*shoes. And really? My fake Yezzzeeeiis really throw you off? Me wearing them as a bit of laugh when I'm working on my bike is a thought someone has actually had? That's very precious. I'll find some stilettos next time. It's not about the shoes mate.
doing this for years, the difference is i use old speed sensors' magnet, attach it to the spoke to do the job. the good thing is you can adjust the position of the magnet along the spoke to get a very fine adjustment. if you need more counter weight then move the magnet toward the rim, need less then move the magnet toward the hub.
Many thanks, been searching for "how to oil bicycle" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Viyackson Yenacob Review - (search on google ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my friend got cool results with it.
An absolute eye opener. I recently spent $2000 on a wheelset for my old Orbea TT bike. But instead of the hoped for improvement and prep for Ironman in December, it just felt so horrible and even unsafe. I was about to take off the wheels and sell them and just put my old cheap ones back on. For 4 years I never had an issue with the bike, but now I did not only have a $2000 problem, but well meaning people telling me how I had the wrong tyre pressure, how I had to practice more, had to get used to it or even that it was windy, when really it wasn't. And IMWA can be windy anyway, so it has to still be right. Fortunately I went to bike frame restoration specialist to have one last look to see if there was a fault. 12 grams of little lead weights later, and I finally love my bike again. So simple. But why doesn't everyone know this? The shop where I bought the wheels plus one other where I went for help did not mention this at all. They were both high end stores. Really very disappointing when you spend this sort of money. So thank you so much for the video. It is by far the best on the subject that I have found so I can "enlighten" others.
I have been balancing my wheels for years with great results. Once you have figured out the weight and location, I like to put the weight inside the rim for a cleaner look. You can also move the tire around to balance the wheel too, as tires are never evenly balanced. There will be a small amount needed to fine tune after you add the internal weight and lead solder rapped around a spoke is a super clean way to finish it off.
Hey y'all, I know it's a bit late - a mate of mine put weights on the outside of his zipps like Shane does here. The rims both expanded at that point after a race with long downhills. I think there is an impact where the weights cool the inside of the rim, causing the brake track to get hotter as it can't spread the heat as well to the area with the weights stuck to it. I am really interested in this topic and will be balancing my wheels, however I think somehow I will be weighting inside the rim tape on the spoke nipple holes. YMMV. Thanks Shane!
If you use tubes, you can try to place the counter weights below the rim tape or - as I did - glue them within the rim bed onto the rim tape. I had to use a good sticky tape ("Tesa Gewebeband") to attach them securely. However, this makes the weights invisible und does not influence aerodynamics. Thank you Shane for the hints with the golf club weights!
Good one Shane. I've never weighed a valve stem, but most (all?) I've seen were brass and in addition to the tube reinforcement in that area I'd guess would weigh around the amount you're adding. It would be interesting to cut up an old tube where the stem area starts and then weigh it. It will mean your balance will be affected if you change valve stem lengths ;) I don't believe there's much, if any, special reinforcement around wheel valve stem holes. In alloy rims they simply roll, weld, then drill the rim extrusions. I've not noticed any reinforcement in modern CF rims either, indeed I don't think they will even know where the hole will be when they drop it on the spoke drilling machine. I'm sure this video will create a lot of interest, so well done. Edit: What the heck, just before posting I cut up and weighed a short valve stem and it weighed 6 grams. I'd expect a long one to weigh 10-12 grams
Omg.....best eye opening video ive seen in ages also. Just shows you how low tech can resolve a big problem that even expensive wheel manufacturers overlook I think with ignorance. Gonna check my Zonda's....... 14grams seems to be the answer opposite valve..... Cheers for the very helpful vlog..
I balanced both rear and front wheels. What a difference it makes! It feels smooth on both on the road and Zwifting on the roller smart trainer. Thanks, Shane!
What an excellent topic and great explanation on how to fix it. Thank you, Shane! I know my road bike's wheels need balancing, I actually went back to the store when I'd just bought it and asked if that was normal. After being told that it was normal, I thought that was the end of it. I hadn't stopped to think about how it should also be possible to balance these, so this was a great news flash for me. Your channel has been absolute gold to me, man. Thank you for your time and effort!
Holy shit, I've been living with this shaking on my back wheel for a while. I've experienced some extremely scary speed wobbles because of this. Thanks.
Good Video 👍 I have balancing my Weels also . After hevy Speed Wobbles on my Road Bike at 46 km/h . Ich put a String of Lead sheet from my Roofer Frend . And cut it to a 15 mm to 130 mm String … ( may be 10 Grams Weight ) And glue it strait of the Rim Tape . And put a other new peace of Rim Tape above. Put the Tube and Tire on an nobody can see the Balance Weight inside . And it works Great 👍
Nice video! I have been doing this for many years as well. At first I tried wrapping a fine strand of copper wire around the spoke. What I settled on was to twist electronic solder onto the spoke itself. Electronic solder comes in many diameters, so don't get the thin stuff. The one downside is that there is a rosin core in electronic solder. It is such a minimal amount that the only drawback has been a slight stickiness on the spoke and solder over time. The other downside to solder is that it contains lead and one should be mindful of lead toxicity. Latex gloves or proper hand cleaning is warranted. Whether a wire strand or solder, when spun on the spoke it ends up like a compressed spring wrapped around it. This works surprisingly well and provides a wide range of adjustment and no worries about adhesive weights or interfering with the rim braking surface. Also, if the tire ends up being another source of the balance issue, once the tire is changed and not mounted in the exact position as before, the wheel may be again out of balance. The adhesive weights may be troublesome to remove after the adhesive dries and is further baked on from the sun. The electronic solder "spring" can be easily unspun from the spoke and spun back on a new counter balance point. Other metal wire may be more difficult. In either case it is still possible to make it easy to re-balance the wheel for on-road tire replacements, where a few minutes of re-balance keeps your ride running smooth for the remainder of the ride. The melting temperature of solder is not a concern and keeps it shape around the spoke. If things get hot enough to melt solder, we've got other serious issues to be concerned about :)
I've been doing this for years since my loaded bike became a basket ball at about 40 mph on a down hill, giving much entertainment for passing cars. The cause was the required wheel reflectors. 3-M reflective tape and solder balancing did the trick.
