Flexing back wheel

[thunderlips76]

Hi there,
Brand new Hunt aero wide alloy wheel set fitted to the bike today. Problem is the rear wheel keeps catching the brake pads when climbing out of the saddle. After my ride I had a look and I can wiggle the back wheel from brake pad to brake pads with just finger strength, god only knows what’s happening when my massive body is moving side to side. Any ideas. The wheels are rim brake on QR skewers. All new out of the box.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Poorly built. Send them back.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Either axle bearings loose or spokes not tensioned properly.

What Ming said, reject them.

 

[Cycleops]

Sounds like the bearing cone or whatever it's called may be incorrectly adjusted on the axle. Remove the wheel and tighten it up so the axle spins freely but with little play. You might be able use your fingers if they haven't tightened it or use a cone spanner. Here's a vid:

View: https://youtu.be/SEGeLYPmem4

 

[Ian H]

Is it free-play at the hub or flex at the rim? If it's free-play, is it between the axle and the hub body , or something else?

Most likely is flex at the rim. This can be reduced by tensioning the spokes, but some rims have relatively low recommended maximum tensions, which can be problematical on wheels with a lot of dish.

 

[thunderlips76]

there is very marginal wobble at the axel, I bought the hunt wheels to replace my old fulcrum wheels (stock on the caad12) because the back wheel has totally died. It was wobbling all over even after bearings were repaired and the cones were adjusted. Front wheel went the same way. I just thinking it’s maybe my weight (95kg) that’s causing the issue. I have a cheap disc brake specialised and it’s cheap back wheel hardly moves even when I’m swinging on the bars like a obese chimp. I like these Hunt wheels, first ride out and they are fast and roll smooth, but the first hard climb out of the saddle and there was some run from the brakes.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You can move it with your fingers, your weight isn’t the issue. They are brand new and should not be like that. Reject them. Who knows what other mistakes they have made in the build?

 

[Ian H]

To the best of my knowledge, Hunt hubs use cartridge bearings, so there is no adjustment possible. If there is play I would want to look closely to see exactly what is happening.

 

[thunderlips76]

Think I’ll have another few rides out and see how things go, then I’ll see where I stand return wise.

 

[Illaveago]

If you can move the rim from side to side when there isn't any play in the bearings would make me wonder what the spokes are there for ?
You could do a simple test by tapping the spokes to see if they ring . By the sound of it they will make a dull thud!

 

[fossyant]

Think I’ll have another few rides out and see how things go, then I’ll see where I stand return wise.

Don't.

You can feel play at the 'hub' from the rim as it's more of a clunk, but a poorly built wheel will just move and flex.

Call the supplier and get them returned. Hunt wheels are well respected, these may have fallen through QC. Your weight isn't an issue.

 

[ColinJ]

To the best of my knowledge, Hunt hubs use cartridge bearings, so there is no adjustment possible. If there is play I would want to look closely to see exactly what is happening.

I had a similar problem on a wheel that DID have cartridge bearings!

I can see why you would post what you did, but I DID manage to adjust the play out of the hub...

I heard a bit of a clunking noise from the front of my singlespeed bike today. It sounded like a loose headset but the headset turned out to be properly adjusted and in good condition.

Further investigation revealed that the problem was the front wheel.

Take a look at these 2 photographs; specifically, the gap between the brake block and the rim as I pushed the tyre to the left and right.

There was more than 2 mm of movement in the rim.

I took the wheel off and discovered that the lock nut had come loose on one side. The hub has sealed bearings and they were okay. All I had to do was to correctly adjust the hub and tighten the locknut. (I had mislaid my cone spanners and tried to do it without them, which resulted in an over-tight hub and a wheel that would barely turn! After finding the spanners, it was easy to adjust things properly and lock them in place.)

 

[fossyant]

To the best of my knowledge, Hunt hubs use cartridge bearings, so there is no adjustment possible. If there is play I would want to look closely to see exactly what is happening.

Mavics can be adjusted for pre-load (older Aksium and Ksyrium). I know my 'cartridge' MTB wheels can't. But bearing play is different from rim flex - feels different too when wiggling the rim.

 

[Cycleops]

A careful inspection should reveal where the problem lies. Unless the spokes are ridiculously loose my money is on the bearings. If you’re not sure just send them back.

 

[monkers]

As an aside, but what is the depth of these new wheels? There have been some reports of deeper section (50s) Hunt aero wheels being implicated in scarey high speed bike wobble. The 50s work well as a back wheel, but personally from the reports I've read, I definitely wouldn't ride with one on the front, especially in windy conditions.