Wheels

Quick Release System

When using a quick release system, you need to make sure that it is secure; this system is what holds your wheel in place. The most common problem lies with just turning the lever until the wheel feels tight. If done like this the results can be catastrophic. The wheel can vibrate, loosen up and come undone from the bike.
Be sure to read the lever when you are attaching your wheel—it should state “open” or “closed”. Most of the quick release systems have this stamped on the lever. If it reads open then it is not safe and you could lose your wheel. If the lever does not state that it is open or closed, they are normally curved one way or the other, if it is convex (rounding outwards like a bump) then it is closed. If it is concave (rounding inward like the inside of a bowl) then it is open. To close or open the quick release system all you need to do is flip it 180 degrees— don’t spin it, that won’t help. Once your lever is closed you should still test it to make sure that it is secure. Try to pull on it and if it opens up easily then it will need tightening; if it doesn’t open easily then it should be safe to ride on.

If you need to adjust your quick release system then you will need to start by making sure that the wheel is centered in the fork then begin adjusting the quick release system by opening it, hold onto the one side and turn it clockwise while you hold the other side steady. You will feel some resistance when you try to close the lever into the correct position. You do want the lever to be somewhat difficult to close- it should leave an impression of the lever in the palm of your hand. But, you don’t want the lever to be too tight and not close all the way; at this point you would have to unscrew it and adjust it a little bit and try it again.

To install your quick release wheel system you will need to know if your fork has wheel-retention tabs or not. These are little tabs which keep a wheel that has come loose from coming completely out of the dropouts. When the wheel is installed these tabs must be cleared by unscrewing and opening the quick release system. You will need to hold onto the quick release system; with one hand turn it counterclockwise until its unscrewed enough to have the wheel come out or for it to fit into the fork (depending on if you are installing or removing). This is usually only needed on the front wheel because majority of rear wheels don’t have retention tabs.

Tips:

Quick release levers should always be on the left side of the bike.
Quick release systems have to be closed all the way to guarantee safety.
When closing the lever, try to get it to align with the fork and stays, this way you can hold onto the fork while tightening the lever. It will also keep the lever from grabbing anything like other bikes if you lean it on a bike rack.
If you happen to undo the quick release system all the way and it comes apart, it’s okay. Try not to lose the springs, they won’t affect how the system works, but they do produce spring pressure to keep clearance between the axle locknuts and the ends of your quick release system so that its easier to install the wheel into the frame. If you have the springs and want to put them back in then just be sure that the smaller ends point to the inside.
Try to keep your quick release system lubed properly. You should lube it about once a month to ensure that they are not drying out or producing false tightness.
When using aluminum quick releases be sure to sparingly lube the spot where the bushing and the lever touch one another, this will also help your quick release system to keep working properly.
When using steel levers on your quick release make sure that you apply lube so that it dribbles inside the lever’s pivot point, this will keep that joint from drying out.
Make sure that if your system has a screw or nut that holds the lever in place, (this would be visible from under the cap), that it is tightened with a screwdriver or wrench for proper tightness.

Have you ever wondered how to get the bike into your truck or change a tire without getting the chain or the shifting all out of sync? Don’t worry, anyone can do it, even you—and in only three easy steps!

1. Make sure your bike is in the small cog on the back and the small ring in the front. —If you are riding then just shift as you slow down to stop. If you are already stopped then just shift the gears one at a time while holding the bike up by the seat then rotate the pedals until it is in the small rear cog and small front ring.

2. Open up your brakes. —Generally the tire bumps into the brake pads when you try to remove the wheel. To solve this you just need to open the brakes. If you have sidepull brakes then you need to fully rotate the small lever on the brakes to the top. Some other sidepull brakes are opened up with a button that is on the lever. When opening cantilever brakes, (these are the brakes that have the cable over the tire) lift the cable out of the holder on one side. To open V-brakes, also referred to as linear pulls, you need to bring the end of the “noodle” out of the holder. If you have disc brakes then you don’t even need to worry about this step.

3. Pull your derailleur back and remove your wheel. —Grab the derailleur with your hand and pull it back to get it and the chain out of the way so that it will not snag anything when you open the quick release and remove your wheel. That’s it! You’ve now learned how to remove a wheel with ease.

Wheel Truing

Bicycles first appeared in the 1800s with wooden spokes and metal tires. Today they have advanced exceptionally, we have rims that are very strong and so lightweight they can withstand the roughest trails to the smoothest roads. The wheels now are considerably easier to maintain and fix if a problem should occur. When you know and understand your wheels then they keep you riding and stopping almost effortlessly.

