Mallard Wheel Hum/Vibration
08-18-19, 10:45 PM
#1
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Mallard Wheel Hum/Vibration
Took my new to me Peugeot TrIathlon for an inaugural ride tonight and 2 odd things happened.
1) The rear wheel came unalign and was locking up against the bike frame. Took me a minute to figure out what was wrong. Loose skewer I’m hoping!
2) After getting home I was inspecting the bike and noticed when I spin the front wheel (upside down) I get a weird vibration that I can feel in the handlebars when rotating. Took this video.
Is that a bad hub or just old wheel issues? The front wheel is a Mallard.
https://vimeo.com/354587354
1) The rear wheel came unalign and was locking up against the bike frame. Took me a minute to figure out what was wrong. Loose skewer I’m hoping!
2) After getting home I was inspecting the bike and noticed when I spin the front wheel (upside down) I get a weird vibration that I can feel in the handlebars when rotating. Took this video.
Is that a bad hub or just old wheel issues? The front wheel is a Mallard.
https://vimeo.com/354587354
08-18-19, 11:17 PM
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Vibration from the spinning wheel might be from bad hub bearings. Just change them out for new ones and also check the condition of the hub bearing races, in case that's where the wear or damage is. Unfortunately those mid level hubs from Maillard did not have the best quality, when it came to bearings and races, so having problems with them was quite common.
08-18-19, 11:27 PM
#3
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I had that on a maillard hub too. Replaced the axle and it was gone. Guess it was slightly bent.
08-20-19, 08:08 AM
#4
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Is replacing the axle tricky? Where would I find a replacement?
the rear wheel was replaced a few years back when the prior owner bent it on a curb.
Would this be easier to just replace the front wheel?
id love if I could just throw on a modern 700c wheelset but not sure how the cold spacing, freehub/freewheel transitions work.
08-20-19, 08:14 AM
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08-20-19, 08:33 AM
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Here's a good video for overhauling the hub. While doing this overhaul, you will have the axle out of the hub, so you can check if it is bent or straight by putting it next to a straight surface (preferably a steel rule). If it is bent, bring everything to your LBS and they should have replacement axles available. You or they will just compare the replacement axle length to your current axle length, make sure the threading is the same (should be), and make sure the replacement is a hollow axle for quick release.
08-20-19, 08:43 AM
#7
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Here's a good video for overhauling the hub. While doing this overhaul, you will have the axle out of the hub, so you can check if it is bent or straight by putting it next to a straight surface (preferably a steel rule). If it is bent, bring everything to your LBS and they should have replacement axles available. You or they will just compare the replacement axle length to your current axle length, make sure the threading is the same (should be), and make sure the replacement is a hollow axle for quick release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_axwV6sfaAs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_axwV6sfaAs
Thank you!
08-20-19, 01:09 PM
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You can check for a bent axle without taking the hub apart. Remove the wheel from the fork, then remove the quick-release skewer so that you can concentrate on the axle and not get distracted by the QR. While staring closely at one exposed end of the axle in a good light, slowly turn the axle in your fingertips at the other end. Make complete continuous circles, not just back and forth. You want to see if the outer circumference of the axle turns true or does it wander around lopsidedly as it turns. Holding a pencil point against the edge of the axle may make deviation easier to see -- it's typically small, like half a millimetre. (Brace your hand holding the pencil against the hub shell so the pencil point stays put.) Pay attention to the outer circumference of the axle, where the threads are. Ignore the hole for the QR skewer as this hole does not have to be perfectly centred, and often isn't. If the axle is bent, it may be difficult to pull the skewer out, but this could be just due to a bent skewer alone. When a bent (cracked) axle breaks while riding, not much bad happens because the quick-release is clamping the fracture together, just like orthopedic surgery. It's only when you take the wheel out of the dropouts that the pieces come apart and fall out of the hub -- that is a real 
moment.
So, if the axle doesn't seem bent (or broken), and there is no other obvious reason to take the hub apart to attend to worn out, sloppy, or grindy bearings, that's not the first thing I'd try.
Could there be a vertical hop in the rim? This can be hard to see unless you look closely at the brake shoes as the rim spins by, which is not shown in the OP's video.
Bicycle wheels are not typically perfectly balanced around the circumference but on checking my bikes in the basement, none of them produce detectable vibration in the handlebars, so something's clearly not quite right with the OPs bike. I suspect this is one of those things that are easy to see when you can look over the whole bike, but very hard to pick up when you are made to focus on a specific area.
moment.So, if the axle doesn't seem bent (or broken), and there is no other obvious reason to take the hub apart to attend to worn out, sloppy, or grindy bearings, that's not the first thing I'd try.