Mate you are killing it with these videos. Not many people on here giving a real enthusiasts POV when it comes to bikes. I'm gonna go sort my rear wheel out coz now I know what's been causing that awful rattling at speed! Cheers!
I have this problem and it's driving me crazy! I balance my drone propellers so I don't know why I didn't think to balance my wheel like this. But now I know. This also made me think the little valve nut rings I bought are most likely making my wheels even more unbalanced. You made me realize a few good things in this video and I thank you for that!
Even if you don't race, looks like it might make a difference in stability if you ride in an area with a lot of downhills. Cars and motorcycles don't just balance for efficiency, that shaking gets quite noticeable at highway speeds.
Thanks a million for the clip. Both my 404 and 808 clinchers were way out of balance. I purchased lead tape from my local Dicks Sporting Goods in the Golf section for $9.99. Balanced both wheels, went for a ride and man what a dream. Like rolling on a sheet of ice. Not even the slightest vibration. Helps big time in the group, by allowing me to hold an even MORE stable line. Why did I NOT do this sooner. I used the same exact technique that I use when I balance propellors for my drones. 12 & 6, 3 & 9. I can stop the wheel at any angle and it stays in place.
Add the weights to the inside of the wheel and the tube will hold it in place. If you are tubeless just use a slight amount of 5 min epoxy to secure the weights permanently in place. Thanks for the video Shane!
Nice Video, And a couple of tips as a Cyclist and an engineer: 1- the further out "From the hub" the more effect the weight has, so on the Zipp 808 you had put the weight on the carbon which is about 84 mm closer hub than the tire, maybe you could have gone for less Weight if you managed to stick them a lil higher . "say under the rim tape for example" but it will be an exhausting task to remove the tire +tube+rim rape to add or remove wieghts😂 2- any change in the tube,tire,valve length will affect the balance , So only do it on the minimum valve length that allows you to pump it easy , this reduced the valve extender imbalance in the 1st place. hope these 2 made sense 😉
It's not just about energy efficence. It's also a matter of comfort and noise! 😃 I don't like that noise when an unbalanced wheel is in resonance with the bike.
Just bought some race wheels that seemed to be absolutely perfectly balanced 'til I put the valves and tyres on. Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense that a 75mm valve would weigh enough to throw the balance off, surprised it's not taken into account when building.
Oz Cycle runs tubes and he puts the tack at the rim where he's gonna put the weights under his tubes. The tire comes off, the weights get put on the inside of the rim, the tube gets put on top, and filled up with air. Weights in place and no chance of them moving or being seen. I like the method myself. It guarantees the best mechanical as well as cosmetic method and I like to keep a tube underneath my seat with a CO2 cartridge so I can fix flats just in case. Tubeless is cool, but around town in Florida, there's a major thorn problem and thorn resistant tubes are a must. Oh, the spare tube isn't a TR tube, it's just to get me home where I can patch the TR tube. I'm riding a '79 Schwinn Le Tour and have about $300 in it: new wheels, tires, derailleurs, freewheel, cables, chain and brake levers plus an odometer combo. Weighs 37 lbs. and is a ton of fun to ride. I'll be balancing my wheels and you can bet I won't be buying any golf club weights. I'll just put the tack underneath the rubber spoke strap protector.
Under the tyre won't work for tubular wheels where the tyre is mounted directly to the rim. It'd deform the shape, among other issues. For clinchers, or tubeless this might be a neater option I agree.
i'm in Melbourne i have a 80 dollar road bike i ride it all the time and by watching your video I've learned so much and my bike is much better to ride now because of what i learnt form you love your videos and thank you for teaching me cool thing
dude...simply your best video by far!!!have the same problem on my training bike will be giving this a go...Raul has lost some weight since we last saw him,hope he is doing ok
Excellent video. Every wheel must be balanced. Btw, no matter how much a wheel cost, their will be an Imbalance due to even the tire plys. That’s why when you replace tires on a car, it always need to be balanced. Whether you buy a premium tire like Michelin or a cheap tire like Kumho. They both go thru the same balancing process. So basically even if they rim is balanced, it still needs to be balanced due to the valve stem and tire weights. And no matter what your doing as per riding, wheels need to be balanced. The bouncing of the tire causes improper tire wear.
I have thought about wheel balance since I bought my first road bike 5 years ago. I had always noticed the wheels always dropped, downward, on the valve stems weight. And that wobble they get , I thought, had to be affecting the ride efficiency. This video just quantifies that I need to balance them. I plan on finding the correct weight(or as close as I can get to it), and then removing the tire and installing the weights under the rim strip. No need to give my competitors the same edge :D
Just seen this....Shane...you are spot-on.....I had to add weight to my carbon wheels...I found if I added weight to the spokes ( adjacent to rim ...and I used tennis racket lead / adhesive weights )...added to three spokes ....major weight to the spoke near opposite to valve ....diminishing outward had same effect .paint em black ....keeps your wheels looking clean and mean .
