Strange vibration
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,167
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From: NE Pennsylvania
Strange vibration
Just got a new rear Metz 880 tire mounted and I notice a strange vibration when I'm riding. It seems as if the bike is "bouncing" about every 3 or 4 seconds as if I'm riding over rough roads.
I really noticed it this weekend when I was riding on a recently resurfaced road where the finish was mirror smooth. The front tire is a bit worn (12k miles) and I'm wondering if the balance on the rear wheel can be the source of the vibration. Is it possible that the worn 19" front tire syncs up with the 16" rear after several revolutions causing them to "shudder" a bit?
I removed the rotor and sprocket before I remounted the rear tire to clean and polish it, but I marked the position of the sprocket and put it back on exactly as I removed it. Should I take the rear wheel back for a rebalance or could it be something else? I don't recall feeling this much vibration before.
Since the tire cost $175 dollars I don't want to cause uneven wear with only a few hundred miles on it. Opinions ???
I really noticed it this weekend when I was riding on a recently resurfaced road where the finish was mirror smooth. The front tire is a bit worn (12k miles) and I'm wondering if the balance on the rear wheel can be the source of the vibration. Is it possible that the worn 19" front tire syncs up with the 16" rear after several revolutions causing them to "shudder" a bit?
I removed the rotor and sprocket before I remounted the rear tire to clean and polish it, but I marked the position of the sprocket and put it back on exactly as I removed it. Should I take the rear wheel back for a rebalance or could it be something else? I don't recall feeling this much vibration before.
Since the tire cost $175 dollars I don't want to cause uneven wear with only a few hundred miles on it. Opinions ???
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: NE Pennsylvania
Bump!! Any ideas?
I put the bike on the lift and spun the rear wheel in 2nd gear up to nearly 40 mph (where I typically feel the vibs) and didn't notice anything unusual. I reset my tensioners and made sure the axle was straight. I then took it for a short ride and still experienced the same problem.
Do you think I should pull the wheel and take it in for a rebalance? The weather's nice and I want to just solve this problem and rack up some miles this summer!!!
I put the bike on the lift and spun the rear wheel in 2nd gear up to nearly 40 mph (where I typically feel the vibs) and didn't notice anything unusual. I reset my tensioners and made sure the axle was straight. I then took it for a short ride and still experienced the same problem.
Do you think I should pull the wheel and take it in for a rebalance? The weather's nice and I want to just solve this problem and rack up some miles this summer!!!
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: NE Pennsylvania
Since we have a chance of storms tomorrow, I put the bike back up on the lift and pulled the rear wheel off. Since it was the last change I made before I noticed the problem, I thought I'd start there. If I find that the rear wheel isn't out of balance, it might just be the front tire. I'm almost down to the wear bars so it won't be much longer before I get a new one.
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From: Honah Lee
Since we have a chance of storms tomorrow, I put the bike back up on the lift and pulled the rear wheel off. Since it was the last change I made before I noticed the problem, I thought I'd start there. If I find that the rear wheel isn't out of balance, it might just be the front tire. I'm almost down to the wear bars so it won't be much longer before I get a new one.
Last edited by Jackie Paper; Jun 21, 2012 at 09:09 PM.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: NE Pennsylvania
I removed the new rear wheel and took it in on Friday to have the balance checked. He ran it 4 times on the balancer and it checked ok. I reinstalled the wheel and took a 150 mile ride Sunday... I noticed the same issue, primarily between 35-45 mph.
When I got back from the Sunday ride, I pulled the front wheel and took it by the shop today. When he initially put it on the balancer, it was off by 2.5 oz and the laced wheel was also tweeked - i.e. out of true. After speaking with the owner, I stopped by in the shop where the tech had already begun straightening the wheel. He asked where I had the tire mounted because it had a "heavy spot" and I told him I brought the new wheel to his shop. They had installed the new tire and tube on the raw wheel.
Earlier this season I developed a flat on the front while riding home and took the wheel to the same shop where they replaced the tube and remounted/rebalanced the tire. I left the wheel and had them true it for $35. The owner said it was relatively easy to do.
