A question about wheel weights.

[pekingduck]

The CB1100 tires/wheels come from the factory balanced. I was told the single yellow or white paint dot on the side of the rim is there to mark either the heavy or light spot on the rim, I don't remember which. Next time someone who has a tire off should try to balance a bare rim to see if the paint mark indicates light or heavy.

[jtopiso_imp]

Agreed. I don't think you'd be interested in a perfect $9000 rim/tire that is true/balanced only when new.

If they initiated proper quality processes, that included the goal of balance and consistency, in design, products, and production, I am confident they could produce balanced ties and rims economically. Once one manufacture started it, all would be forced to follow.

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If they initiated proper quality processes, that included the goal of balance and consistency, in design, products, and production, I am confident they could produce balanced ties and rims economically. Once one manufacture started it, all would be forced to follow.

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To reduce the numebr of parts and proceses is always a goal for any manufacturer, as it implies a direct cost reduction (which yields better marging, or a more competitive market price -no matter how small-).

So rims, specially if casted and machined, are already pretty well balanced (and some already partially compensate for the valve stem weight). They will also remain balanced unless impacted (not as wire spokes, which can lose tension in the same manner as a guitar loses its tune).

The moulding/trimming of the rubber is the difficult part. To reduce the need for added weights, they mark the heaviest/lightest part of the tyre, so during assembly it can be mounted opposed/aligned to the valve.

So the goal for wheels that don't need balancing is there. The manufacturing technology is not there yet.

Also: some parts are machined with very close tolerances (e.g. crankshafts), and even those need to be balanced: they do the casting, they pre-machine them, they do the hardening, they do the grinding to very close tolerances, and then they have to machine some "sacrificial" material out of it, to make sure it's balanced. If they can't avoid doing that with a rigid casted/machined part, imagine with a moulded rubber.

[CA200_imp]

When I had my shop I always kept many different types of spoke weights in stock because we would see wheels from all types of bikes. The problem with spoke wheels is the can have other problems then just being out of balance, when a spoke wheel had a problem I always pointed it out to the customer and referred them to someone who could fix it.

[jimgl3_imp]

anyone using those dyna bead things?

[Jim21680_imp]

^Excellent question.....that should be good to extend this thread another 7-10 pages.

I've used them, and I've not used them, in the same bike and tire set. I couldn't tell a difference.

Some people swear they work; others say they're bogus....and you'll get a million opinions in-between.