On rough/sticky hubs, don't put it in a stand, rotate wiggle the axle back and forth to prevent it from requiring to overcome static inertia, the extra speed in the hub also makes the hub rotate more easily. I've been balancing my wheels since 2014.
Go tubeless. The sealing fluid also has the effect, after a short distance, of balancing the wheel. Using sealant fluid for this purpose means that the wheel remains balanced even as the tyre wears so you don't have to keep checking or replacing weights.
Terrific video Shane. Essential viewing for anyone who doesn't believe that bicycle wheels need to be balanced! 14g on wheels that expensive is shocking, and the nasty effect thereof was amply demonstrated. The relatively cheap alloys I have (Pacenti SL25 rims on Hope pro 4 hubs) needed 5g front and 3g rear, using golf club weights like you used. I reckon this imbalance was entirely due to a heavy spot in the tyres rather than the rims as the settling point for each wheel was way off the rim joint or the valve stem. Even with such a small imbalance, putting it right makes a noticeable difference to the ride quality. I purchased a pack of 8 weight strips like yours for £3 and still have 5 left. Compare that to Silca's kit, mentioned elsewhere in comments, at £35!......
Put the valve on one side, the weight on the other, so they horizontally oppose - then just let go of the wheel. Which ever side falls to the bottom has the greater amount of weight.
That's a real eye opener. It may be the cause of wheel wobble at higher speeds, like a descent. At the very least it could also be the cause of premature bearing failure. Good catch.
It's difficult to measure those variables... but the bike doesn't shake. I can confirm that. If we can come up with a way to measure energy saved/lost in doing this, I'll cover it on the channel.
Excellent video and made me test my wheels straight away. Outcome was that weights are now ordered for my Roval 60s. Tested them and it was like the Roval 40s you tested, way off and centered on the valve. Got to test the wife's TT 58s now...
That is an incredible insight. I just bought a new set of Fulcrum 4 wheels and will test them for balance now that I’ve seen this. Your jig looks like a fairly standard Thule roof rack accessory which is clever. Innovative use of golf club weights. Great video.
Saw this and went to my bike with some older aluminium wheels, span them, and wow, that wobble is huge! As someone else mentioned, the front wheel has a magnet on it, so I just moved that so it's opposite, and that helped. Next stop: golf weights you linked! Looking forward to what it does to the handling, ignoring the efficiency issue. The amount of wobble I felt through the frame was pretty strong.
Improper wheel balancing is also a possible contributor to high speed wobble (subject of much debate), which can be pretty scary and dangerous. If you ride fast descents this is definitely worth 5 bucks and an hour in the garage. I knew my pro-lites were unbalanced but didn't worry about it until I rode an 85kph descent. The bike felt like it was trying to escape!
Shane - terrific video - thank you very much. It is truly astonishing that high end carbon bike wheels do not come balanced. Of course the tube and tire can affect the balance so perhaps the manufacturer has few options...but still your solution is nice.
That is a tech/hack video for the ages. Shane you're a Legend. I thought my Aeolus 5 tubulars were unbalanced because of the glue. This ebay seller will soon go out of stock!
Shane, Another great video. It might be also good to point out to people that the root cause of wheel radial inbalance may be that the wheel is not round with uneven spoke tension, that also results in uneven mass distribution. So it may not always be caused by mass at the valve (hole or stem).
Hi Shane You got me on to this some time ago,many thanks for that.I bought a sheet of thin lead from a plumbing shop.They use it for flashing around plumbing fixtures (not baring themselves to the general public) I just cut off whatever I need and stick it on the rim.It cost bugger all and I have enough to last a life time.A change of tyre or tube will generally require a rebalance going by my experience.I've got a nice set of Enve's that have a horrible shake in the rear wheel,this video has given me a kick in the bum to go and glance them. Great work mate. I use silicon as the adhesive and like you cover with black duct tape 👍
Whale oil beef hooked... I've just grabbed my bike, did the same rear wheel spin you did and massive shaking. Grabbed the missus' cheaper bike and bloody hell, no wonder she smiles so much riding hers. Guess what I'm doing in about ten minutes? Excellent video Shane.
Yep, that looks nice. They were ripped a new one in the comments of their UA-cam video too.... hence why I rolled out the big gun, Raoul, to add some weight behind why this is a good idea. :)
Whilst balancing wheels is unlikely to do any harm, the tests done in the video are not representative of normal bike use. For a start, in the video the wheel is largely unconstrained. When riding the wheel/tire is subject to a normal force dependent on the weight of the rider. The tire is also acting as a spring and damper between the wheel and road which will complicate things. Just like wheel wobble on a car, the problem is most noticeable when the rotational speed coincides with natural frequency of the rest of the system. This is generally referred to as resonance. At this frequency a small excitation force can cause large oscillations if not damped. Increasing or decreasing the rotational speed will result in much less wobble as will any damping forces. In the video there is little damping and the wheel appears to be spun up until it hits resonance. The frame stiffness, rider weight and tyre compliance will all affect what the resonant frequency is and therefore what speed maximum wobble occurs. It might be worth repeating the experiment with and without balancing weights, but while riding on rollers and comparing any vibrations at the dropout. Out of curiosity, I just tried spinning up the rear wheel on my Giant Defy Advanced 2 while it was loosely clamped by the seat post on a bike stand. I didn’t get any significant vibrations.
