jakewalczak

So, I have a Schwinn Traveler with 27 X 1 1/8 tires and the really cool double break goathorn handlebars.

I just noticed (don't know if it always has done it) that the front tire wobbles side to side (on a horizontal plane) The tire is secured with the screws that allow me to remove the tire and everything that I can twist; has been twisted, yet the tire still seems to be wobbly.

Really; the whole bike feels wobbly from side to side when I hold it and when I ride it.

Anything that I should be watching for? Something that I have missed to tighten? Any suggestions for someone who has a basic understanding of bike mechanics?

Thanks in advance

jakewalczak

Am I really that much of a newb; did I not do enough research, do I suck? Or didn't I explain it well enough?

If this post blows, then will someone help me figure out how to make it better so that it doesn't just sit here?

I would like to not be a bike-******** man the rest of my life; any help would be nice...

Thank you

blamp28

It sounds like your wheels may need to be trued. This is best left to knowledgeable people with the proper tools. Take it to a local bike shop and ask them to true the wheels and check the bike over for you. This should be a dependable old bike once the kinks are worked out.

pinerider

Does the wobble happen at the same place when the wheel spins? It sounds like it's probably a wheel that needs truing if that's the case. It could also be loose front cones in your hub - if the wobble is more general and doesn't haapen at the same place on every rotation.

jakewalczak

Would new tires alleviate a wobble? Mine are cracking and are terrible, so I plan on getting new ones within the week.

So, what I would need to know is if the new tires (not tubes) would fix it, or if while I am at the shop, I can just have them true my tires? Would also need to know if I should bring my bike with me; cause im not going to drive 20 mins there, 20 mins back, 20 mins there and 20 mins back.

Thanks for the replys, I really do appreciate it.

well biked

You need to understand that if your tires are irregularly shaped, they can create a wobble affect. Watch the wheel as you spin it, you can see the irregular shape, if that's the probelm, as the wheel comes around. Sometimes tires can be badly misshaped.

BUT, this has nothing to do with truing a wheel. Wheel truing is done by tightening/loosening spokes to "true" the rim in the lateral and radial plane. You want your rims to not have side-to-side "wobble," and you want them to be round (no hops or dips vertically). So side to side truing is lateral truing, radial truing is making the rim round. A bike shop can put your wheels on a truing stand, which allows them to gauge how far out of true your wheels are, and it allows them to easily see which spokes need adjustment to true the wheel.

So when you talk about your tires wobbling, that's more an issue with tires that are misshaped. Wheel truing is when you tighten/loosen spokes to bring the rim into true-