Wheel balancing

My rear track wheel runs out of balance. Just wondered how people go about balancing their wheels?

Cheers.

Sorry to sound a bit thick here but what do you mean by "out of balance"? Do you mean the wheel wobbles as it turns, i.e. out of true, or do you mean balanced as in what you do to a car wheel when you fit a new tyre (which doesn't usually apply to bicycle wheels AFAIK).

The wheels on my old Raleigh had long, tight "springs" wrapped round the rim-end of the 3 spokes opposite the valve. I assume this was for balance.

It runs out of balance as in the valve stem and extender make it out of balance.
I've found some lead adhesive tape used in tennis that looks like a near solution.

Interesting. Can't say I've ever heard of bicycle wheels needing to be balanced.

More info here, includes a link to J Brandt. Most people think it's not a real issue, tyres can frequently have a bigger effect than the wheel itself.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=85787

Thanks, interesting read. After that, I think I'm still on the 'it's not necessary' side of the fence, although I can see how you could do it with a wheel truing stand and some stick-on weight things.

I'm going to give it a go and balance the wheel just to see if there's any perceivable difference.

I'm in the 'it's not an issue' camp.

I've found it most obvious in the rear wheel on light bikes with spoke reflectors. The rear wheel because it's the wheel you're likely to spin up to speed in the workstand. I usually notice it while checking gears or brakes or something.

In my experience, removing said spoke reflectors can pretty much completely cure it.

I came to the conclusion it wasn't an issue as the 'workstand while checking gears/brakes' scenario is 100% the only place that it's been so much as mentioned. I've never had a customer bring a bike to me complaining about the wheel balancing or anything that could be attributed to wheel balance and I've never noticed it myself while riding bikes with spoke reflectors (though that would be limited to test riding and delivering bikes as none of my own bikes have them).

Being relatively poor, I can only afford pinnned (not welded) rims, and of coures the pin is made of the heavy steel, so when it spins, the pin always ends up at the bottom.

It makes me feel a lot better to start cycling with the pin on the front wheel at the top and the pin on the back wheel at the bottom so one pin is going down whilst the other is going up, bringing balance to the forces. It is best to have tyres inflated the same so the wheels circumference is same and they take longer to get out of sync.

If I could afford welded rims, I would be able to do fine balance tuning by switching light and heavy nipples as required, but the pin weight in a pinned rim is sadly too heavy to balance with heavy nipples.

It is not an issue. You cant even feel 1mm of radial hop. spending your trying to fix an issue that you simply wont as the tyre and tubes mass is not balanced means you have too much time and you spend that doing something else that is useful!

You must be the most perceptive cyclist on the face of the earth.

If the pins in your rims are such an issue how the hell do you deal with the billion other inconsistencies in the modern bicycle?

Wheels flex under weight, so even if there is a 'hop' when you're spinning it holding the bike up, your weight will probably cancel it out. This is already after you putting on an 'unbalanced' tyre, tube, bit of dust on your rim, etc.

It is best to have tyres inflated the same so the wheels circumference is same and they take longer to get out of sync.

How do you deal with the fact that more of the load weight is on the rear wheel - Do you get on and then get someone else to pump up the tyres?

Good question. I don't know anyone I would trust to pump up my tyres. I do try to compensate by getting as much of my weight forward as possible. Also, after going shopping, I'll put all my eggs (and stuff) in the front basket. Even weight distribution also helps even up tyre wear which is off topic, but another big concern.

Even weight distribution also helps even up tyre wear which is off topic, but another big concern.

I think you might be alone in spending your nights staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep because your tyres might be wearing at different rates.

Now if I hadn't read that I would never be wondering...

sneaks off to garage at 1:51am to rotate tyres on commuter bike

This topic is gold.

To continue entertaining you all I thought I'd post my findings.

Bought some small adhesive lead strips for golf clubs, it took 12g (4 strips) to balance the wheel with tub and valve fitted. Now spins perfectly in balance.

I know it seems petty but in this world of marginal gains, a rotating mass in balance is more efficient than one out of balance.

In my head, I'm already faster!!!! ;-)

You may think you are faster but I have concerns about your relative speed of thinking.

This could indeed be the problem.

Surely the extra 12 grammes, outweigh (eh?) the gains made from balancing the wheel?

I think you'll only be faster if you have a big shit first...

Should have a piss as well to keep it balanced

I'm 83kg and this is in the track bike so weight isn't really that much of an issue for me personally.

I'm on the boards tonight, just having a shit and a piss too.