dynamic balancing of wheels : How? Worth it?
Moderator: robbosmans
Maybe a dumb question, but is it worth to balance wheels? Typically, my wheels are a little out of balance, with the valve hole being the most heavy part, and creating some serious movement of the bike when spinning the wheels in the bike stand. I have the feeling that this can also be felt on downhills and very fast riding on the flats. Is it my imagination? I did a test, and 6 gram of lead on the opposite side of the valve is enough to get the balance spot on. But, is it worth the effort to add some weight, and, if so, how to do it without being too visible? I don't use magnets, so can not play with that. And huge magnets on the spokes are ugly!!
Current bikes:
Scott Addict Premium Disc 2018
Scott Addict Orica Greenedge 2015
Retired:
Canyon Endurace CF SLX 2016
Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 2013
Scott Addict Premium Disc 2018
Scott Addict Orica Greenedge 2015
Retired:
Canyon Endurace CF SLX 2016
Canyon Ultimate CF SLX 2013
If it's a clincher. Small/narrow automotive wheel weights under the rim tape. Or strips of lead cut and glued.
Have to make sure everything goes back on in the same orientation though. Tyre/wheel. Or you'll be out of balance again.
The balancing is not likely to make a major difference though.
Have to make sure everything goes back on in the same orientation though. Tyre/wheel. Or you'll be out of balance again.
The balancing is not likely to make a major difference though.
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From my experience wheel balancing plays a rather big role in how the bike
is going to perform.It rides more stable and this is noticeable when you take
your hands from the handlebar regardless of the speed.Check out here https://silca.cc/products/speedbalance- ... net-system and here http://www.miche.it/en/zero-point.html for relevant products.
is going to perform.It rides more stable and this is noticeable when you take
your hands from the handlebar regardless of the speed.Check out here https://silca.cc/products/speedbalance- ... net-system and here http://www.miche.it/en/zero-point.html for relevant products.
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natefontaine
- Posts: 249
- Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 3:37 am
A few topics already:
viewtopic.php?t=39492
viewtopic.php?t=85787
viewtopic.php?t=17906
viewtopic.php?t=10272
viewtopic.php?t=53962
Haven't seen the silca products, novel.
viewtopic.php?t=39492
viewtopic.php?t=85787
viewtopic.php?t=17906
viewtopic.php?t=10272
viewtopic.php?t=53962
Haven't seen the silca products, novel.
Not worth it, no difference when riding.
However, if you want to optimize your bike for low vibration on the work stand by adding weights, go ahead
However, if you want to optimize your bike for low vibration on the work stand by adding weights, go ahead
^^^this
in the right conditions, if there's a serious imbalance it might become noticeable, as might a more typical one at extreme speed, but unless you've done a blind trial there's no way you can prove whether you're feeling it or imagining it (barring the extreme scenarios), and imagination is a powerful thing, people imagine all manner of nonsense
what happens on a stand is really not relevant: when ridden the system mass is many times higher, and the part with the imbalance is in contact with a solid surface, it cannot leap around, the result of typical imbalance in that situation is small variation (wrt to system mass) in contact force
very light riders at very high speeds on very smooth roads would be in the best position to be able to detect it, in the real world it still won't matter though
i once looked into it myself, went through the physics/maths to calculate the effect and built a mathematical model that allowed parameters to be varied, concluded that there was no need to add weight to my wheels and that i was wasting time i could be riding instead
in the right conditions, if there's a serious imbalance it might become noticeable, as might a more typical one at extreme speed, but unless you've done a blind trial there's no way you can prove whether you're feeling it or imagining it (barring the extreme scenarios), and imagination is a powerful thing, people imagine all manner of nonsense
what happens on a stand is really not relevant: when ridden the system mass is many times higher, and the part with the imbalance is in contact with a solid surface, it cannot leap around, the result of typical imbalance in that situation is small variation (wrt to system mass) in contact force
very light riders at very high speeds on very smooth roads would be in the best position to be able to detect it, in the real world it still won't matter though
i once looked into it myself, went through the physics/maths to calculate the effect and built a mathematical model that allowed parameters to be varied, concluded that there was no need to add weight to my wheels and that i was wasting time i could be riding instead
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natefontaine
- Posts: 249
- Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 3:37 am
Delorre, if you think that balancing wheels will make you faster, you will ride faster. If just due to the placebo affect. Plus if you enjoy the process by doing it that's even another bonus. Campy wheels are factory balanced so it might be something.
