Does unloaded wheel spin matter?
10-12-19, 03:54 PM
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Does unloaded wheel spin matter?
I have a DT swiss R32 spline wheelset, and its the nicest wheelset I have.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
10-12-19, 04:24 PM
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Unloaded, it's pretty much meaningless. Unless you can tell that the bearing are worn out (roughness or binding when turning the axle), replacing the cartridges is unlikely to improve unloaded spin and may actually worsen it, as seal drag is a major reason why cartridge bearings don't spin unloaded as long as loose balls. Seal drag lessens over time as the seals wear in.
10-12-19, 05:36 PM
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Unloaded, it's pretty much meaningless. Unless you can tell that the bearing are worn out (roughness or binding when turning the axle), replacing the cartridges is unlikely to improve unloaded spin and may actually worsen it, as seal drag is a major reason why cartridge bearings don't spin unloaded as long as loose balls. Seal drag lessens over time as the seals wear in.
10-12-19, 05:47 PM
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I have a DT swiss R32 spline wheelset, and its the nicest wheelset I have.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
10-12-19, 06:33 PM
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Unloaded, it's pretty much meaningless. Unless you can tell that the bearing are worn out (roughness or binding when turning the axle), replacing the cartridges is unlikely to improve unloaded spin and may actually worsen it, as seal drag is a major reason why cartridge bearings don't spin unloaded as long as loose balls. Seal drag lessens over time as the seals wear in.
I've even removed the outer seals from the bearings, and that didn't show much of an improvement.
10-12-19, 06:42 PM
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I have a DT swiss R32 spline wheelset, and its the nicest wheelset I have.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
1) Take the bike to the top of a moderate hill, get on, and coast down to the stopping point - then mark the road.
2) Install second set of wheels and repeat using the same body position.
3) Tell us what happened.
I've always wondered why my friend coasts faster/further on his bike as I do mine. It could be his extra 30# on me, the hubs, the tires, a combination of all, etc.
'Science' is fun!
10-12-19, 07:13 PM
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Just as a point of personal curiosity and experimentation, I like trying to maximize the "free spin time" when I set bearings up. I try to set the preload as loose as possible...basically, right at the point where physical play is gone. I know this doesn't result in any real world gains on the road, but it's fascinating to me how a few degrees of a turn on a cone nut can change bearing operation so dramatically. It is, of course, very logical, but it's no less interesting to me.
So I feel you -- that "free spin time" is something that makes me smile, too.
I recently bought a set of wheels with Novatec hubs, and one of the bearings went bad pretty quickly. I replaced it and, obviously, couldn't adjust anything. It either worked or it didn't (it took me a few tries to get it seated perfectly). I thought to myself, "huh...this is no fun...I can't adjust anything!"
10-12-19, 11:27 PM
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I have a DT swiss R32 spline wheelset, and its the nicest wheelset I have.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
10-13-19, 05:11 AM
#10
Hello
It matters to me, I had these superbe pro wheels with bearings as smooth as butter and no play, they would just spin and spin and spin.....I loved it. Ahem, back to reality, In response to your question I have no idea, and it would be hard to argue with the science stated above, but the perception of nice spinning high quality wheels makes me feel better.
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10-13-19, 09:54 AM
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I have a DT swiss R32 spline wheelset, and its the nicest wheelset I have.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
Though when you flip my bike upside down, and spin the wheels by hand, they don't spin anywhere near as long as two of my other bikes that have generic formula and novatech hubs.
I'm trying to figure out if that wheelspin time reflects loaded bike performance, or if possibly its just time to replace my cartridge bearings in the dt swiss wheels.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
10-13-19, 12:32 PM
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You might have a point if the DT Swiss hubs were a “cheapo cartridge bearing hub”. None of the hubs that DT Swiss sell can be classified as “cheap”. In my experience, cartridge bearings of just about any kind last far longer with less maintenance than any other hub I’ve used. They even spin far better.