As soon as I have a few minutes with my bike I'll follow your steps! I noticed while making adjustments to my bike how much it shaked due to spinning the wheels and didn't know the problem. Thank you so much
Great Vid Shane, Had shaking front wheel at top speed on all my track wheels and found about wheel balancing but didnt know of a precise way to fix. Used speed sensor magnetic but not close enough. This is simple and perfect.
Thank you Shane! Always wondered what not felt quite "right" about my tubular race wheels. No you got me covered. Instantly ordered some weights. I have the feeling that this issue is even worse for most tubular wheels, because of the glue adding another variable into the mix.
Shane...excellent video. Very educational indeed. Certainly worth watching. I have a couple of wheels that are like Von's...wheel balancing here I come. Good on you Shane...cheers, Gaz.
Points from car wheel balansing. They but them just like in this video. On hub/axel side> then adhesive will stick harder and harder faster you spin the wheel. If someone but balansing weights inside tyre> they will spinout easyer and cut innertube.
Let me know how you go. Even if you can't feel it on the ride, I'm sure it's a worthy task to get your hands dirty... and to ensure your energy is going into moving forward.
Shane Miller i haven't fixed the giant wheels yet but had a look at my stans alpha wheels. there was a slight imbalance but it was largely already offset by a repaired tube im using. the patch and glue in the tube directly opposite the valve stem (yes i punctured the tube installing tyre).
Im here because i was just out in my garage setting my front derailleur and when i spun my rear wheel the whole bike wanted to fly off my work stand!…. I work on cars and im well aware of wheel balancing and was shocked at how out of whack bike wheels are! After it did that i tried on all my other wheels ( 6) and they were all equally bad, cant believe his is not addressed more often , if just for the better quality ride on smooth tarmac! And amazing at how few videos there are talking about it. Sure, its hot making you faster, but it has to be smoother going todo en the road to have balanced wheels, no?
Thanks for this video Shane. I bought some Zipp 808's last year off ebay, and with the valve extenders, the wheels really hop around. Soon to be no more! Awesome info!
Shane Miller Took my bike to my LBS for this very problem, so bad on a pair of Shimano RS81's I couldn't descend at any decent speed. For $99 they told me the wheels are true and that I should shift my weight further back. Golf weights ordered!
LBS are about shifting the weight out of your pocket.... but that's business. Luckily there's UA-cam and the Internets for us nutters for detail to talk about our little projects. :)
This is probably the most informative and eye opening cycling video I've watched on youtube in a long time. Thanks for the tips!
full of wisdom,but wearing the most hyped up shows throws me off
*shoes. And really? My fake Yezzzeeeiis really throw you off? Me wearing them as a bit of laugh when I'm working on my bike is a thought someone has actually had? That's very precious. I'll find some stilettos next time. It's not about the shoes mate.
Shane Miller How do you wear shows??
this was definitely interesting...probably too much effort for me, but very interesting.
I so much agree! I've been cycling for decades and only now I learn about this. Thank you so much Shane!
doing this for years, the difference is i use old speed sensors' magnet, attach it to the spoke to do the job.
the good thing is you can adjust the position of the magnet along the spoke to get a very fine adjustment. if you need more counter weight then move the magnet toward the rim, need less then move the magnet toward the hub.
Great tip, man! Thank you for sharing.
Many thanks, been searching for "how to oil bicycle" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Viyackson Yenacob Review - (search on google ) ? Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my friend got cool results with it.
I'm guessing this is how car tires are balanced
I've been a bike mechanic for 6 years running my own business, and I've learned something today! excellent work shane👍
One of the best videos I have seen in months. Thanks Shane. My rear Zipp60 is as bad as that Roval. Off to get some weights !
An absolute eye opener. I recently spent $2000 on a wheelset for my old Orbea TT bike. But instead of the hoped for improvement and prep for Ironman in December, it just felt so horrible and even unsafe.
I was about to take off the wheels and sell them and just put my old cheap ones back on. For 4 years I never had an issue with the bike, but now I did not only have a $2000 problem, but well meaning people telling me how I had the wrong tyre pressure, how I had to practice more, had to get used to it or even that it was windy, when really it wasn't. And IMWA can be windy anyway, so it has to still be right.
Fortunately I went to bike frame restoration specialist to have one last look to see if there was a fault. 12 grams of little lead weights later, and I finally love my bike again. So simple. But why doesn't everyone know this? The shop where I bought the wheels plus one other where I went for help did not mention this at all. They were both high end stores. Really very disappointing when you spend this sort of money.
So thank you so much for the video. It is by far the best on the subject that I have found so I can "enlighten" others.
I have been balancing my wheels for years with great results. Once you have figured out the weight and location, I like to put the weight inside the rim for a cleaner look. You can also move the tire around to balance the wheel too, as tires are never evenly balanced. There will be a small amount needed to fine tune after you add the internal weight and lead solder rapped around a spoke is a super clean way to finish it off.
Hey y'all, I know it's a bit late - a mate of mine put weights on the outside of his zipps like Shane does here. The rims both expanded at that point after a race with long downhills. I think there is an impact where the weights cool the inside of the rim, causing the brake track to get hotter as it can't spread the heat as well to the area with the weights stuck to it. I am really interested in this topic and will be balancing my wheels, however I think somehow I will be weighting inside the rim tape on the spoke nipple holes. YMMV. Thanks Shane!
My Campagnolo Zonda's came perfectly balanced. They put counterweight on the other side of the valve inside the rim.
