# Urgent - Rear wheel loose!!!



## LyncStar (May 1, 2005)

With my bike flipped over to install the front wheel I noticed I have a little side to side shimmy in my rear wheel (Campy Proton with integrated hub). The bike and wheels have at least 2K-3k miles on them. The movement is just perceptable, about a mm or so back and forth. I tried to duplicate on the front wheel to see if this was something I just hadn't noticed before and occurred in all wheels, but the front is rock solid (no side to side movement). It's very difficult to see where this movement is coming from, but it is definately not coming from a loose skewer.  Thoughts, troubleshooting, issues??? Any learned advice welcome!!

Cheers,

Tim


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## Spunout (Aug 12, 2002)

This is play in the bearings. You will have to tighten them up. Read the manual for the wheels and it will tell you how. The manual is also online.

You might also tighten the QR a bit as the compression of the axle usually removes bearing play. The design of the cones and lockrings allows you to adjust this while the wheel is clamped into the frame to account for this compression.


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## LyncStar (May 1, 2005)

Spunout said:


> This is play in the bearings. You will have to tighten them up. Read the manual for the wheels and it will tell you how. The manual is also online.
> 
> You might also tighten the QR a bit as the compression of the axle usually removes bearing play. The design of the cones and lockrings allows you to adjust this while the wheel is clamped into the frame to account for this compression.



I checked online and there was no instructions on how to tighten. I tried tightening the qr and that didn't help at all. There doesn't appear to be any external screw to tighten. Is this something that requires disassembly? also, who dangerous is it to ride on with this little bit of play??


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## Durandal (Aug 31, 2005)

The danger of riding with loose cones is you'll pit the bearing surfaces and ruin the wheel.

Try <a href="http://sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html">this</a href> article by Sheldon brown or just take the wheel down to your LBS.


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## Hillen (May 13, 2005)

*Here's how to do it ...*

1. Remove the wheel, remove the QR, pry off the two plastic end caps from the wheel with a small screw driver.
2. Reinstall the QR, and remount the wheel tightening the QR fully to the normal amount that you would pre-ride. At one end of the axle, there's a machined split-ring lock nut that has a very small socket head cap screw that is set into the lock ring in a tangential orientation. When you remount the wheel, make sure that this cap screw is oriented so that you have access to it with an allen key. I can't remember the size of the allen key, it's a 1, 1.5 or 2 mm. The Park combo allen key tool has this right size.
3. Loosen the cap screw (won't take more than a turn or two) far enough so that the lock nut turns with a stiff finger effort or less. Then loosen the lock not. Confirm that the wheel now has a noticeable amount of lateral play.
4. Slowly tighten the lock nut as you wiggle the wheel laterally at the rim. Tighten the lock nut ONLY until you feel that the play at the rim has just stopped. Note that the lock nut has machined flats that would allow you to tighten or loosen with a wrench. DO NOT USE A WRENCH to tighten the lock nut in this step. You should have loosed the cap screw enough to allow you to turn the lock nut with your fingers, and when you tighten the lock nut in this step, you're doing so only barely enough to stop the play.
5. Tighten the cap screw to lock the lock nut in place. Make sure that the lock nut doesn't spin out of position as you tighten the cap screw.
6. Remove the wheel. Remove the QR. 
7. Confirm that the axle spins smoothly (no grinding, hitches, etc.).
7. Replace the plastic caps. Replace the QR. Remount the wheel.

You're done.


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## rePhil (Jun 20, 2002)

*No need to remove the wheel*

There is a small allen screw on the left side. Loosen the screw and then you can use a cone wrench to take the slack out. It's important that you don't overtighten. maybe your LBS can show you the first time around.


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## Al1943 (Jun 23, 2003)

LyncStar said:


> With my bike flipped over to install the front wheel


The bike needs to be upright, wheels on the ground, when you close the quick release. This is to seat the axle all the way into the dropouts.

Al


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