Do I need the wheel weights?
 

I was going to strip and polish my rims, but my question is how do I remove and replace the rubber type weight on my rear wheel and are they necessary? A friend of my said that once you brake traction with your wheels they are no longer balanced. They do not have weights on their tires, so what are the consequences for removing them, or how do I replace the rear one? The front is made of a metal and is easy enough to replace, the back weight is a plastic type weight attached with some sort of compund to "glue" it to the tire. wildcard

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Same problem here, i just stripped my wheels and forgot they were on and they fell off. Not sure what effect it'll have..

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

I don't guess you've been on it yet huh? I'm leaving my wheels on the bike, just putting it on stands and working that angle. I swear I've heard that it's not a big deal, but then why would they get put on in the first place?

wildcard

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Anyone?

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Its to balance the wheel and to reduce wobble. Your wheels are like a gyroscope. When they are spinning they produce a force parallel to the axis of rotation. Thats why you bike stands up when its moving. But the wheel is not perfect and does not weight the same all the way around and that creates wobbels. How does your buddy figure it loses balance when you lose traction? The mass of the wheel doesnt change.

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Yes you want them on there, if they are enough off balance going 65-70 mph your tire could actually be bad enough to bounce off the pavement. Now i dont mean like 2 inches or anything, but believe me you will feel it if its off enough. And your friend with the brake traction comment, you should never listen to him agian for mechanical advice.

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Well noted. So how do you re-apply the weight and what do you use? Obviously I'll mark it prior to removal, but what do I use to put it back on?

Thanks in advance.

wildcard

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Go to an auto shop or bike shop and ask to buy whatever quantity you have currently in tape weights. They usually come in strips of 3 oz. and are perforated into .25oz so you can just snap off the weight amount you need. They are then just metal on one side and tape on the other, just peel and stick.

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

Ahhh, I see. I hope this helps out any others with this. Gotta jump in there head first sometimes to get a feel for the water ya' know? Thanks all.

wildcard

RE: Do I need the wheel weights?
 

The wheels have to be balanced, although they look uniform, the wheels are not "True" in their weight distrbution, neither are the tyres. Balancing them isn't all that hard really, but you need to apply the correct amount of counter balance weight's to the rim. Sticking on a weight to the tyre in the wrong place can give you a more pronounced wobble. Riding normally a unbalanced tyre can be felt going off the throttle. A really badly balanced tyre wobble, say if you hit a pot hole or bump can set up a scenario where the bars are almost impossible to hang on to & have you saying hello to the scrub.