Bare wheels balancing

[torch]

Fresh tire nubbies enhance the wheel balancing experience.


View attachment 8717

Caution: I bought one of the above style balancers (though not that specific brand).

There was considerable play between the bore ID in the cones and the shaft OD. This ensures the wheel ends up slightly off-centre and therefore even a perfectly balanced wheel will have an apparent heavy spot. The shaft was not perfectly straight, ensuring that results were not repeatable.

It was more accurate to use the bike's axle resting on two jack stands, despite the higher stiction of the wheel bearings & seals vs external bearings.

I replaced the provided shaft with a piece of ground drill rod of slighly larger diameter and re-bored the cones to a .002" sliding fit. Now it works properly.

One final note, however: give the bearings and shaft a wipe before use. Any dirt there will also affect results.

 

[Buffaloears]

Torch, thanks for that info. I'm looking at purchasing a balancer myself. Would you mind providing the make of the one you purchased? Much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[SkooterG]

I've been using my Marc Parnes balancer for about 20 years now. Love it.

http://www.marcparnes.com/

 

[Nyu22]

Chinese ****??????

 

[escapefjrtist]

I've been using my Marc Parnes balancer for about 20 years now. Love it.

http://www.marcparnes.com/

Same...every garage should have one!

~G

 

[Buffaloears]

I got the info from Marc Parnes and it looks really well made. The only drawback I see is that it's bike specific and since I want to also help a couple of friends I ride with change and balance their tires as well I don't know that it's a good fit for me. I'm looking at the Bike Master, which seems to have good reviews and can be used in multiple bike applications. Anyone using this balancer with good results?

 

[torch]

Torch, thanks for that info. I'm looking at purchasing a balancer myself. Would you mind providing the make of the one you purchased? Much appreciated. Thanks.

The brand is GRIP, from Princess Auto. And yes, I believe it is made from Chinesium. (To be fair, they probably all are made in China, but quality varies wildly. There may be better iterations out there.) I consider it more of a wheel balancer kit -- a starting place which one modifies into a useful tool.

I just checked and the PA kit is on sale right now for CDN$60.

 

[Whooshka]

I've been using my Marc Parnes balancer for about 20 years now. Love it.

http://www.marcparnes.com/

Same...every garage should have one!

~G

How do you know if it's level when you use it?

 

[Rocnsanman]

Marc Parnes is a quality product, no doubt. I cheaped out a few years ago and bought a Bike Master and I like the build quality and the price, a good investment IMO. The Bike Master has a small bubble indicator that allows for the initial leveling. I only use Michelin tires and they seem to require so little weight that I very seldom add any. I recommend balancing the bare wheel with metal valve stem first, making a tire change very quick and easy. BTW, I use the zip tie method for mounting the tire on the rim. Michelins seem to just slide on, others not so easy.

 

[Warchild]

Caution: I bought one of the above style balancers (though not that specific brand).

The Black Widow unit is superb. When finished, I can get a balance so perfect, you can position the wheel anywhere in its rotation, and it will stay there frozen and will not move. It is outstanding.

That said, I believe I was the one who introduced the Marc Parnes balancer to the FJRForum back in the 2005 time-frame. He had sent me one out of the blue way back then, told me to try it and comment. And of course I did, the rest is history - the Marc Parnes balancer was superb, still is, I used it for 20 years before scoring the Black Widow, and still have it:

 

[SkooterG]

How do you know if it's level when you use it?

You put it on two jack stands at the same level. Like in the photo above.

 

[mophead]

Been using this setup for years. Before you mount your tire be sure you get all the old rubber removed from around the seating edges so you don't end up with a slow leak. Also good time to check the wheel bearings and brake pads.
Not sure you get that service at a dealer with some pimple popper mounting your tires.

 

[Whooshka]

You put it on two jack stands at the same level. Like in the photo above.

But how do you know the jack stands are level? I have a balancer (can't think of the brand) that has 4 adjustable legs and a built in level. Eliminates any variable of it being cocked and affecting balance.