Put the wheel back on the bike and took it for a ride - same results. Is it possible the tire is more "oval" than round in shape and could be causing this problem? Could I have damaged the tire while riding it home with low air pressure - damaged belts or something that could cause this problem?
It's the first Metz 19" tire I've run, but I had two or three 21" Metz 880s on my bike with no issues before I switched to the 19". I have a bit of tread left on this tire and want to get the most from it, but if it ontinues to ride like this I guess I'll have to get rid of it and put a new one on.
Thoughts?
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
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Likes: 20
From: NE Pennsylvania
Thinking the tire might have some high spots, I put the bike on the lift and placed a box next in front of the tire. I then rotated the wheel and watched the gap between the box & tire. It was pretty consistent, though I imagine my crude methods wouldnt reveal much. Probs like that might be measured in fractions of an inch.
I did notice that the front end doesn't want to sit with the wheel facing straight ahead. I'm gonna check the fall away next - I think the bearing might be a little loose. Not sloppy - I can't feel any play in the neck area.
I just keep thinking about the comment the mechanic made. Something about a heavy spot in the tire. I Just noticed he's got 2.5 oz of weight spread out over four consecutive spokes. Is this normal or could it indicate a problem with the tire? I think my next move will be replacing it.
I did notice that the front end doesn't want to sit with the wheel facing straight ahead. I'm gonna check the fall away next - I think the bearing might be a little loose. Not sloppy - I can't feel any play in the neck area.
I just keep thinking about the comment the mechanic made. Something about a heavy spot in the tire. I Just noticed he's got 2.5 oz of weight spread out over four consecutive spokes. Is this normal or could it indicate a problem with the tire? I think my next move will be replacing it.
Last edited by gilmour68; Jun 26, 2012 at 04:29 PM.
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From: Landrum, SC , elevation 986'
Thinking the tire might have some high spots, I put the bike on the lift and placed a box next in front of the tire. I then rotated the wheel and watched the gap between the box & tire. It was pretty consistent, though I imagine my crude methods wouldnt reveal much. Probs like that might be measured in fractions of an inch.
I did notice that the front end doesn't want to sit with the wheel facing straight ahead. I'm gonna check the fall away next - I think the bearing might be a little loose. Not sloppy - I can't feel any play in the neck area.
I just keep thinking about the comment the mechanic made. Something about a heavy spot in the tire. I Just noticed he's got 2.5 oz of weight spread out over four consecutive spokes. Is this normal or could it indicate a problem with the tire? I think my next move will be replacing it.
I did notice that the front end doesn't want to sit with the wheel facing straight ahead. I'm gonna check the fall away next - I think the bearing might be a little loose. Not sloppy - I can't feel any play in the neck area.
I just keep thinking about the comment the mechanic made. Something about a heavy spot in the tire. I Just noticed he's got 2.5 oz of weight spread out over four consecutive spokes. Is this normal or could it indicate a problem with the tire? I think my next move will be replacing it.
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Road Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 20
From: NE Pennsylvania
Freebird, it's good to hear that the method I used is valid! I didn't do the sides of the tires since I just had the wheel trued and balanced yesterday.
While I had the bike on the lift, I retorqued the neck stem to the factory spec of 84 in-lbs and gave it an additional 1/4 turn. I also took the opportunity to pop the caps off the fork tubes and cut down the spacers by 5/8". I was planning to do this anyway to reduce pre-load and stiffness in the front suspension.
Took it for a ride and I can still feel the same sensation. Toward evening, if I ride either north or south, I can watch my silhouette and I definitely can see the front wheel "hopping" when the vibration happens. At this point I guess I'll order a new front tire even though this one has probably a couple thousand miles left in it.
While I had the bike on the lift, I retorqued the neck stem to the factory spec of 84 in-lbs and gave it an additional 1/4 turn. I also took the opportunity to pop the caps off the fork tubes and cut down the spacers by 5/8". I was planning to do this anyway to reduce pre-load and stiffness in the front suspension.
Took it for a ride and I can still feel the same sensation. Toward evening, if I ride either north or south, I can watch my silhouette and I definitely can see the front wheel "hopping" when the vibration happens. At this point I guess I'll order a new front tire even though this one has probably a couple thousand miles left in it.
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