Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - What is wrong with my wheel???

I've taken it to two shops that have trued it, yet, whenever I brake, it feels like i am hitting a pothole every few feet. I keep getting this rhythmenic "clunk, clunk clunk" that shoots vibrations up through my handlebars. It feels like when I was a kid and I had a flat spot on my bigwheel's tire.

Anyone know what the heck is wrong???

Is it front or back? If "front" it might be head-set…

- Wil

Hub? I had a similar thing and new bearings and a good ol' grease up sorted it.

also, non-machined rims really accentuate the jittering. Check the join if its non-machined, it probably isn't flush. But check your headset as well.

If two shops trued it and didn't say anything bad, then I would assume it is true.

It could be it is out of round. The shops should have picked this up but some are better than others. To check this, spin the wheel and look at the rim in relation to the brake pad. If the rim has a high or low spot you will see it rise or fall.

I would check the bead around the tire. If it gets put on incorrectly it feels like the problem you are describing. Also, check your tire for pieces of debris embedded.

the joint probably got knocked off.

If two shops trued it and didn't say anything bad, then I would assume it is true.

It could be it is out of round. The shops should have picked this up but some are better than others. To check this, spin the wheel and look at the rim in relation to the brake pad. If the rim has a high or low spot you will see it rise or fall.

I would check the bead around the tire. If it gets put on incorrectly it feels like the problem you are describing. Also, check your tire for pieces of debris embedded.


Will do. I don't think its a headset problem because it occurs only when I am braking. the wheel does seem to have a "heavy" spot when I spin it. (Front wheel by the way). I will check the tire bead over lunch, as I did install it hastily my last flat (left the bike in my car in the sun and the intertube blew the tire off the rim)

Also, if I spin the front wheel and depress the brake to the point where the pads are "almost" touching, i do get a scrap on one side at one point in the rotation. It seems really minor when doing this but when i am on the road and braking, it feels like I am going over those speed ridges some highways have.

the joint probably got knocked off.


The joint of the rim? how does one fix this? they are deep Vs---i thought they were "bombproof"

LOL this is why better rims are welded.

You can live with it and it will self correct eventually as the rim wears down or you can just sand it yourself.

LOL this is why better rims are welded.

You can live with it and it will self correct eventually as the rim wears down or you can just sand it yourself.


I do not belive the rim joint is messed up. The tire is properly set. So the only other possibility is that it is not round i guess. As I spin the wheel, i can see the line for the machined part of the rim race up and down slightly and the wheel seems to "kick" at that point

if you brake pads are centered properly it would have to be pretty far out of round to effect braking.

brake gently and push the joint through the pads it should be immediately obvious if the joint is the issue.

It kicks? Perhaps the hub is damaged.

As I spin the wheel, i can see the line for the machined part of the rim race up and down slightly and the wheel seems to "kick" at that point


This sometimes happens when you hit a rock or curb. The shops should have told you about this. Getting a wheel round is part of trueing a wheel. Sometimes when the rim is too ****ed or too far out of round, they do their best and that's it. They should still have told you.

Dutret is correct, it would be fairly noticable if you could feel it that strongly.

You may need a new rim. Stop hitting stuff!!!

Sounds like the rim is dinged from hitting something. At the point of impact, the braking surfaces get pushed out and when you brake, it catches.

The fix is-
1. Find the ding, spinning the wheel and looking at it will quickly reveal where it is.

2. Deflate the tire. If its bent bad, get a BFW (big f@cking wrench), push the tire away from the lip of the rim, grab the lip of the rim at the bend with the jaws of the BFW and bend back.

3. Using a mill bastard file, file the bent section smooth.

go brakeless! :D

I do not belive the rim joint is messed up. The tire is properly set. So the only other possibility is that it is not round i guess. As I spin the wheel, i can see the line for the machined part of the rim race up and down slightly and the wheel seems to "kick" at that point

As I mentioned before, check it. I have seen joins that have somehow come ~0.5mm up so they aren't flush anymore. the brake shudder that came from that bike was pretty scary.

The tyre will still seat properly, the rim may still be true but you need to run a finger along where the join is, and the brakes clamped lightly over the area. If the join is fine, do that to the whole wheel until you find an anomaly, then use a file or some kind of metal filler (can't be bothered thinking this early) to flatten it out.

the wheel does seem to have a "heavy" spot when I spin it.

most wheels have a heavy spot, its usually 180 degrees from the valve stem hole (and this is also the joint, so there's extra material there that makes it heavy, not just that the hole makes the other side lighter)

If it's as bad as I imagine it (like you described) i'm going to have to go with loose headset. No way in hell an out of round wheel is going to do that without being 1B% obvious

same thing happened to me

it was a loose headset not a wheel issue

do you have an allen wrench
?

go brakeless! :DIm not recommending this so much as saying "that would be my solution"