wheel problems?

After my crash, I took The Swallow in to the LBS and they said it had bent wheels for & aft, and the brakes needed work. Work was done, & as you-all know, I've been going back and forth between the road bike and the hybrid, trying getting my groove back. (it's getting better.) Went out yesterday on some wide straight miles of country road with huge clean shoulders - figuring I could work on climbing skills and relaxed descents without having worries about corners or traffic. But I had the oddest sensation of needing to turn slight left to stay straight. Haven't noticed it on that road before. When I passed hubby, he stopped me - he noticed my back wheel had a mean shimmy - and when we checked, it was really hanging up on the brake, too. I sent Charles for the car. The last think I need is for the bike to wreck and me go down again. (Then I'll take up a safer sport like gator wrasslin'.)

Tomorrow the bike goes to a different shop - the LBS I've been going to has lost my confidence over a few issues...the guy is enthusiastic and supportive, but seems to be a bit of a cowboy, pistol waving encluded!:eek: He also set my hybrid seat a whopping 2 inches too low, and when he gave me a tire-changing lesson, I came home with a blown inner tube) Anyway, I guess that wheel might need replacing - whatever it takes to make my bike REALLY right.

Now to my main question...I'd swear that my front wheel is..twitchy. More sensitive than it used to be, a hair-trigger kind of feeling. I was able to drink & handle my water bottle pretty well before my crash, now I'm afraid to scratch my nose! At first I thought it must be my own tension, but now I'm beginning to wonder.I can't see any shimmy to the wheel.

Thanks for your help! LLB

ps - the front brake of my hybrid is squealing badly. A neighbor told me to oil it, and I said ok. He came running over to tell me he was only joking, he realized I was gonna do it!! How to quiet the brakes? I'm making dogs howl...

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But I had the oddest sensation of needing to turn slight left to stay straight.

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Could it be that the handlebars got a little offset in the crash?

To quiet the brakes: if they are rubbing, then you need to adjust the pads; you might also want to clean the rims of the wheels. If it's the brake itself that is squeaking when you use it, then a drop of lube on the moving "joint" should do the trick. Never ever lube the pads, though :)

Your experience with that shop guy:eek: , just makes me want to learn my own bike better.

I mean if I need to know what's going on for my own safety. Then, I might as well fix the bike while I'm at it!:D

Mary

Your fork is bent. That's why the steering pulls to one side. If you can find a really good mechanic you may be able to get it straightened if it's a steel fork, otherwise you need a new fork.

LLB, when the wheels were "fixed", were the rims replaced or just trued? When a bike has been crashed and the rims are really bent, truing may make them better but will not remove all the rim wobble. And attempting to do so by truing results in some spokes much too tight and some too loose, and then you start braking spokes. When rims are seriously bent, they need to be replaced. Don't settle for anything less. And don't get talked into whole new wheels. Find a wheelbuilder who will rebuild the wheels on your hubs (unless you really want new hubs or find that whole wheels are cheaper).

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Originally Posted by latelatebloomer

ps - the front brake of my hybrid is squealing badly. A neighbor told me to oil it, and I said ok. He came running over to tell me he was only joking, he realized I was gonna do it!! How to quiet the brakes? I'm making dogs howl...

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The squealing brake problem can usually be fixed by toeing in the brake shoes. The front of the pad should contact the rim slightly before the back of the pad, or the whole pad should contact at the same time. If the back of the pad hits first, they will squeal (though the noise depends somewhat on the brand of brake and the pad compound - Mavic brakes squeal no matter what). To fix this problem, take a crescent wrench, set the opening to fit snugly on the flat of the brake caliper just above or below the pad, and bend gently until the pad is flat or slightly toed in.

LLB, sorry to answer these one by one and a day late. If you'd posted under "Bike Maintenance" rather than "New Riders" I would have seen it quicker.