Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => Topic started by: Cudzoziemiec on 17 November, 2016, 03:16:32 pm
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They might be secure, give better braking and so on, but what a frustrating system! I've had the wheels on and off a few times over the last couple of days – been fitting mudguards and also had one puncture – and while removing the wheels is easy and quick, putting them back is not. Getting the axle through the first drop out (or whatever you call it when it doesn't actually drop out!) and into the hub is painless, but getting that to align with the other side while simultaneously putting enough pressure and twisting the axle to catch the thread always takes a couple of minutes of frustration. Do other people have similar difficulties with this? What's the trick to it?
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Sorry if the answer appears unhelpful, but "practice, practice, practice". Do it a dozen times in your kitchen / garden / workshop and you soon get the knack.
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Jiggle it.
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Jiggle it.
Should I get jiggy with the long hard rod or the gaping round hole? I suppose it's whichever takes my fancy!
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At the back of my mtb you need to slacken off the caliper colts before putting the wheel back in....
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Jiggle it.
Just a little bit.
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Jiggle it.
Just a little bit.
And if that doesn't work, jiggle the axle.
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Havent found it a problem to be honest. A gentle jiggle to allow the end of the rod to find and slip into the hole.
I guess im just naturally good at it.
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not done it often, bit of a thru-axle virgin really but found it easy enough the first time.
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I have rear-facing track drop-outs on my single speed.. with mudguards. It can't be worse than that.
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I have rear-facing track drop-outs on my single speed.. with mudguards. It can't be worse than that.
It isn't.
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I have rear-facing track drop-outs on my single speed.. with mudguards. It can't be worse than that.
no problem at all if the mudguards are of the right length and installed with the easy wheel removal in mind.
(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161117/91be505a447b79b3a65d10ebd1d0d3fc.jpg)
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Or if you use those quick-release attachments for the stays like front mudguards tend to use?
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I wonder how many times those can be used before the plastic pop-off bits wear too much to keep the stays in place over rough ground? I guess they're cheap enough (?) that even if they do wear out - and I think it would take some time - you can just replace them.
Meanwhile I shall practice my wiggling at every opportunity.
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Or if you use those quick-release attachments for the stays like front mudguards tend to use?
i've tried them but much prefer the solid attachment
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Or if you use those quick-release attachments for the stays like front mudguards tend to use?
i've tried them but much prefer the solid attachment
Fair enough. I've only ever used them on the front, which tends not to get many release/insert cycles.
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I wonder how many times those can be used before the plastic pop-off bits wear too much to keep the stays in place over rough ground?
Ooh, about a year I would say. Speed bumps are the most annoying. I added o-rings that looped between the stays and the wheelnuts before the mudguard finally split in half, from too much flexing getting the wheel in and out, somewhere between Taunton and Guildford last Sunday. That's the problem of having one frame but commuter and audax wheelsets that are swapped on a regular basis. I'm solving this over the winter with an n+1.
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I wonder how many times those can be used before the plastic pop-off bits wear too much to keep the stays in place over rough ground?
IME, it depends on your tolerance to rattling.
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Regarding the original point, yes sometimes through axles can be a pain. In theory it should be held straight but often the driveside hole is oversized enough to let the axle move enough that it does not naturally line up with the other side, compounded of course by the weight of the wheel if the bike is off the ground and the chain tension all pulling the wheel out of alignment. Its worse on some bikes where the super lightweight back ends become flexy when not bolted together so you can push the stays apart in your efforts to force the axle to alignment. The only tip I can give is to not push the axle while trying to get it aligned, light force at that point makes it easier to align, you can also help it by holding the wheel straight by gripping/holding the bike at the chainstays and nudging the wheel with your thumb while the other hand is installing the axle. Easier said than done obviously :P
Regarding fixed/singlespeed and mudguards. I solved that problem on my old bike thusly...
(https://c8.staticflickr.com/3/2505/3696836767_6c1ce1e22b_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/6CFfLX)
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Some smart thinking there. :thumbsup:
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That's genius, off to locate the company's tap and die kit now :-)
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Those tugs have a think bit in the middle (if you look at the top edge it looks too thin to tap), could easily put a nut on the other side if it were a problem. They worked quite well to keep the guard hugging the tyre at the back, though obviously they do require removal of the nuts from the axle if you want to take the wheel out, so remember to put the nuts back on the axle if you do or you might be hunting for them in the grass (or snow*) should you forget when fixing a puncture. *not that id have done this of course ::-)
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I wonder how many times those can be used before the plastic pop-off bits wear too much to keep the stays in place over rough ground? I guess they're cheap enough (?) that even if they do wear out - and I think it would take some time - you can just replace them.
Meanwhile I shall practice my wiggling at every opportunity.
I had these on the back of my Pearson, they lasted several years before they worked loose and all I did was ease the stays a bit to tighten them up, I think I'd had them on for over 5 years before I replaced them.
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Do other people have similar difficulties with this? What's the trick to it?
No
There is no trick
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Got a puncture today (Specialized's tyres are really not very tough) and had no trouble whatsoever putting the wheel back, despite cold fingers. So maybe I've had enough practice. Or maybe it needs to be 5 deg or lower for the metal to contract that fraction a mm to open up the clearances. Or... whatever.