Hello guys, I recently converter my street build to AT build and I noticed a very strange problem.
When I push just the board it rolls wonderful, but if I ride it (without any belts attached) my weight (70kg) makes the wheels squeek and I notice a big difference as the board comes much much quicker to a stop.
I changed the bearings that came with the AT wheels to the bearings I use for the street setup and I still have this problem.
Even when the wheel nut is loose this happens.
One thing I had to do was push the bearings hard inside as they fit very very tight. I had to do small taps around the outer side of the bearing to slowly fitting inside without damaging.
Can the bearing be too tight making this resistance?
As for the belt when I connect it it must be very very lose, a slightly increase in tightness creates an exponential resistance and it doesn’t even feel tight.
This are my wheels:
The inner bearings are longer ones I had so I don’t need to use so many washers. With both standard bearing this also happens.
I hope you can share your knowledge with me. It is my first time build AT board.
Yes I have spacers and I added washers where the spacer looks short so even if I tight the nut very hard the wheel still rotates freely since the middle is not pushed inside.
I would say the inside of my bearings sits on the spacers that’s where the pressure is.
What I noticed is that the wheel is not one complete part but too parts joint together with 4 screws. Are the wheels you guys use like that?
Could also be weight im a heavy guy. My wheels coast ok at 75psi but its not like my 107s those roll forever. You can tell the huge difference in resistance and my belts were loose too.
Make sure you have speed rings on both sides of the wheel. Make sure the tires are inflated all the way.
One issue that plagues these wheels is that the bearing seats are not always a aligned perfectly, putting the axle in a slight bind creating rolling resistance. Unless you want to go to a machine shop and pay them to re-mill the bearing seats you’re kind of screwed if that’s the issue.
It’s likely that they’re squeezing the bearings (you had to force them in) and they’re pressed out-of-round if you know what I mean. I wrecked multiple sets of bearings trying to get them seated.
I’d sand the inside till they’re just a snug fit, and try out some new bearings.
Since it’s sanded and looser, you’ll have to use retaining compound to keep them stable. But I’m sure the rolling will be much better.
I think maybe this can be the problem as you explained that the wheels might no be aligned.
Without any belt attached if I give the board a push I can go furthest 2/3 meters. If this is considered normal then I do nothing here. If not I must return the wheels.
When I am on top the slightly squeaking sound looks like something being pressed too much against something else.
You shouldn’t shouldn’t get bothered by the rolling resistance of these wheels, only the average wh/km. With these tires People have been getting 18-22wh/km depending on their weight and riding style. If you are getting somewhere in that range, just continue riding. And oh, bump up the pressure to 72PSI, which is what is use, for better efficiency. Those would be my suggestions.
However, if you really want to change things then go for Six shooters like everyone else is suggesting or if budget is lower then @dickyho has the rims and the pulley(aluminum) that go with those tires. You’ll be set for a total of $95.
I will buy a pump so I can check also how many psi I have at the moment. If not I will thing about getting new pneumatics.
I am in China at the moment so I must see where I can find some better quality pneumatics maybe it will make the difference. I still need to do a range test when I have time to drive so long
The 6x2 chinese tires are very stiff and this comes with some advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
They last forever
Wide contact patch
Very difficult to get a flat
Can be ridden even with a flat tube.
Disadvantages
Increased weight
Increased rolling resistance
Lower comfort compared to a tire with a thinner sidewall.
In the end of the day it depends on your preferences and application.
For me, since I commute on these tires, the fact that it is very difficult to get a flat and even if they do, I can just continue riding is what makes the scale lean towards them.
I still would like to test the Bergmeister tires providing they fit on my Sixshooters.
