# How much tire wobble allowed on a brand new mtn bike?



## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

Just bought a new Trex Xcaliber 7 with stock Bontrager tires but when I got it home 2 days ago, I noticed the tires don't roll in a perfect straight line. there is at least 1/8 inch or so of wobble. Is this acceptable for a new bike or does the bike shop need to fix this?

I have not taken the bike back to them yet. I got the feeling the bike shop rushed the bike through because they are claiming they are so busy.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

low end tires commonly have wobble. Most bikes sold off the floor have cheaper tires. you can make a stink about it or just accept it. you won't notice it off-road. On pavement, you might if it's bad enough.

Also, make sure the bead is seated evenly all the way around the circumference of the rim on both sides. Uneven bead seating is a more common cause of the wobble you're seeing, so be sure to check it. If this is your issue, you can lower the tire pressure until you can use your hand to make sure it seats all the way. Alternatively, you can inflate the tire near its max pressure, bouncing the bike on the ground. SOMETIMES this works and you don't have to use a bunch of muscle to get it to seat. Once the bead is seated correctly once, it's usually easier to get it seated properly in the future (say if you have to change a tube).


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## justwan naride (Oct 13, 2008)

I would worry about it, it's not uncommon that tyres are a bit off. If your rims are nice and true you're fine. I doubt you'd ever be able to feel it with your eyes closed.


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## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

They bike was ordered and they put it together. I wondered if just the tires were the issue or not. The bike will be road on pavement 50% of the time.

Thank you NateHawk and Justwan, I will give that a try. I didn't want to go back whining over something if its trivial.


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## EABiker (Jun 24, 2004)

Make sure the wobble is caused by the tire, and not the wheel. You can attach a cable tie or a bread twisty to the fork, then adjust it so it barely touches the rim. Spin the wheel slowly and watch the gap between the cable tie/rim. If the wheel is out of true, that gap will change.


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## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

Took a closer look. The rear wheel is causing its wobble. The front is just the tire. 
They did tell me to ride it a while as I would have cable stretch to settle, then they would adjust the cables if needed after that.

In your opinion, will it hurt anything to ride it as is until the 3 month tune up or would you take it back now?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

If a wheel true is part of that free tune, then I'd let them take care of the wheel then. Unless it's really bad, a slight wobble to the rim won't hurt anything. My rear wheel is even slightly out of round from an impact on a rock several years ago. Doesn't hurt anything. This is one of the advantages of disc brakes. Your rim doesn't have to be in perfect shape for good brake performance.

Some shops will true the rims when the bike is first built, but it's not uncommon for wheels to need re-truing anyway after they're ridden even after that extra work, so some shops will just do the true at the first tune.


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## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

OK, that puts my mind at ease. Thanks.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Photoray said:


> OK, that puts my mind at ease. Thanks.


Yeah, not a big deal. I don't think I've ever had a wheel that didn't have at least an 1/8" of wobble in it (and sometimes quite a bit more), even back in the days of rim brakes. Just one of those things that go along with mtbs IME.


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## wahday (Mar 23, 2012)

Agreed. A little wobble is acceptable and will not be noticed most of the time. And it will not damage the wheel. I would wait until the 3 month tune-up as some other things are likely to need attention by then. Better to be out of a ride once than to be taking it back in every week.


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## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

> Better to be out of a ride once than to be taking it back in every week.


Ya the last thing I want is to be tagged as one of those annoying jerk customers who come in all the time with piddly crap. That's why I asked here first.
Glad to see others agree with the consensus. Thanks.


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## 70sSanO (Nov 20, 2013)

If I understand this correctly, the wheel is out of true by at least 1/8"?

For a new bike, that just seems a bit much.

John


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## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

70sSanO said:


> If I understand this correctly, the wheel is out of true by at least 1/8"?
> 
> For a new bike, that just seems a bit much.
> 
> John


Well yes, but as mentioned by the others, I will ride it for a while as things like cable stretch and such will have to be adjusted soon. This way if I find anything else wrong, I can have it all fixed at once. I am having a bit of trouble already with shifting in the rear gears now. The 3rd one from bottom is not wanting to go into place very easy. I'm hoping its not the nature of that lower end Shimano series but just an adjustment issue.

The shop is about a half hour drive from me and I don't want to have to be going back and forth several times. As long as the wobble wont hurt the wear of the tires, that was my main concern.

I agree though and as a novice, I would think a new bike would have perfectly Trued wheels. Thus my concern.


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## Trail_Blazer (May 30, 2012)

You can ride with the wobble but don't take big drops. Check spokes for loose ones.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Photoray said:


> Well yes, but as mentioned by the others, I will ride it for a while as things like cable stretch and such will have to be adjusted soon.


You'll definitely get some shifting issues when new cables stretch and the housings compress. You'll notice slower downshifting. The adjustment that fixes it is to take up the added slack in the cable by turning out a barrel adjuster a little, in essence making the housing run a little longer. You can try turning the one at the rear shifter on the handlebars out in 1/2 turn increments, then giving it a test-shift each time, and see if that takes care of the issue. Keep track of how many times you turn it, so you can go back to the original adjustment if things get messy.


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## Photoray (Feb 24, 2014)

Oh ya I plan to definitely take it easy for a while. I'm too fat and outta shape for too much. lol


Thanks for the heads up on the cable adjustment. I will give it a shot.


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