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Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk
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mitchmarket
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2011 1:39 pm
I've had this issue on 50mm deep carbon wheels and the out of balance was very noticeable on descents. I figured out a Ricky Bobby way to solve the balance issue:
1. I set the wheel in my truing stand "with" the tire and tube on and fully inflated
2. The heavy part of each wheel would move to the bottom
3. I took some round headed bolts (10-20MM long) where the head was a little larger than the spoke hole in the rim
4. I put electrical tape around the head and threads
5. Taped them on the side of the rim opposite the heavy side at about where they'd be on the inside once installed and in line with a spoke hole
6. Added and took away until the wheel spun and didn't park in a similar location each time so I knew it was in balance
7. Installed the screws into spoke holes and taped over them
8. Put the rim tape, tire and tube back on
Riding a set like this for over 1500 miles...smooth as glass
1. I set the wheel in my truing stand "with" the tire and tube on and fully inflated
2. The heavy part of each wheel would move to the bottom
3. I took some round headed bolts (10-20MM long) where the head was a little larger than the spoke hole in the rim
4. I put electrical tape around the head and threads
5. Taped them on the side of the rim opposite the heavy side at about where they'd be on the inside once installed and in line with a spoke hole
6. Added and took away until the wheel spun and didn't park in a similar location each time so I knew it was in balance
7. Installed the screws into spoke holes and taped over them
8. Put the rim tape, tire and tube back on
Riding a set like this for over 1500 miles...smooth as glass
Try some tungsten tape (used for balancing tennis rackets and golf clubs).
You can test the balancing by removing the wheel from the bike, remove the skewer, and balance the wheel on the axle tip. Likely the wheel will tip over to one side, so add some tape to the opposite side. (You can lay, not stick, the tape on the upper face of the brake track in the desired spot to test the amount of tape to use.) Once you have the correct amount of tape and you know where it should be placed, you can adhere the tape to the rim bed under the rim strip.
You can test the balancing by removing the wheel from the bike, remove the skewer, and balance the wheel on the axle tip. Likely the wheel will tip over to one side, so add some tape to the opposite side. (You can lay, not stick, the tape on the upper face of the brake track in the desired spot to test the amount of tape to use.) Once you have the correct amount of tape and you know where it should be placed, you can adhere the tape to the rim bed under the rim strip.
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TheDarkInstall
- Posts: 725
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 3:44 am
Yeah the self adhesive golf balancing metal tape is the business.
There's a new video on the Shane Miller's YouTube channel where he talks about the wheel balancing process and showing how he does it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcgiUcbS64c. Seems really interesting to me, mainly because I've bought the Roval CLX50s Disc some time ago. I don't have the truing stand so I'll have to get them to my LBS but I will definitely check if I should be replacing them (the wheels are brand new, I haven't put them on the bike yet). Do you know if the thru axles help a bit in this case?
TheDarkInstall wrote:Yeah the self adhesive golf balancing metal tape is the business.
Sometimes even the rim decals may be designed for balancing the wheel. When I was building my latest wheels using the nice Easton R90SL rims I noticed that the heavy decals were added opposite to the valve hole: I suppose this is to balance the wheel when the inner tube & tyre have been installed.
if your chasing speed you all get to a point where an unbalanced wheel will rob you of terminal velocity..
if you don't ride above 80kph then it won't make a massive difference.. if you do it could be the difference between 90kph and 100kph..
if you don't ride above 80kph then it won't make a massive difference.. if you do it could be the difference between 90kph and 100kph..
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TheDarkInstall
- Posts: 725
- Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 3:44 am
kervelo wrote:TheDarkInstall wrote:Yeah the self adhesive golf balancing metal tape is the business.
Sometimes even the rim decals may be designed for balancing the wheel. When I was building my latest wheels using the nice Easton R90SL rims I noticed that the heavy decals were added opposite to the valve hole: I suppose this is to balance the wheel when the inner tube & tyre have been installed.
That is a very good idea!