Most wheels are easy to true, —that is to straighten a wheel— but there are some out there that are high-tech style sets, these include wheels that have locked or hidden nipples, or very few spokes. These wheels can be difficult to true so it is recommended that you take it in to your local bicycle shop for any adjustments, repairs, or if you have any questions. Usually these high-tech wheel sets must have special tools and different methods to maintaining them, so be careful because you might cause more problems than betterment for these special wheels.

There is only one basic tool needed for truing your wheel. That is the spoke wrench, this wrench grips the spoke nipples and allows you to loosen or tighten up the spokes so that the wheel is aligned properly. Now spoke wrenches come in different sizes to match the different nipple sizes, so make sure before trying to true your wheel that you have the proper size that fits your nipples. If you are unsure then simply bring in your wheel to a bicycle shop and have them help you find the right size. Another helpful tool is a truing stand, but it’s not necessary to get the job done. This stand supports the wheel for you so that it is easier to see the imperfections. You can do the same without a truing stand too though. Just suspend your bicycle and put the wheel to be trued at chest level so that you can see if it is wobbling. Also, always make sure you have plenty of light in your workspace; it makes it easier to see your projects. Wheels typically stay true with normal use, but if you take the rough trails, jumps and tricks then the spokes can become loose and develop that side to side wobbling. Most bikers refer to this as warping, but you can fix it if you follow our truing steps.

Sometimes you may end up bending your wheel, in extreme cases this is referred to as a taco- where your wheel is way beyond fixing and you just need to replace it. In most of these cases of bending your wheel—truing won’t help because the wheel is no longer structurally sound. You can see serious damage by looking at the rim and finding any bulges, dents, abnormal roundness or defective lateral alignment.

While you have your bicycle suspended in the air and the wheel in good view, take notice on how the spokes are leaving the hub on alternate sides of the hub. The main idea of truing is adjusting the spokes on the proper side of the wheel. Using your spoke wrench, take notice that the spokes have little nipples at the rim, if you are looking down on them from above—turning them clockwise will tighten the spoke tension and if you go counterclockwise then you will loosen the spoke tension. It is easier to make sure that you are turning the nipple the right way if you spin the wheel so that the nipple you are working on will be on the top. When you are turning your nipples make sure that you don’t turn them more that ½ of a turn at a time. Then check your work, and continue to adjust as necessary.

An easy way to find the wobble or the loose spoke is to spin your wheel and then look for a wobble in the wheel. You can see this by looking by a brake pad and watching the gap to see when it changes or by placing your thumb against a brake pad and feeling for the wobble. Another way is to start at the valve stem and work your way around and wiggle each spoke to see if it has loosened. The spokes should have approximately even tension. Rear wheels are a bit different—they are designed so that the left spokes are slightly looser than the right ones, not to worry—this is normal and the key is that the spokes on each side are tensioned the same as the others on that side of the hub.

Once you have located the wobble, stop the wheel and wiggle the spokes where it wobbles to see if they are loose. If your wheel warps to one side, let’s say to the left then it’s likely that the spokes on the right side will be loose, and vice-versa. Truing wheels is fairly easy; it’s basically just turning the correct nipple the precise amount of rotations. An easy way to keep track of which spokes you have already done is mark them with a small piece of tape. This helps ensure that you won’t redo them and also makes it easier to check to see how your progress is going. Always try to remember to turn in ½ turn rotations and spin your wheel to see how the adjustments are going. Usually people make the mistake of turning the spokes the wrong way or grabbing the wrong nipple. It helps to double check your work, make sure you are on the right side of the wheel, and always bring the nipple you are working on to the top of the wheel and turn it the proper direction for adjustment.

For those who have an ear for music, you might like to try something a little different for truing your spokes. Plucking the spokes with your fingers and then listening to the tone they produce, the spokes that need tightening will have that “dead” sound and then all you need to do is tighten them up so they produce the same tone as their neighbors.
Now for those perfectionists—the wheel can have a few millimeters of variance, this won’t hurt it a bit. The main point is to make sure that there are no loose spokes and that the wheel is basically straight meaning that the rim or hub does not touch the brake pads. This will keep your ride nice and safe, plus it might impress your friends and help while you are out on the trails and it’s a matter of riding or not riding.

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