanks for any advice.

 

[HovR]

Sounds like you've bought the bike new, and made the (fair) assumption that many of us make, that the bearings were properly lubed upon purchase! Sadly many bikes come off the production line with very little to no grease on where they really need it. The bearings probably sound rough because of this.

There's a knack to tightening cones and the locking correctly so that they don't loosen up again, which can be quite tricky to master. When you tightened the cones, did you also tighten the lock ring hard against the newly adjusted cone to prevent it from coming undone again? If not, remember that in doing so the cones will often loosen slightly, so they will need to be partially over tightened before tightening the lock ring.

When you get the chance it will be worth dismantling the hubs, cleaning off the bearings and cups/cones, then checking them for cracks or pits on the surface the bearings run against. If these exist in the cones, you can easily replace these at a low price, however if the cups in the hubs are pitted or rough, then you will likely have to replace the whole wheel (or rebuild the old rim around a new hub). If everything is fine, then you can reassemble with new grease and all should be fine, as long as you get the cones and lock ring tightened correctly.

When manufacturers make bikes to a price point, wheels are often the bit that get skimped on and often end up lower quality than the rest of the bike, so that may be the case here.

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Thanks for the reply mate. I thought that I did tighten the locking nut up correctly pretty tight, but it is my first time so maybe messed up a touch. The bike was under £300 so the wheels are probably very poor. I will take them to bits when I get home. Are any other tools worth investing in for doing this job?

 

[HovR]

When servicing the rear hub you'll need to take off the cassette/freewheel at the back to reach one side of the bearings - Whether the bike has a cassette or freewheel will determine what tools you need to remove it.

If you're not sure, you can check out these links to determine which type your bike has:
Freewheel
Cassette

(Edit - You mentioned the bike was 7 speed, so it will more than likely be a freewheel. Still worth checking though)

To remove a freewheel you'll only need a freewheel removal tool. To remove a cassette you'll need a cassette removal tool and a chain whip. It's worth remembering that if you ever get stuck when servicing a particular part of your bike, there are often numerous instructional and "how to" video demonstrations available on YouTube which can be a great help.

Getting cone and lock ring tension correct is not always easy, so don't expect to get it right on your first attempt - It used to take me multiple attempts before the wheel would spin freely, whilst not being too tight - But once you've done it enough times you will eventually master it!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

Thanks for taking the time to reply mate. Great information by the way.

 

[HovR]

No problem, glad to have been of some help!

 

[biggs682]

thats what i like about these forums