pbcsd

Was just taking a look at my son's bike, and it appears his rear wheel is "loose" for lack of a better term, wiggles back and forth, but the bolts on it are tight. Also noticed the cable going to the gears is completely loose of the bike. But not sure how to fix that if the wheel bolts are tight (and he's never replaced them)? Not sure if the cable has anything to do with it.

maddog34

Rear axle Jam nuts were loose and that allowed the Bearing adjustment to loosen...

Considering your lack of knowledge in things related to bicycles, i strongly urge you to take the Bike to a Professional Bike Mechanic before the bike is harmed.

a Co-Op will not only repair the bike, they will help YOU learn about the bike while it gets repaired, if you are interested

if you wish to "do the repairs" yourself, be aware that multiple special tools and skills are required.. there are numerous You-tube vids on both major issues you have mentioned.. i'd say that would be a great place to start your education in things regarding Bicycle repairs...

lots of Bike Repair books available too! Local Libraries typically have a few to look at.

pbcsd

Thanks, typically do if I am unable to "google" fix it myself! Is it a complicated thing to fix in this case? Asked my son when it started, he said "oh yeah, maybe a couple months ago"...nice.

pbcsd

Found this video after you clarified what was happening, maybe I'll give it a go....or probably just take it to a bike shop given time constraints!

alcjphil

After a couple of months riding with hubs that loose the cones and ball bearings may have been totally trashed

maddog34

"complicated" is a qualified opinion... for me.,nope.. for someone that asks a forum about it? yep.

do you own a set of Metric wrenches?
do you own a 15mm Cone wrench?
Do you own a set of metric allen/hex wrenches?

your son's bike will most likely have a 9mm nut holding the cable to the derailleur, but it might be a 5mm hex head screw or nut...
the loose axle bearings will require that 15mm cone wrench to reset correctly.
the Front axle should be checked for being TOO tight... Very, Very common on bikes with loose Rear bearings!

a good Tune up will solve most of the issues.

Iride01 

I'd go with the jamb nuts were loose too and the cone or cones are now loose. So maybe clean and lube the bearings while you are messing with that. If that is a freewheel on there, it might be a broken axle. Though it looked like more cogs than a FW would have.

Definitely get that cable secured. If the spoke tension hasn't been checked since you bought it, then check that too. Though that's not the issue you are seeing. But too many people don't ever check their spokes till disaster happens as their front wheel folds up like a taco. So I figured if the bike was allowed to get to the point of the wheel flopping that bad. And with a loose cable, then what else also might be wrong!

maddog34

Nice find.. that dude is great, explains well and Demonstrates the actions.

*note the cone wrench.. the bearing adjustment WILL REQUIRE use of such a wrench.. my automotive thin wrenches don't fit Most Axle bearing cones. Park CW-15 is shown.. front axles most often require a CW-13 wrench. I set One end firmly, then perform the "adjustment" using the other end of the axle set. make sure that the axle extending past the Jam nuts is equalized from side to side....

oh, and One end of the Axle set will be kind of hidden by the Freewheel Gear cluster... i Set that end's jam nut Tightly, then adjust the Non-Drive Side Cone and Jam nuts.
note how Much threaded axle extends beyond the jam nuts... repeat that length when re-assembling them... i just leave the Drive side end in place on the axle,, and only remove the Non-Drive Side cone and nut.

pbcsd

Yeah, I don't mind making basic brake adjustments and tuning the gears, but I think for this I may as well take it in to a qualified person, even though I was literally looking up the cost of various sized cone wrenches. Unfortunately finding trust worthy ones can sometimes be a challenge!

At least now I know what to ask about!

wheelreason

Yeah, just FYI, most times a rear wheel like that comes in, we just sell a new one. A wheel with that much play usually has too much damge to the races to properly repair. That being said, if you DIY it, it will probably be fine for a while anyway, if all that play didn't bother the kid, a little gritty feel, and failing the spin forever test won't be an issue...

epnnf

....some races or balls may need to be replaced.

choddo

When I did this recently I needed 17mm just because I already had 13/14/15/16. They were dirt cheap and worked great. Don’t need to be anything special, a very simple tool.

and yeah as suggested above, mine definitely has a little damage to the bearing race from letting it move about for too long but it’s fine for now and I put new ball bearings in plus grease - a huge improvement.