Sir Lunch-a-lot

So, I have this old steel wheel for my bike (26 x 1 3/16, I believe). The first mistake I made when I started using it was that, although I noticed that the spokes were rather loose, I ignored it (yeah, real dumb). Couldn't be bothered to fix it.

I think that I really started to notice the spokes after summer. During the summer, I drove this thing on hills and in a forest (over roots... terrain it's not made for... no shock absorbers). Probably the equivalent of going over lots and lots of curbs.

So, as I was riding along the highway last semester, I started to hear this 'ping, ping' coming from my wheels. I was like "What the heck?" Turns out that my wheel went severely out of true just like that. So, I walked it back to campus, stripped the front wheel down, tightened the spokes and brought it back into true. I also noticed a crapload of rust on the inside of the wheel, but I figure that it's an old wheel, so I won't worry too much. I got rid of the loose stuff and put it back together. Then I took apart the back wheel, tightened the spokes, brought it into true (it wasn't nearly as bad... very minor as I recall) and put that one back together.

So, today I took it for a ride. I've put maybe 30-45 km's (Max) on it and, what do you know? The front wheel starts pinging on me again. I went a tad further and it didn't get any better. So I said "Well, I'm turning around now." And as I turn around, I can see that the wheel is severely out of true. So at this point, I'm pretty pissed off.

After I brought it back to the dorm, I dismantled the front wheel (in hopes to replace it with a donor wheel. Unfortunately, the donor wheel is too wide and the axle is too thick to fit). Then, I noticed that the front axle was loose, and as I peered inside, I noticed that the ball bearings were not in the ball bearing holder, and just loose and/or missing. So, it would seem that this old steel wheel is about had it.

I am hoping to go into the city tomorrow and buy a new, aluminum wheel.


The reason for this post is that I want to know why exactly the wheel failed. Is it because I didn't tighten up the spokes early on (seeing as how they were quite loose)? If that is the case, then do you think that the rim just got permanently bent? This is what I'm figuring based on prior reading, but I want to be sure. I just want to avoid this sort of mishap in the future.

The fact that it is steel, rusty, and has crappy bearings aside, can it be fixed? Or is it not feasable?

Thanx.

Edit: It may also be good to note that I am a rather hefty fellow. Try, around 240 -250 pounds (I have not weighed myself lately).

robhunterx

Well you described problems in the hub and problems with the rim & spokes. I don't think the 2 are necessarily related but that wheel sounds pretty bad. I would find (or build) a replacement. Frankly, I would replace it with a mtb size aluminum wheel (or rim) just for the better selection of tires (not to mention the weight improvement). You may have to adjust your brake pads a little but 26 x 1 3/16 steel wheels are not great. Good Luck!

Bill Kapaun

Many front hubs have loose ball bearings. Lack of maintenance is the problem there. They do need to be cleaned/grease/adjusted on ocassion.
If this is a 26x1-3/8" wheel, you may have some trouble finding an economical new replacement, since it's a different size than 26" MTB rims. You didn't mention what brand etc. bike you had, but if you do have the 26X1-3/8" rim, it's probably a cheaper bike to begin with.

Sir Lunch-a-lot

Yeah, I stopped at Canadian Tire and Walmart just to see if on the off chance that they sold wheels, and they don't. So, I went to a bike shop that I managed to find on the net, and they are not able to get this size of wheel from their suppliers (or anyone as far as they know). However, they were able to repair the wheel for me for less than a new one would have cost in about an hour. So, that was pretty good. Since it has a 30 day warranty on it now, I figure I've got to ride it every day so that if it's going to fail any time soon, it will do it during the warranty period. Originally, they were talking having it done by Monday, but when I said that it wouldn't really be feasible for me to get it then, they were kind enough to get it done right then. So, I am quite pleased with this bike shop thus far.

Bill Kapaun

Odds are that the fact they were willing to fix it probably indicates the wheel is in "adequate" condition.

roughrider504

Riding around with loose spokes stresses them more than normal. If you start breaking spokes now, just replace it. The bike shop probialy just retensioned the spokes. BikePartsUsa has front and rear 26x 1-3/8 wheels if you need them.
Front- https://www.bikepartsusa.com/product_...2&p=01%2D82969
Rear- https://www.bikepartsusa.com/product_...2&p=01%2D82968

roccobike

I would remember who that bike shop is. Not all of them would be willing to work on an old steel wheel that had not been maintained. Others, like the one you mentioned, are in the business of keeping ALL bikes on the road if at all possible.