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Gritty feeling while pedaling

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Gritty feeling while pedaling

Old 09-24-22, 05:01 PM
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bg24
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Gritty feeling while pedaling

I recently got a wheel true on my back wheel and ever since there’s been a gritty feeling while pedaling in certain gears (the few hardest ones). I recently got a new bottom bracket so it’s not that, I took my pedals off and inspected them and they’re fine. I cleaned the chain and cassette to remove debris. The only thing I can think is that the wheel true messed up the chain alignment/gear alignment. I’m wondering if this is possible and if so what can I do to correct it?
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Old 09-24-22, 05:13 PM
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Bill Kapaun
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A wheel truing doesn't move the hub/cogs anywhere.
It moves the rim in relation to the hub.

Hold both crank arms and rotate back & forth an 1/8 turn (more if you can) and see if you can feel "anything".
Just because it's new doesn't mean it can't be bad, although unlikely.

You may be noticing a chordal action between certain cogs/rings.
Are to cogs you feel it on a multiple of the # teeth of the chain ring it's on? IOW, several matching Lowest Common Denominators.
48> 12, 16, 24..... etc.

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Old 09-24-22, 06:00 PM
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The moment awareness starts is not always when problems have begun.

Having said that I would confirm that the rear der adjustments are good because that is easy to do. The next aspect is that those harder cogs are getting worn enough for you to feel it but not enough to be a deal killer yet. Andy
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Old 09-24-22, 06:07 PM
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Gritty like wheels spun in hand when the cones are adjusted a bit tight?
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Old 09-24-22, 06:11 PM
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Originally Posted by streetsurfer View Post
Gritty like wheels spun in hand when the cones are adjusted a bit tight?
Interesting, I did also have my hub tightened as there was play in the wheel when locked in the dropouts. Could that be the cause?
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Old 09-24-22, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by bg24 View Post
Interesting, I did also have my hub tightened as there was play in the wheel when locked in the dropouts. Could that be the cause?
Overtightening the QR can lead to gritty feeling bearings.
The axle bends/compresses (take your pick and argue with yourself) when the QR is snugged down. The tighter it's snugged, the tighter the bearings get.
Back it off an 1/8th or so turn and see what happens.
I think the average user tends to tighten more than needed.
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Old 09-24-22, 06:21 PM
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Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun View Post
Overtightening the QR can lead to gritty feeling bearings.
The axle bends/compresses (take your pick and argue with yourself) when the QR is snugged down. The tighter it's snugged, the tighter the bearings get.
Back it off an 1/8th or so turn and see what happens.
I think the average user tends to tighten more than needed.
Ok thanks, I’ll try that tomorrow.
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Old 09-24-22, 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted by Bill Kapaun View Post
Overtightening the QR can lead to gritty feeling bearings.
The gritty feeling caused by excessively tight bearings would be easily felt with the wheel off the bike and the axle turned by hand, but the bearings would have to be *super* tight for this to be felt while riding. I wonder if the QR alone is capable of this much compression.

And, not to pick the old scab, the axle compresses when the QR is tightened. This is not unreasonable, because steel is an elastic material. If the axle actually did bend, the metal on the outside of the bend would be stretched, and the metal on the inside would be compressed. This could actually be measured.
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