Excellent! Good work Campy!
www.campagnolo.com/JP/en/Technologies/dynamic_balance
That's the system.
I actually have Zondas on my CAAD10 and didn't even know, great to read!
My Shamal Ultras came also perfectly balanced. They watch out for details. Maybe that's the reason why they subjectively roll so nice.
Same story with my fulcrum racing 3's. (Rebranded zondas.)
Wow! That was an awesome vid Shane.
That must make descending at high speed so much smoother and safer! Smooth is fast!
Except when those damn deer jump out and disrupt the rhythm! :)
@@gplama We have lots of rabbits that dart across the trails here in Vegas, sometimes snakes...
Most useful GP Lama video ever. 👍🏻
If you use tubes, you can try to place the counter weights below the rim tape or - as I did - glue them within the rim bed onto the rim tape. I had to use a good sticky tape ("Tesa Gewebeband") to attach them securely. However, this makes the weights invisible und does not influence aerodynamics. Thank you Shane for the hints with the golf club weights!
Good one Shane. I've never weighed a valve stem, but most (all?) I've seen were brass and in addition to the tube reinforcement in that area I'd guess would weigh around the amount you're adding. It would be interesting to cut up an old tube where the stem area starts and then weigh it. It will mean your balance will be affected if you change valve stem lengths ;)
I don't believe there's much, if any, special reinforcement around wheel valve stem holes. In alloy rims they simply roll, weld, then drill the rim extrusions. I've not noticed any reinforcement in modern CF rims either, indeed I don't think they will even know where the hole will be when they drop it on the spoke drilling machine.
I'm sure this video will create a lot of interest, so well done.
Edit: What the heck, just before posting I cut up and weighed a short valve stem and it weighed 6 grams. I'd expect a long one to weigh 10-12 grams
Omg.....best eye opening video ive seen in ages also. Just shows you how low tech can resolve a big problem that even expensive wheel manufacturers overlook I think with ignorance. Gonna check my Zonda's....... 14grams seems to be the answer opposite valve.....
Cheers for the very helpful vlog..
I balanced both rear and front wheels. What a difference it makes! It feels smooth on both on the road and Zwifting on the roller smart trainer. Thanks, Shane!
Real eye opener, observed the exact same issue with my current bike not knowing what it was, seeing this helped me fix it completely. Cheers Shane!
What an excellent topic and great explanation on how to fix it. Thank you, Shane!
I know my road bike's wheels need balancing, I actually went back to the store when I'd just bought it and asked if that was normal. After being told that it was normal, I thought that was the end of it. I hadn't stopped to think about how it should also be possible to balance these, so this was a great news flash for me.
Your channel has been absolute gold to me, man. Thank you for your time and effort!
Holy shit, I've been living with this shaking on my back wheel for a while. I've experienced some extremely scary speed wobbles because of this. Thanks.
Good Video 👍
I have balancing my Weels also .
After hevy Speed Wobbles on my Road Bike at 46 km/h .
Ich put a String of Lead sheet from my Roofer Frend . And cut it to a 15 mm to 130 mm String … ( may be 10 Grams Weight )
And glue it strait of the Rim Tape . And put a other new peace of Rim Tape above.
Put the Tube and Tire on an nobody can see the Balance Weight inside . And it works Great 👍
Great video, Shane! I never would have thought the problem could be that bad, especially on new expensive wheels
Nice video! I have been doing this for many years as well. At first I tried wrapping a fine strand of copper wire around the spoke. What I settled on was to twist electronic solder onto the spoke itself. Electronic solder comes in many diameters, so don't get the thin stuff. The one downside is that there is a rosin core in electronic solder. It is such a minimal amount that the only drawback has been a slight stickiness on the spoke and solder over time. The other downside to solder is that it contains lead and one should be mindful of lead toxicity. Latex gloves or proper hand cleaning is warranted.
Whether a wire strand or solder, when spun on the spoke it ends up like a compressed spring wrapped around it. This works surprisingly well and provides a wide range of adjustment and no worries about adhesive weights or interfering with the rim braking surface.
Also, if the tire ends up being another source of the balance issue, once the tire is changed and not mounted in the exact position as before, the wheel may be again out of balance. The adhesive weights may be troublesome to remove after the adhesive dries and is further baked on from the sun. The electronic solder "spring" can be easily unspun from the spoke and spun back on a new counter balance point. Other metal wire may be more difficult. In either case it is still possible to make it easy to re-balance the wheel for on-road tire replacements, where a few minutes of re-balance keeps your ride running smooth for the remainder of the ride.
The melting temperature of solder is not a concern and keeps it shape around the spoke. If things get hot enough to melt solder, we've got other serious issues to be concerned about :)
I've been doing this for years since my loaded bike became a basket ball at about 40 mph on a down hill, giving much entertainment for passing cars. The cause was the required wheel reflectors. 3-M reflective tape and solder balancing did the trick.
Mate you are killing it with these videos. Not many people on here giving a real enthusiasts POV when it comes to bikes. I'm gonna go sort my rear wheel out coz now I know what's been causing that awful rattling at speed! Cheers!
I have this problem and it's driving me crazy! I balance my drone propellers so I don't know why I didn't think to balance my wheel like this. But now I know. This also made me think the little valve nut rings I bought are most likely making my wheels even more unbalanced. You made me realize a few good things in this video and I thank you for that!
Even if you don't race, looks like it might make a difference in stability if you ride in an area with a lot of downhills. Cars and motorcycles don't just balance for efficiency, that shaking gets quite noticeable at highway speeds.
