Roger Longbottom
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- Thread starter Roger Longbottom
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Specialeyes
Guru
- Location
- Essex
Bearings, friction and things like a slight warping causing the rim to clip the brake pads once per revolution and the rotating mass of the wheel.
You're not alone in the compulsion - on a couple of my bikes with Campagnolo hubs I can set the wheel spinning, wander off and potter about for a bit and come back what feels like minutes later and they're still spinning!
You're not alone in the compulsion - on a couple of my bikes with Campagnolo hubs I can set the wheel spinning, wander off and potter about for a bit and come back what feels like minutes later and they're still spinning!
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
Whenever I pass an unattended bike I get an overwhelming urge to press the tyres to check the pressures. I can't help it, no matter how hard I try.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
Rubber seals on the hub or badly adjusted bearings..
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
I've got a pair of old Maillard 'Wide flange' hubbed wheels that I cleaned and rebuilt the hubs and got John to build into wheels that you'd get fed up waiting for them to stop, not only that but once they've lost enough inertia to fully rotate they'll swing back and forward for minutes before coming to a stop with the valve at the bottom. They're 78/79* hubs though so built when quality was still in fashion
* I can't remember which year is which hub front/back but the back wheel (sans Chain) is nearly as good as the front, when I took them into the shop John was very impressed and on collecting the built wheels he reckoned they were the best hubs he'd seen in a long time and were adjusted to perfection.
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
As a kid when we had well made wheels on even modest bikes, wheels that had a oiling nipple so no need to grease hubs, the wheels would spin for an eternity.
Another factor, wheels with 'cartridge' bearings, age matters. I brought a new pair of Fulcrum 5s to replace a well used cheap set which were heavy but did spin well. The new Fulcrums were very disappointing at first, I could feel the drag, the newness and tightness of the bearings was very noticeable. That will naturally free up with a bit of time.
Another factor, wheels with 'cartridge' bearings, age matters. I brought a new pair of Fulcrum 5s to replace a well used cheap set which were heavy but did spin well. The new Fulcrums were very disappointing at first, I could feel the drag, the newness and tightness of the bearings was very noticeable. That will naturally free up with a bit of time.
Another factor is wheel rotating mass / moment of inertia. At the same rotational speed and bearing drag etc a wheel with a lower moment of inertia (in simplified terms with a lighter tyre and rim) will slow and stop faster than a heavy one. I'd not expect wheel mass (and hence spinning time) to vary by much more than a factor of two and would suggest that if you're seeing greater differences than this other factors are at play.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Bear in mind that wheels that spin and spin with no load on and settle pendulum-like with the valve at the bottom, implying excellent (minimal) bearing friction, may not perform comparatively as well when the bearings are vertically loaded (ie when ridden).
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
Yep the 2 don't necessarily go together, poorly adjusted (loose) bearings might spin well unloaded but not perform too well on the road also adding stress to the axle and as for the manufacturers method of getting them so tight they barely turn and with virtually no grease on em.
stuarttunstall
Senior Member
- Location
- Yorkshire Wolds
It's a bit like the sign "wet paint" so you touch it.... it just has to be done 
I get the overwhelming urge to punch the person who does this and any of the following whilst I'm standing next to the bike; ring the bell, squeeze the brakes, try to rotate the bar ends, reach down to tighten/remove the valve cap, thumb push on the saddle, adjust the rear view mirror, look closely at the GPS/cellphone/map. Always without ****** asking 👿
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Please tighten it back up or the trick you'll perform might be damaging.
If it's spinning a lot better with less compression on the QR, no load, then unscrew the cone/lock nut (left side) 1/8 of a turn and relock. Reinstall the wheel and tighten the QR properly (dent in hand).
You need to remove the rubber seal to access the cone, it should just pull out.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Trek's finest £1000 wheels. If I were to run these I would leave them screwed until I thought it time for new bearings. Then I would get the best I could source.
Fair enough, it did look like the rubber seal in mine. They must have put them together somehow, though, something must come off.