[Fredrico]

'Benefit' from balancing? Or just end up being balanced. There is no way you're going to feel an out of balance wheel while riding. The very small amount of weight difference , and we're talking grams, maybe in an extreme case an ounce, is not enough to make it noticeable to the rider while at speed.
For this to happen the weight would have to be enough to surge the bike and rider forward during half of the rotation, then slow the bike and rider down during the opposite half of the wheels rotation. Or during the vertical movement of the weight to cause a 'bouncing' feel. Not possible. On a car w/ a tire weighing 15lbs and rotating at least 3 or 4 times faster than a bicycle wheel and having suspension, yes...we all know you can feel that.

You guys are technically correct of course. But I'd still like to see if friend's perceived improvement in handling made a difference. He claimed to notice it on high speed descents. I'm sure not going to sucker into buying magnetic wheel weights for my aluminum rims with the big welds.

I did read as other poster said, at least one builder, may have been Cinelli, did weight the side opposite the valve stem, obviously because they thought it made a difference. Whether rider feels it is another question. I can't try it on my wheels. They're heavy and already pretty well balanced in the stand.

 

[JCavilia]

So now we have one person to agree that uber light weight carbon rims may benefit from a balancing weight opposite the valve, huh? Gotcha! :thumbsup:

I hope that wasn't intended to refer to me. Do I need to define "hooey" for you?

 

[TmB123]

It wouldn't be the first time a manufacturer has done something as a marketing tool would it?

quite possibly, I wasn't saying I agreed with it, just that I'd read about it recently.

 

[Fredrico]

I hope that wasn't intended to refer to me. Do I need to define "hooey" for you?

You said, "Note that the original article (which is still hooey) only suggested these are useful for deep carbon rims, which have a longer (therefore heavier) valve stem, and don't have the extra seam weight of an aluminum rim."

Of course if you disagree that author has a point, ya gotta call it "hooey." That's standard Tweet culture, from what I'm getting.

 

[bobf]

Around 1977 my first 10-speed (Raleigh Super Course) got stolen, and until I got another decent bike I road a Schwinn Super Sport. At that time the SSS came with steel wheels and wheel relfectors. The reflectors were pretty heavy compared to today's all-plastic ones.

I took the reflectors off after about two rides, because I could feel the imbalance of the wheels. It was a front-back surge-and-lag feeling rather than a hop. I could feel it above maybe 18mph. Not surprising, it was strongest when the reflectors on both wheels happened to line up. I never noticed any wheel hop at all.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Migen21, this is a serious technical subject! Don't be talking about ignoring what could very well be a fine tuning that will shine on the next mountain descent!

Funny Fred. We all know that you will ignore any facts that disagree with your beliefs but my wheels aren't "balanced" and they are smooth as glass at 55 mph (and any speed below that). But you insist that I will feel it if they are balanced.

Call me a doubter Fred but this "technology" has been around at least since the '60s (first time I saw it but it probably goes back to the 1800s). Funny how it has never caught on. Do you suppose there's ANY chance that is because (in the words of another poster) it's hooey?

 

[Fredrico]

Around 1977 my first 10-speed (Raleigh Super Course) got stolen, and until I got another decent bike I road a Schwinn Super Sport. At that time the SSS came with steel wheels and wheel relfectors. The reflectors were pretty heavy compared to today's all-plastic ones.

I took the reflectors off after about two rides, because I could feel the imbalance of the wheels. It was a front-back surge-and-lag feeling rather than a hop. I could feel it above maybe 18mph. Not surprising, it was strongest when the reflectors on both wheels happened to line up. I never noticed any wheel hop at all.

Oh crap. I've been using the wrong term. It isn't hop, its a front and back surge, like you say. :thumbsup: The wheels are always rolling along in good contact with the tarmac. I called it "pulsing" above.

 

[Fredrico]

Funny Fred. We all know that you will ignore any facts that disagree with your beliefs but my wheels aren't "balanced" and they are smooth as glass at 55 mph (and any speed below that). But you insist that I will feel it if they are balanced.

Call me a doubter Fred but this "technology" has been around at least since the '60s (first time I saw it but it probably goes back to the 1800s). Funny how it has never caught on. Do you suppose there's ANY chance that is because (in the words of another poster) it's hooey?

Alright, alright! My wheels were silky smooth at 50 mph, too, despite a bulge in one of the tubular tires and some uneven sidewalls. I was amazed how centrifugal force took over, dampening all the little vibrations like a well tuned shock absorber. I am convinced that had the wheel been balanced, I would have attained another 5 mph, as other riders typically do. So maybe its like cars; wheel shimmies and vibrations happen within limited speed ranges, below and above which the vibration is either too low a frequency to start vibrating or too high a frequency to sustain the vibration.

You win. Glad we figured that out!