It's not just stability, out of balance shaking increases stress on wheel bearings, spokes, rim and frame. Definitely worth doing for any bike.
Thanks a million for the clip. Both my 404 and 808 clinchers were way out of balance. I purchased lead tape from my local Dicks Sporting Goods in the Golf section for $9.99. Balanced both wheels, went for a ride and man what a dream. Like rolling on a sheet of ice. Not even the slightest vibration. Helps big time in the group, by allowing me to hold an even MORE stable line. Why did I NOT do this sooner. I used the same exact technique that I use when I balance propellors for my drones. 12 & 6, 3 & 9. I can stop the wheel at any angle and it stays in place.
Add the weights to the inside of the wheel and the tube will hold it in place. If you are tubeless just use a slight amount of 5 min epoxy to secure the weights permanently in place. Thanks for the video Shane!
fookin el lad keep it up
Excellent information, Shane!
Wonderful hack video Shane. I'll be checking this on my wheelset this evening. Every bit of comfort and loss in efficiency is worth investigating.
Nice Video, And a couple of tips as a Cyclist and an engineer:
1- the further out "From the hub" the more effect the weight has, so on the Zipp 808 you had put the weight on the carbon which is about 84 mm closer hub than the tire, maybe you could have gone for less Weight if you managed to stick them a lil higher . "say under the rim tape for example"
but it will be an exhausting task to remove the tire +tube+rim rape to add or remove wieghts😂
2- any change in the tube,tire,valve length will affect the balance , So only do it on the minimum valve length that allows you to pump it easy , this reduced the valve extender imbalance in the 1st place.
hope these 2 made sense 😉
This sure deserves a thumbs up, very good job Shane
It's not just about energy efficence. It's also a matter of comfort and noise! 😃 I don't like that noise when an unbalanced wheel is in resonance with the bike.
Your presentation of this topic is very well Balanced.
🥁
But, it did indeed help me. My rear wheel did womp when i checked it, thought it was out of round. Thank you.
Just bought some race wheels that seemed to be absolutely perfectly balanced 'til I put the valves and tyres on. Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense that a 75mm valve would weigh enough to throw the balance off, surprised it's not taken into account when building.
Oz Cycle runs tubes and he puts the tack at the rim where he's gonna put the weights under his tubes. The tire comes off, the weights get put on the inside of the rim, the tube gets put on top, and filled up with air. Weights in place and no chance of them moving or being seen.
I like the method myself. It guarantees the best mechanical as well as cosmetic method and I like to keep a tube underneath my seat with a CO2 cartridge so I can fix flats just in case. Tubeless is cool, but around town in Florida, there's a major thorn problem and thorn resistant tubes are a must. Oh, the spare tube isn't a TR tube, it's just to get me home where I can patch the TR tube.
I'm riding a '79 Schwinn Le Tour and have about $300 in it: new wheels, tires, derailleurs, freewheel, cables, chain and brake levers plus an odometer combo. Weighs 37 lbs. and is a ton of fun to ride. I'll be balancing my wheels and you can bet I won't be buying any golf club weights. I'll just put the tack underneath the rubber spoke strap protector.
Under the tyre won't work for tubular wheels where the tyre is mounted directly to the rim. It'd deform the shape, among other issues. For clinchers, or tubeless this might be a neater option I agree.
most informative video I've watched on wheels, thanks
Thanks so much for making this video. I had horrible shakes on my Enves and thought it was normal. Not anymore. You are awesome man!
Great video I'm building a motorbike and my rear wheel was shaking so I decided I'm going to balance it.thank u
i'm in Melbourne i have a 80 dollar road bike i ride it all the time and by watching your video I've learned so much and my bike is much better to ride now because of what i learnt form you love your videos and thank you for teaching me cool thing
dude...simply your best video by far!!!have the same problem on my training bike will be giving this a go...Raul has lost some weight since we last saw him,hope he is doing ok
Raoul is all about the marginal gains! Working on his w/kg no doubt. :)
Wish i never removed my reflectors now ;)
Excellent video. Every wheel must be balanced. Btw, no matter how much a wheel cost, their will be an Imbalance due to even the tire plys. That’s why when you replace tires on a car, it always need to be balanced. Whether you buy a premium tire like Michelin or a cheap tire like Kumho. They both go thru the same balancing process. So basically even if they rim is balanced, it still needs to be balanced due to the valve stem and tire weights. And no matter what your doing as per riding, wheels need to be balanced. The bouncing of the tire causes improper tire wear.
I remember as a younglin taking at the spokes of my wheels and redoing the wheels all over with the same spokes, what a lot of work. Mad respect
I have thought about wheel balance since I bought my first road bike 5 years ago. I had always noticed the wheels always dropped, downward, on the valve stems weight. And that wobble they get , I thought, had to be affecting the ride efficiency. This video just quantifies that I need to balance them. I plan on finding the correct weight(or as close as I can get to it), and then removing the tire and installing the weights under the rim strip. No need to give my competitors the same edge :D
Awesome video - just learnt to true my wheel and I'll be doing this next! Thanks.
Just seen this....Shane...you are spot-on.....I had to add weight to my carbon wheels...I found if I added weight to the spokes ( adjacent to rim ...and I used tennis racket lead / adhesive weights )...added to three spokes ....major weight to the spoke near opposite to valve ....diminishing outward had same effect .paint em black ....keeps your wheels looking clean and mean .
I've never really given it much thought to the balancing of wheels but on reflection it makes absolute sense. Great video Shane...
