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Balanced wheels?

  • Thread starter Thread starter sharpy
  • Start date Start date
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sharpy

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Who has there wheels digitally/electronically balanced? In the early eighties when the machine came out for it we found no differance. Usually if its a wobble when new tyres are fitted its something else. We figured if the GP boys do a static balance then its ok for us mortals. Also the yellow/red dots on the tyre that are meant to go to the heaviest part of the wheel, did you know 75% of the time its not at the valve area. So have youre tyre fitter find the heaviest part of the wheel first with the trye off and mark the inside of the rim with a felt pen (the part you cant see when the trye is mounted) and use that area and you will end up with less weight on the finished product. I can feel a can of worms opening up here. Thanks anyway
 
I balance my own with this high-tech apparatus:

(Note clever substitution of random object for motorcycle wheel and axle)

bal_stands4.jpg


These were homemade with old Rollerblade bearings, and the setup is virtually frictionless and VERY sensitive. You can literally move the wheel by breathing on it. If you give too vigorous a spin, you can wait several minutes for the wheel to slow down

I found the heavy spot of the wheels easily, and sure enough, it was about 80 degrees away from the valve stem. After mounting my last set of tires with the dot near the true heavy spot, the front ended up taking just 1/2 of a 1/4 ounce weight and the rear took one 1/4 ounce weight. (You gotta love Pirelli's quality control!)
 
Great set-up.

Great set-up.

bwringer..there is nothing wrong with that setup. Yep Pirelli and Metzeler are the same mob now, been that way for a little while.
 
Well, I guess I will be the first to admit that I pay for mine. Have the tires mounted and balanced, and the old tires properly disposed of, for $35 for the pair. Yeah, I could probably get some irons and make a balancer for that much money, but I am tired of saving pennies here and there and having to WORK instead. 8-[


.
 
them or you

them or you

Steve said:
Well, I guess I will be the first to admit that I pay for mine. Have the tires mounted and balanced, and the old tires properly disposed of, for $35 for the pair. Yeah, I could probably get some irons and make a balancer for that much money, but I am tired of saving pennies here and there and having to WORK instead. 8-[


.
Click to expand...

Dont care who does them was wondering how you/they do them.
 
Bwringer, I have always used that approach, with excellent results. Although I think I have mounted my last tire, after wrestling with my first tubeless tire on my KZ.
 
Shoot, I actually think tubeless tires are easier to deal with than rassling tubes. I haven't pinched a tube since my early bicycle days, but there's always the possibility.

Breaking the bead on a tubeless is kind of a pain, but the right tool makes this a non-issue.

I had to remove and replace the radial rear tire on my VX800 a couple of months ago to put an internal patch on a tiny pinhole, and I was amazed at how much easier it was to deal with the lighter, much more flexible radial tire.
 
I always check the bearings in mine when I mount new tires. Since they are as frictionless as any I use a 1/2" extension and a set of auto stands to do the balancing. I've never had one bounce on me yet. I have never bothered looking for the heavy spot in the wheel before mounting the tire. Yeah you might use a little more weight put 10 vs 20 grams, BIG DEAL. A balanced tire is a balanced tyre.
 
Brian, Joe Nardy has a very similar set-up for checking the wheel/tire weight.

Our annual tire "parties" tend to be a long event, but you have to consider that there's quite a few of us. And after having to replace my own tires at home, it really isn't that great of an ordeal. I don't consider it pinching pennies in the least. Just chalk it up to more necessary experience since my bike is going the way of the dinosaur!:)

Oh, and to answer the question, we always check the wheel's weight before mounting a new tire and mark the heaviest point as stated.

Brad bt
 
fgh said:
I always check the bearings in mine when I mount new tires. Since they are as frictionless as any I use a 1/2" extension and a set of auto stands to do the balancing. I've never had one bounce on me yet. I have never bothered looking for the heavy spot in the wheel before mounting the tire. Yeah you might use a little more weight put 10 vs 20 grams, BIG DEAL. A balanced tire is a balanced tyre.
Click to expand...

The only problem you have using the 1/2" ext is the wheel will not move as freely when there is not a proper shaft in there to let the "balancer" do its job. Imagine a blown up version of ure setup with a smaller axel. The wheel will always rest on to top of the shaft and not rotate around on the bearings on the balancer. in our shop we have 9 different size shafts to do that job and then we still find wierd size ones. thats when we bring out axle with cones on it that move in and out to suit the with of the bearings. Food for thought? Sorry to turn this into rocket science, just stying to be helpfull.
 