What do y'all think about helmets with built in LEDs and turn signals? Never mind.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Alright, alright! My wheels were silky smooth at 50 mph, too, despite a bulge in one of the tubular tires and some uneven sidewalls. I was amazed how centrifugal force took over, dampening all the little vibrations like a well tuned shock absorber. I am convinced that had the wheel been balanced, I would have attained another 5 mph, as other riders typically do. So maybe its like cars; wheel shimmies and vibrations happen within limited speed ranges, below and above which the vibration is either too low a frequency to start vibrating or too high a frequency to sustain the vibration.

First rule of holes Fred is to stop digging. Uneven rim sidewalls would have no affect on ride smoothness - they would only show up when braking. As far as speed smoothing out a bulging tubular, I call BS. I've ridden on lots of bulging tubulars over the years (hoping to get a few more miles out of the tire) and there is no way they smooth out as you get faster.

You can be convinced all you want that a balanced wheel would give you 5 mph more. That doesn't make it true, and for sure it is not. Apparently you live in some sort of parallel universe where the rules of physics we have come to rely on do not apply.

 

[duriel]

All ye who enter into conversation here are definitely in an 'altered' universe!

 

[TJay74]

About the most I worry about wheel balancing is to make sure the speed magnet on the rear wheel is opposite of the valve. Thats it for me....

 

[cxwrench]

About the most I worry about wheel balancing is to make sure the speed magnet on the rear wheel is opposite of the valve. Thats it for me....

But do you really know that doing that results in actually balancing the wheel? It definitely doesn't on all wheels. I totally agree w/ the point of your post, but sometimes wheels aren't out of balance the way you'd think they would be.

 

[Fredrico]

But do you really know that doing that results in actually balancing the wheel? It definitely doesn't on all wheels. I totally agree w/ the point of your post, but sometimes wheels aren't out of balance the way you'd think they would be.

Well, like my buddy demonstrated, you can quickly determine whether the wheel is balanced by spinning it holding the axle in your hands. If it's out of balance you'll feel it right away.

 

[cxwrench]

Well, like my buddy demonstrated, you can quickly determine whether the wheel is balanced by spinning it holding the axle in your hands. If it's out of balance you'll feel it right away.

Ok Capt Obvious

 

[Winona Pinarello]

I feel wheels are no compromise items. They should reflect a pretty high percentage of the total cost of the bike. I have HED Ardennes wheels and have never had an out of balance issue.

 

[threebikes]

I did not put any weight opposite of the valve stem. That is not a good way balance the wheel. I put these strips 120 degrees to the left and right of the valve stem. Spin the wheel and start adding the tape. When you can spin the wheel 3 times and it stops at a different spot all 3 times your good to go. I did this on my Reynolds R32's. The difference between my bike and my friends bike on freshly paved roads was amazing.
Storm SuspenStrips - LL Cote Sports Center

 

[Kerry Irons]

I did not put any weight opposite of the valve stem. That is not a good way balance the wheel. I put these strips 120 degrees to the left and right of the valve stem. Spin the wheel and start adding the tape. When you can spin the wheel 3 times and it stops at a different spot all 3 times your good to go. I did this on my Reynolds R32's. The difference between my bike and my friends bike on freshly paved roads was amazing.

Are you trying to tell us that you could feel the oscillation due to an unbalanced wheel? Because if that is your argument, fundamental physics is raining on your parade.

 

[Jay Strongbow]

I feel wheels are no compromise items. They should reflect a pretty high percentage of the total cost of the bike. I have HED Ardennes wheels and have never had an out of balance issue.

No one has ever had an out of balance issue with a bicycle wheel. Well, not when riding it anyway.

 

[Fredrico]

Are you trying to tell us that you could feel the oscillation due to an unbalanced wheel? Because if that is your argument, fundamental physics is raining on your parade.

:idea: But we now have two eye witness accounts that weights, in this case as light as those for fishing fly rods, evens out the inertial forces and improves the ride!

"Wheel balancing" may not be the right word. These forces are too subtle to be measurable riding, but they still make the ride smoother, like the increased modulus of elasticity of a steel frame or certain parts of a carbon or aluminum frame. All this weight bearing materials stuff makes a difference especially on a bike. Think of it as third harmonic distortion. Removing it adds depth to the experience.

Spreading out the weights from two opposing forces of the rim seam and valve stem would smooth out this harmonic distortion. :thumbsup:

 

[JCavilia]

:idea: But we now have two eye witness accounts

We have two subjective accounts from non-blinded uncontrolled experiments in which riders say they could perceive a subtle effect that they expected to perceive. This last guy says his bike rode smoother than his friend's bike. Were the bikes identical but for the tiny weights?

These forces are too subtle to be measurable riding, but they still make the ride smoother,

Contradictory statements in the same sentence.

We have nothing but wishful thinking. We should call it "placebo balancing."