On rough/sticky hubs, don't put it in a stand, rotate wiggle the axle back and forth to prevent it from requiring to overcome static inertia, the extra speed in the hub also makes the hub rotate more easily. I've been balancing my wheels since 2014.
Go tubeless. The sealing fluid also has the effect, after a short distance, of balancing the wheel. Using sealant fluid for this purpose means that the wheel remains balanced even as the tyre wears so you don't have to keep checking or replacing weights.
Old White Hair my rear wheel wobbles loads and that's got the liquid in. It probably makes it worse, not better. 50g of sealant sloshing about.
As you go faster the g-force should surely force the liquid outwards stabilising the sealant?
Terrific video Shane. Essential viewing for anyone who doesn't believe that bicycle wheels need to be balanced! 14g on wheels that expensive is shocking, and the nasty effect thereof was amply demonstrated.
The relatively cheap alloys I have (Pacenti SL25 rims on Hope pro 4 hubs) needed 5g front and 3g rear, using golf club weights like you used. I reckon this imbalance was entirely due to a heavy spot in the tyres rather than the rims as the settling point for each wheel was way off the rim joint or the valve stem.
Even with such a small imbalance, putting it right makes a noticeable difference to the ride quality. I purchased a pack of 8 weight strips like yours for £3 and still have 5 left. Compare that to Silca's kit, mentioned elsewhere in comments, at £35!......
Put the valve on one side, the weight on the other, so they horizontally oppose - then just let go of the wheel. Which ever side falls to the bottom has the greater amount of weight.
the comfort change alone will be worth it. i'll be doing that soon. thanks
Old school thing I used to do was put the speed sensor magnet opposite the valve for a similar effect, those magnets are not light!!
Rieger81 and magnets stick to each other so easy to add more weight. I like the silca balance pod
That's a real eye opener. It may be the cause of wheel wobble at higher speeds, like a descent. At the very least it could also be the cause of premature bearing failure. Good catch.
It's difficult to measure those variables... but the bike doesn't shake. I can confirm that. If we can come up with a way to measure energy saved/lost in doing this, I'll cover it on the channel.
Great video, very helpful for the rest of us, the week end bike mechanics. Keep on with your great videos.
Excellent video and made me test my wheels straight away. Outcome was that weights are now ordered for my Roval 60s. Tested them and it was like the Roval 40s you tested, way off and centered on the valve. Got to test the wife's TT 58s now...
That is an incredible insight. I just bought a new set of Fulcrum 4 wheels and will test them for balance now that I’ve seen this. Your jig looks like a fairly standard Thule roof rack accessory which is clever. Innovative use of golf club weights. Great video.
Very interesting, maybe this can explain the issue with my wheels that no mechanics can seem to fix
Get into it.... and keep me posted!
She rode like an absolute dream to uni today, cheers for this sneaky tip Shane
Saw this and went to my bike with some older aluminium wheels, span them, and wow, that wobble is huge! As someone else mentioned, the front wheel has a magnet on it, so I just moved that so it's opposite, and that helped. Next stop: golf weights you linked!
Looking forward to what it does to the handling, ignoring the efficiency issue. The amount of wobble I felt through the frame was pretty strong.
I....Am....Sold! I have the same wheel set and have noticed the bad balance. For the cost of $5 to fix it, I will try it out.
Improper wheel balancing is also a possible contributor to high speed wobble (subject of much debate), which can be pretty scary and dangerous. If you ride fast descents this is definitely worth 5 bucks and an hour in the garage. I knew my pro-lites were unbalanced but didn't worry about it until I rode an 85kph descent. The bike felt like it was trying to escape!
Shane - terrific video - thank you very much. It is truly astonishing that high end carbon bike wheels do not come balanced. Of course the tube and tire can affect the balance so perhaps the manufacturer has few options...but still your solution is nice.
That is a tech/hack video for the ages. Shane you're a Legend. I thought my Aeolus 5 tubulars were unbalanced because of the glue. This ebay seller will soon go out of stock!
Great video mate!
Shane, Another great video. It might be also good to point out to people that the root cause of wheel radial inbalance may be that the wheel is not round with uneven spoke tension, that also results in uneven mass distribution. So it may not always be caused by mass at the valve (hole or stem).
Tested my Fulcrum 0's and 5's and found them to be balanced... Good thing! Thanks for this video Shane!
Hi Shane
You got me on to this some time ago,many thanks for that.I bought a sheet of thin lead from a plumbing shop.They use it for flashing around plumbing fixtures (not baring themselves to the general public) I just cut off whatever I need and stick it on the rim.It cost bugger all and I have enough to last a life time.A change of tyre or tube will generally require a rebalance going by my experience.I've got a nice set of Enve's that have a horrible shake in the rear wheel,this video has given me a kick in the bum to go and glance them. Great work mate.
I use silicon as the adhesive and like you cover with black duct tape 👍
Well, there you have it! No wonder I didn't win the IPWR - I didn't balance my wheels! Thanks for the great video, buying some golf weights right now
Excellent video Shane. I Already balanced my wheels using your method!
My wheels were out of balance but not at the valve strangely!! Fantastic vid.
I wonder if Von can feel the difference of the balanced wheels. maybe a follow up video?
The most educational bike video I have ever watched, Bravo !!!
Whale oil beef hooked... I've just grabbed my bike, did the same rear wheel spin you did and massive shaking. Grabbed the missus' cheaper bike and bloody hell, no wonder she smiles so much riding hers.
Guess what I'm doing in about ten minutes?
Excellent video Shane.