Could there be a vertical hop in the rim? This can be hard to see unless you look closely at the brake shoes as the rim spins by, which is not shown in the OP's video.
Bicycle wheels are not typically perfectly balanced around the circumference but on checking my bikes in the basement, none of them produce detectable vibration in the handlebars, so something's clearly not quite right with the OPs bike. I suspect this is one of those things that are easy to see when you can look over the whole bike, but very hard to pick up when you are made to focus on a specific area.
08-21-19, 10:16 PM
#9
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Thread Starter
You can check for a bent axle without taking the hub apart. Remove the wheel from the fork, then remove the quick-release skewer so that you can concentrate on the axle and not get distracted by the QR. While staring closely at one exposed end of the
axle in a good light, slowly turn the axle in your fingertips at the other end. Make complete continuous circles, not just back and forth. You want to see if the outer
circumference of the axle turns true or does it wander around lopsidedly as it turns. Holding a pencil point against the edge of the axle may make deviation easier to see -- it's typically small, like half a millimetre. (Brace your hand holding the pencil against the hub shell so the pencil point stays put.) Pay attention to the outer circumference of the axle, where the threads are. Ignore the hole for the QR skewer as this hole does not have to be perfectly centred, and often isn't. If the axle is bent, it may be difficult to pull the skewer out, but this could be just due to a bent skewer alone. When a bent (cracked) axle breaks while riding, not much bad happens because the quick-release is clamping the fracture together, just like orthopedic surgery. It's only when you take the wheel out of the dropouts that the pieces come apart and fall out of the hub -- that is a real moment.
So, if the axle doesn't seem bent (or broken), and there is no other obvious reason to take the hub apart to attend to worn out, sloppy, or grindy bearings, that's not the first thing I'd try.
Could there be a vertical hop in the rim? This can be hard to see unless you look closely at the brake shoes as the rim spins by, which is not shown in the OP's video.
Bicycle wheels are not typically perfectly balanced around the circumference but on checking my bikes in the basement, none of them produce detectable vibration in the handlebars, so something's clearly not quite right with the OPs bike. I suspect this is one of those things that are easy to see when you can look over the whole bike, but very hard to pick up when you are made to focus on a specific area.
axle in a good light, slowly turn the axle in your fingertips at the other end. Make complete continuous circles, not just back and forth. You want to see if the outer
circumference of the axle turns true or does it wander around lopsidedly as it turns. Holding a pencil point against the edge of the axle may make deviation easier to see -- it's typically small, like half a millimetre. (Brace your hand holding the pencil against the hub shell so the pencil point stays put.) Pay attention to the outer circumference of the axle, where the threads are. Ignore the hole for the QR skewer as this hole does not have to be perfectly centred, and often isn't. If the axle is bent, it may be difficult to pull the skewer out, but this could be just due to a bent skewer alone. When a bent (cracked) axle breaks while riding, not much bad happens because the quick-release is clamping the fracture together, just like orthopedic surgery. It's only when you take the wheel out of the dropouts that the pieces come apart and fall out of the hub -- that is a real
moment.So, if the axle doesn't seem bent (or broken), and there is no other obvious reason to take the hub apart to attend to worn out, sloppy, or grindy bearings, that's not the first thing I'd try.
Could there be a vertical hop in the rim? This can be hard to see unless you look closely at the brake shoes as the rim spins by, which is not shown in the OP's video.
Bicycle wheels are not typically perfectly balanced around the circumference but on checking my bikes in the basement, none of them produce detectable vibration in the handlebars, so something's clearly not quite right with the OPs bike. I suspect this is one of those things that are easy to see when you can look over the whole bike, but very hard to pick up when you are made to focus on a specific area.
Took the wheel heel to my LBS today ready to order a new wheel. He said the bearings were bone dry and cone was a smidge loose. Packed and tightened everything back for me. $10.
08-22-19, 03:33 PM
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^^^^^^ +1, and a very good price for the service. Good thing you caught it in time, before any damage was done.
BTW, a Mallard hub would more likely make a quacking sound when dry. Your Maillard hub, however, did what any hub with dry bearings would do......
BTW, a Mallard hub would more likely make a quacking sound when dry. Your Maillard hub, however, did what any hub with dry bearings would do......
08-22-19, 08:51 PM
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