yaw

I am wondering how many riders balance (not true) their wheels, or have purchased wheels that came balanced with counterweights to offset the heavy spot.

The Aeolus Elite 35 TLR carbon wheels that came with my bike created a noticeable rear wheel vertical wobble when spinning the pedals fast on the stand, which can also be felt when holding the bike up by the seat, and the front wheel rotated quickly with the valve dropping to the bottom when lifting the front up. I would think that this is the case with most wheels out there, some more extreme than others depending on wheel material/construction, weight/size of the valve stem, and so on. Whilst the weight of a rider will not cause the rear up and down wobble to present any real issues and any 'flywheel gains' are extremely marginal, I think the oscillation in the front when rolling fast may contribute to a risk of speed wobbles. This aside, it somehow seems right to me that a contraption that is all about two wheels spinning quickly should be a balanced and smooth system.

For those interested, the procedure is quick, cheap and simple and whilst it can be argued endlessly, the additional weight won't matter in practice, and even in fine print theory the acceleration effort is offset through momentum. The following assumes a modern rim with a wide enough inner diameter and channel so that the weights can be placed on the inside, rather than any external attachments that mess with the look and aerodynamics of the wheel.

1. Determine the heavy spot on the wheel by lifting the front wheel off the ground and experimenting with where it wants to settle at the bottom by letting it go from a few orientations.
2. Mark the exact opposite of the heavy spot at the highest point of the settled wheel.
3. Stick varying amounts of blu tack or similar to the marked spot until the wheel no longer moves away from any rotation it is set to rest in.
4. Weigh the exact amount of blu tack as accurately as you can. You may need 3.4g, you may need 17.8g, who knows.
5. Purchase a few 'golf club adhesive lead weights' (not tape but the little flexible lead slabs with an adhesive side) and rim tape.
6. Determine how many lead weights and what amount of rim tape (make sure it is enough rim tape to cover the length of the required lead weights all aligned in a row) make up your target weight.
7. Remove the wheel and take the tyre/tube off and place a lead strip inside the wheel channel (where the tube lives) exactly on the marked spot and the others, if needed, evenly each side of the central weight.
8. Cover it up with the appropriate length of rim tape, but do make sure that the weight of the rim tape is considered as part of the target weight as it is significant in this case.
9. Pop tube/tyre back on, the tyre ideally in the same orientation as before (but we already know you will keep the tyre brand over the valve anyway), and test whether the trick worked by holding at the hub to see if it stays put wherever you stop it.
10. Mount the wheel and repeat on the other one, the same weight will probably work closely enough if it is the same wheel as the front. Just confirm with the same amount of blu tack as before and vary if needed.

I needed a whopping 12.85g per wheel, or 3 of the little golf lead strips with a length of rim tape that covered the strips and then some more. I just placed the lead weights on the existing rim tape and then taped over the top of it all, these things are so flat that they can be sandwiched by the rim tape and still keep a low profile. The same weight worked on both wheels with 28mm GP5000s on the rear and 25mm on the front, so tyres seem to be even enough. Now the wheels stay wherever they are set when lifting the bike up and the bounce is gone when cranking it up. This proof of improved balance aside, it also appears that the whirr from the hub engagement points now sound more even when coasting fast. Otherwise it rides as before but with a little added confidence on fast descents - yeah it's a mostly subjective undertaking.

Thoughts?