Riding her bike? haha
Send me the results mate!
Shane Miller What results? on the smiler meter? haha before and after pics. His missus will stop riding if he fixes her bike ha
Yep, that looks nice. They were ripped a new one in the comments of their UA-cam video too.... hence why I rolled out the big gun, Raoul, to add some weight behind why this is a good idea. :)
Great video - still one of the best/most informative UA-cam cycling channels out there.
Whilst balancing wheels is unlikely to do any harm, the tests done in the video are not representative of normal bike use.
For a start, in the video the wheel is largely unconstrained. When riding the wheel/tire is subject to a normal force dependent on the weight of the rider. The tire is also acting as a spring and damper between the wheel and road which will complicate things.
Just like wheel wobble on a car, the problem is most noticeable when the rotational speed coincides with natural frequency of the rest of the system. This is generally referred to as resonance. At this frequency a small excitation force can cause large oscillations if not damped. Increasing or decreasing the rotational speed will result in much less wobble as will any damping forces. In the video there is little damping and the wheel appears to be spun up until it hits resonance.
The frame stiffness, rider weight and tyre compliance will all affect what the resonant frequency is and therefore what speed maximum wobble occurs.
It might be worth repeating the experiment with and without balancing weights, but while riding on rollers and comparing any vibrations at the dropout.
Out of curiosity, I just tried spinning up the rear wheel on my Giant Defy Advanced 2 while it was loosely clamped by the seat post on a bike stand. I didn’t get any significant vibrations.
As soon as I have a few minutes with my bike I'll follow your steps!
I noticed while making adjustments to my bike how much it shaked due to spinning the wheels and didn't know the problem.
Thank you so much
My Rapide CLX 60s are as bad as those 40s, and that shakiness always drove me insane... I think I'm gonna try this, Shane. Excellent video
Great Vid Shane, Had shaking front wheel at top speed on all my track wheels and found about wheel balancing but didnt know of a precise way to fix. Used speed sensor magnetic but not close enough. This is simple and perfect.
Incredibly informative and a great vid. I must admit I was worried for your fingers when you would spin the wheel in the jig.
Noticed this the other day on my carbon clinchers and by luck came across this! So informative, cheers!
Nice vid! I put the weight strips under my rim tape... very clean install.
I can hear the prisoners in the exercise yard.
This also has a huge potential for eliminating the "death wobble" on high speed decents
It's a primary school.... same same. (and now I'm murdered for this comment.... great!) :)
Quiet impressive Shane... I will be doing his check now. I know my wheels are off,
Oh great another thing for me to worry about! I've never seen this done before but makes perfect sense. Thanks!
I'm going to see how balanced my wheels are now. Great video Shane, eep them coming.
Thank you Shane! Always wondered what not felt quite "right" about my tubular race wheels. No you got me covered. Instantly ordered some weights. I have the feeling that this issue is even worse for most tubular wheels, because of the glue adding another variable into the mix.
Shane...excellent video. Very educational indeed. Certainly worth watching. I have a couple of wheels that are like Von's...wheel balancing here I come. Good on you Shane...cheers, Gaz.
Points from car wheel balansing. They but them just like in this video. On hub/axel side> then adhesive will stick harder and harder faster you spin the wheel. If someone but balansing weights inside tyre> they will spinout easyer and cut innertube.
looking forward to fixing my wheels i have giant slr0 30mm carbon clinchers and they shake as much as the rovals. great video
Let me know how you go. Even if you can't feel it on the ride, I'm sure it's a worthy task to get your hands dirty... and to ensure your energy is going into moving forward.
Shane Miller i haven't fixed the giant wheels yet but had a look at my stans alpha wheels. there was a slight imbalance but it was largely already offset by a repaired tube im using. the patch and glue in the tube directly opposite the valve stem (yes i punctured the tube installing tyre).
I didn't know anything about wheel balancing.
Thanks Shane I really am learning a lot.
Always thought there was something in a balanced wheel
Great vid
Im here because i was just out in my garage setting my front derailleur and when i spun my rear wheel the whole bike wanted to fly off my work stand!…. I work on cars and im well aware of wheel balancing and was shocked at how out of whack bike wheels are! After it did that i tried on all my other wheels ( 6) and they were all equally bad, cant believe his is not addressed more often , if just for the better quality ride on smooth tarmac! And amazing at how few videos there are talking about it. Sure, its hot making you faster, but it has to be smoother going todo en the road to have balanced wheels, no?
Thanks for this video Shane. I bought some Zipp 808's last year off ebay, and with the valve extenders, the wheels really hop around. Soon to be no more! Awesome info!
At high speed on rollers, this has helped! Thank you!
omg i can't believe you thought of dimpling the weights. this is actually a great idea to do to our bikes
Awesome video Shane, I always believed that bicycle wheels have to be balanced too. I just showed it!
Great vid, I knew how to true and dish a wheel, but balance, now I know!
Shane Miller Took my bike to my LBS for this very problem, so bad on a pair of Shimano RS81's I couldn't descend at any decent speed. For $99 they told me the wheels are true and that I should shift my weight further back. Golf weights ordered!
LBS are about shifting the weight out of your pocket.... but that's business. Luckily there's UA-cam and the Internets for us nutters for detail to talk about our little projects. :)
Rockin the Feezy's again... nice... look comfy as.
+BIGD_OTheVegan feeeeeezy represent! They're nice slippers! 👠👌🏼
awesome stuff shane...never thought it would make such a difference..
Excellent video - just what I needed to know. Thanks.