Wheel Balancing

[ThreadKiller]

Evening all.
I want to balance the new tyre on my drum braked wheel. Is it a bad idea to do this with the wheel in the swinging arm? With the brake rod disconnected, the shoes aren’t binding and the wheel spins freely.
Can’t see why it won’t work, or have I missed something?
Thanks.
Mike

[trickywoo]

I think there’ will be too much friction from the spindal. A wheel balancer has practically none.

You might be able to get it close but not 100%.

I’d run it without balancing first, might be ok.

[ThreadKiller]

The wheel does spin very freely.
Think I will give it a test... if it works, then I suppose the heavy part of the wheel will stop repeatedly at the bottom.
If it stops "randomly", it can't be an effective method.
That said, bike is an old gnarly DT175 which vibrates and shakes anyway, so I don't think this will be super critical!
Mike

[black-k1]

I would think that if the wheele is significantly out of balance then what you suggest should work. If the wheel doesn't consistently stop in the same sort of position then it's not that far out of balance.

[catso]

If the wheel doesn't rotate by itself (when heavy part is high) then it isn't free enough to balance - or it's perfectly balanced!

I can't see how a wheel fitted to a bike could possibly be fee enough for balancing, especially if you've still got the chain on....

[OutInTheShed]

Just try it.
If the wheel always stops with the valve at a certain clock position, add weight at the top and see if that changes anything.

When the wheel stops, if you rotate it 90 degrees, does it move back of its own accord? Try both directions!

First though, set up a pointer or two and check the wheel and tyre are reasonably round!

Don't balance a wheel where the bike has been sat on the tyre for months, causing the tyre to adopt a shape squashed at the bottom.

[ssray]

I've done it, normally front wheels as the rear isn't quite such a problem.

Disconnect everything and move it out of the way, mark the bottom of the wheel and give it a gentle spin and see where the mark is, do it a few times and find the average

[KTMsm]

OP - That's how I do mine - I haven't had a problem and have done probably 50 bikes

[fred bloggs]

trickywoo said:

I think there’ will be too much friction from the spindal. A wheel balancer has practically none.

.

LOL. Complete lack of understanding the purpose of bearings, and its spelt spindle.

[trickywoo]

fred bloggs said:

LOL. Complete lack of understanding the purpose of bearings, and its spelt spindle.

Deserves a lol itself you grumpy .