rear tire came off

**li10up** · 10-26-2006, 08:06 AM

Last night before my ride I picked up my bike to turn it around and the back tire came off! The weird thing was that the quick release was still engaged. Is it possible for that to happen or has someone been messing with my bike while it was on my rack? I know I should check that before every ride - but how many of us really do. I probably will from now on though.

I posted about a week ago that when I jumped the railroad track I heard this loud cracking sound - maybe it was the tire coming loose and then going back in place? It's kind of scary to think I may have ridden with the tire being like that for awhile.

Has this happend to anyone else?

**DebW** · 10-26-2006, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by li10up

Last night before my ride I picked up my bike to turn it around and the back tire came off!

Excuse me for being a stickler on terminology, but apparently you mean your back wheel came off? "tire came off" would imply the tire bead slipping off the rim and the tube exploding. Wheel and tire are not at all the same thing.

Originally Posted by li10up

The weird thing was that the quick release was still engaged. Is it possible for that to happen or has someone been messing with my bike while it was on my rack? I know I should check that before every ride - but how many of us really do. I probably will from now on though.

I posted about a week ago that when I jumped the railroad track I heard this loud cracking sound - maybe it was the tire coming loose and then going back in place? It's kind of scary to think I may have ridden with the tire being like that for awhile.

The bike was on your car? Was the wheel in its correct place when you picked up the bike? Was the QR tight or loose? Is the QR broken? Does it now appear to work correctly? If a rear wheel loosens while you are riding, it will slide forward until it wedges against the chainstays. It will never slide back where it should be. As long as the bike is on the ground when this happens, the wheel will just jamb in the frame and the consequences won't be too dramatic. If you were airborne, however...

**Grog** · 10-26-2006, 08:44 AM

If your tire came off, it probably looked like this:

This is a photo by photojournalist Francis Vachon: "Australian Craig Woodhead having some wheel problem at the Montain bike world cup at le Mont Ste-Anne, in Quebec city. He manage to finish the race, but with a modest 75th place."

Here is his blog: http://blog.francis.vachon.net/

Scary!!!

**SadieKate** · 10-26-2006, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by DebW

Was the QR tight or loose?

A QR may appear to be tight, but it isn't latched, locked and loaded for use until the lever goes over the cam.

http://www.bicyclinglife.com/HowTo/UseAQuickRelease.htm

**SadieKate** · 10-26-2006, 08:50 AM

Grog, one of our mtb videos has a guy finishing out a rocky downhill with his front tire looped over the bars. Amazing handling skills that he could slowly tool along through the rocks on his front rim.

**li10up** · 10-26-2006, 10:17 AM

You all are absolutely correct...I should have, and meant to say wheel. Irregardless.....

I keep my bike on my bike rack during work. I drove to our meeting spot for the ride and took my bike off the rack - didn't notice anything wrong. Then I picked up the bike to swing it around to head out of the parking lot and when I did the wheel came off. When I checked the quick release it was still closed but opened easily when I went to put the wheel back on. I put the wheel on and rode without incident. I was just wondering if they can loosen that much on their own or is it more likely that someone messed with the bike?

**DebW** · 10-26-2006, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by li10up

You all are absolutely correct...I should have, and meant to say wheel. Irregardless.....

I keep my bike on my bike rack during work. I drove to our meeting spot for the ride and took my bike off the rack - didn't notice anything wrong. Then I picked up the bike to swing it around to head out of the parking lot and when I did the wheel came off. When I checked the quick release it was still closed but opened easily when I went to put the wheel back on. I put the wheel on and rode without incident. I was just wondering if they can loosen that much on their own or is it more likely that someone messed with the bike?

Never heard of a QR loosening on its own. So I'd assume someone messed with your bike. If it happened again I'd get suspicious though, and maybe replace the QR.

**Grog** · 10-26-2006, 12:44 PM

I think we should make it a habit of checking the QR all the time, but especially after leaving the bike unattended in a public place for more than 15 seconds. I indeed feel someone would have messed with it...

**li10up** · 10-26-2006, 01:05 PM

Ok. What do you think about the cracking sound when I jumped the tracks? Could it have been the wheel coming out of the dropout and then going back in? I need to check that area for cracks.

**DebW** · 10-26-2006, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by li10up

Ok. What do you think about the cracking sound when I jumped the tracks? Could it have been the wheel coming out of the dropout and then going back in? I need to check that area for cracks.

You should certainly keep checking for cracks and anything that might have caused that sound. Completely remove the QR and inspect it. Check if either axle might have gotten bent by the impact. The way to do this is to remove the wheel, position your eye looking straight on to the end of the axle, and rotate the axle from the back side. If the end of the axle wobbles around when the axle is turned, then it's bent. I doubt that the wheel came out on impact (the impact would push it further in) and if the QR were loose after that, the wheel would have shifted in the dropout as you tried to ride it home, and you would have gone exactly one pedal stroke before finding that out. Your mystery is still mysterious.

BTW, it occurred to me that there was a recall of potentially defective Shimano skewers a few months ago, but it was only front QR skewers, so not a worry for you.

**BleeckerSt_Girl** · 10-26-2006, 02:48 PM

Man I just looked at that photo again and realized his inner tube is wrapped around the back wheel hub!!! SCARY!!

**Grog** · 10-26-2006, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

Man I just looked at that photo again and realized his inner tube is wrapped around the back wheel hub!!! SCARY!!

Is it really a tube?

I was under the impression that he was riding with a tubeless system.

**bike4ever** · 10-26-2006, 06:24 PM

The tube is actually wrapped around the rear stay because it is interferring with the chain - see all of the chain slack.

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