Thanks "sharpy'! I've considered what you point out. I've thought about building a rig like "bwringer's" but the chucks to hold the wheel centered on the shaft would be hard to come by and I don't have the equipment or know how to make them.

For poops and grins I bought a 2" steel ball and one of those surface levels that you put on a flat surface to check its level in all directions. The Aspy is going to need a rear soon so I'll put the wheel with the newly mounted tire on the ball then the level on the wheel and do a static balance. It seems like it will help to find the balance if you have more than one heavy spot.

Thanks!! Seeya on the highway.

COME ON BIKE WEEK!!!
 
bradleymaynar said:
Brian, Joe Nardy has a very similar set-up for checking the wheel/tire weight.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's exactly where I got the idea for using the skate bearings. As I always say, when in doubt, do what Joe does.

The skate bearings have FAR less rolling resistance than even the finest wheel bearing. You can take an extra minute or two and achieve exruciatingly accurate balancing.

The shop spin balancers are simply a bit faster, require less of the shop monkey's attention, and little to no skill is required -- just stick on whatever the computer tells you to and get it out the door. They are not nearly as accurate as static balancing, but they are normally good enough. Unless the machine is miscalibrated, or Spanky the Tire Monkey is daydreaming about his next bag of weed.

Truth be told, the balance can be off by a rather large amount before the rider would ever notice. Cutting 1/4 ounce weights in half is obsessive-compulsive behavior. But dangit, I feel much better knowing it was done The Right Way.

By mounting my own tires, I save a substantial amount of money and I have access to a wider range of fresher tires from several large suppliers, instead of whatever's been moldering on the back shelf at the local bike shoppe.

But the main reason is that I want to know that the mounting and balancing were done right, using the proper materials (such as real tire lube and not a homemade concoction), the wheels were properly cleaned for proper bead seating, and the balancing was done correctly. It's my hide on the line, and frankly, I just don't trust the stoned burnouts at the local bike shops.
 
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fgh said:
Thanks "sharpy'! I've considered what you point out. I've thought about building a rig like "bwringer's" but the chucks to hold the wheel centered on the shaft would be hard to come by and I don't have the equipment or know how to make them.
Click to expand...

What chucks? Just stick the axle back in the wheel and plunk the whole mess onto the bearings. Exactitude is not required.

Two bearings on each end will accommodate any size axle.
 
bwringer said:
What chucks? Just stick the axle back in the wheel and plunk the whole mess onto the bearings. Exactitude is not required.

Two bearings on each end will accommodate any size axle.
Click to expand...

Seems like the axle isn't long enough. I'll hafta take a second look next time I've got'em off!!
 
fgh said:
Seems like the axle isn't long enough. I'll hafta take a second look next time I've got'em off!!
Click to expand...

With the set-up that Brian (and Joe) use, it's just a matter of making sure that the two sides are square. If they're too wide, you just move them closer and check squareness.

Brad bt
 
Both front and rear axles are plenty long to use the type of homemade balancer shown.

The only sad part is that, in the spirit of cheapness, I had to wait a few months until one of my co-workers changed out the bearings in his Rollerblades. Out of the 20 used bearings, I tossed out 8 or 9 that weren't perfectly smooth.

The jack stands were obviously an old spare set, and the brackets were left over from... something or other. I had two of them anyway. A little grinder work turned the slot into a notch so an axle could rotate freely.

I also had the 8mm stainless allen head bolts and washers sitting around. Since I didn't have any 8mm nuts, I drilled and tapped the brackets. The brackets are held onto the jack stands via old GS valve cover bolts threaded into drilled and tapped 6mm holes. I bashed the tops of the jack stands sorta flat with Mr. Big Hammer.

I think Joe made his balancers from a couple of hunks of 4X4. Use whatever's around. It doesn't matter if the angles or heights are slightly off, other than the axles will eventually walk off the bearings if they're really cattywompus.

Total spent: $0.00 \\:D/
bal_stands3.jpg
 
I drop an extra axle into my bench vise and level it with a float. No shakes, even at 120MPH\\:D/
 
I second mixongw.

I second mixongw.

II also use the ceramic beads in my tires and it seams to work great.
 
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