Magic Beads! (tire balancing beads - yay or nay?)

[tkent02]

Ok !

[bwringer]

Just FYI...

On vintage bikes with aluminum wheels, the wheel's heavy spot is very often NOT where the valve stem is. It's well worth checking this on your olde bikes and perhaps making a subtle mark somewhere to mark the true heavy spot.

Sometime in the '90s, casting technology got a little better and on pretty much all modern bike wheels the heavy spot is indeed at the valve stem, or there's no heavy spot because the wheel is in balance.


Also, some makes and models of tires come from the factory perfectly balanced -- Avon RoadRiders and many Michelins are the ones I've encountered. If you balance the wheel and then install Avon RoadRiders from then on, you won't need to rebalance. (I always check anyway.)

[sharpy]

Quick explanation of balancing. Remove all previous weights. With a axle/rod fitting thru the bearings and hopeing its on free rolling wheels of a balancer give the wheel a slow spin and let it come to rest. Marking the tread with chalk at 12 o'clock (the lightest part of the wheel), bring it down to 3 or 9 o'clock position. Keep adding weight to the rim at the marked area till the wheel stays put in the 9/3 position and doesnt rotate around back to the 12 o'clock position. If done correctly the wheel will stay put in any position you care to place it. Wheel in this instance means wheel/tyre combo. If you are anal like me and others you can check for the heavy spot on a bare rim(180 degrees from lightest spot) as above but please dont add weight yet. You can then mount the tyre with the yellow/red dot at the heaviest part of the rim and proceed as above. Heavy spots on a bare rim dont mean at the valve stem, can be anywhere. Tyres with no Dots you just have to take pot luck as they be in most cases good quality tyres. Tubes are also pot luck and flipping a tube around to try and get a better balance in most cases will drive you mad. I think thats a pretty idiot proof explanation.

[tkent02]

Or you can just toss in a few ounces of beads and go riding.

[Grimly]

Or you can just toss in a few ounces of beads and go riding.

I've been looking for suppliers of 1mm ceramic beads. Seems I need to buy 55lb sacks of them.

[tkent02]

I'd take a 55 lb sack, my last bag ran out and now I'm stuck with using lead because I'm not paying $2 an ounce for industrial grinding beads.

Could split a bag, too bad you're in Ireland. What's the price for 55lbs?

[Grimly]

I'd take a 55 lb sack, my last bag ran out and now I'm stuck with using lead because I'm not paying $2 an ounce for industrial grinding beads.

Could split a bag, too bad you're in Ireland. What's the price for 55lbs?

$9.45 / lb x 55 zirconium oxide

http://www.glenmills.com/wp-content/uploads/gmbeadspricing.pdf

Can't find any in Europe, at least not at a remotely sensible price. Nobody seems interested in the small user.

[shwaz]

I've been looking for suppliers of 1mm ceramic beads. Seems I need to buy 55lb sacks of them.

I also did a brief search when this was mentioned and didn't easily find any small scale suppliers in the US...

But I'll deal with one bike at a time, my 3oz for $15 should arrive on Tuesday and that will do me for this one

[tkent02]

Doesn't work for me, too many tires to do.
And I hate paying ridiculous prices.

[tkent02]

Hmmmm, anyone want to split a bag of these? I can buy a 55 pounder and sell smaller bags for a reasonable price to forum members.

Grimly, I can send a pound or two to Ireland if you want them.

[shwaz]

Find a sack and buy, sell/split to interested parties here?

[tkent02]

Here or on ADV or whatever.
I'll do it if enough people want some.

[Grimly]

Hmmmm, anyone want to split a bag of these? I can buy a 55 pounder and sell smaller bags for a reasonable price to forum members.

Grimly, I can send a pound or two to Ireland if you want them.

Ok, if you get them I'd deffo take a kg or so - in the meantime I've put a couple of queries into Alibaba suppliers who will ship 1kg minimums but wait to see what they quote for the item+shipping.

[sharpy]

Or you can just toss in a few ounces of beads and go riding.

Or just pump the tyres up. throw some oil in the forks and maybe try and remember when i did any filters on the bike. Personally i like to have my bike at peak performance. Not "she be rite mate" attitude.

[tkent02]

Ok, if you get them I'd deffo take a kg or so - in the meantime I've put a couple of queries into Alibaba suppliers who will ship 1kg minimums but wait to see what they quote for the item+shipping.

OK I'd rather buy a KG or two if it's possible. My bag from about eight years ago lasted until now, a lot of bikes have come and gone, most have had beads in the tires.
I think it was maybe 3 or 4 pounds.