The Spin on Wheels in Visual Studio .NET

Drawer QR Code ISO/IEC18004 in Visual Studio .NET The Spin on Wheels

If wheels are made of quality material, are built with properly tensioned spokes, and use tires inflated to the correct pounds per square inch (PSI), they should last a long time and not need repair or service other than keeping the hubs lubrications and in good working condition In this section, we fill you in on how to care for your wheels, keep them in good working order, and handle problems if they arise We also give you the skinny on shopping for new wheels, in case you need to replace one

Wheels are measured according to their diameter and width If you re shopping for wheels, you might see a number like 700C x 19 The first number is the diameter of the wheel in millimeters; the second is the width Sometimes manufacturers uses the English-American standard and list the numbers in inches (for example, 26 x 19) In other cases, manufacturers write one number in inches and the other in millimeters (for example, 26 x 19) Knowing the size of a wheel is important because not all wheels will fit a bike and not all tires will fit a wheel The diameter determines what wheel will work with your bike The forks on a bike are designed to use wheels of a certain size If the diameter is too large, the wheel won t fit on the bike If the diameter is too small, the brakes won t align properly with the rim The width impacts the tires you can use Wider rims are usually found on mountain bikes, which use thick tires with heavier tread Narrower rims are found on road bikes, which use thin tires Another consideration when buying wheels for your bike is the width of the hubs the distance as measured between the two locknuts It should match up with the distance between the dropouts in the forks and the rear frame dropouts Many quick-release hubs are thicker than their nutted, solid-axle counterparts If your bike is designed with traditional hub nuts, be sure to test new wheels if they use a quick-release axle otherwise, you may find that they don t fit Other than size, another consideration when purchasing a wheel is whether it supports a clincher tire or tubular tire: Clincher tires are what you find on most bikes today A clincher combines a tire (which is secured on the rim by two beads, or outer edges, that tuck or clinch inside the rim) and an inner tube (which is enclosed by the tire) To protect the tube from the spoke holes, rim tape or some sort of material is used to line the inside of the rim next to the tube Tubular tires are found mostly on racing bikes They consist of a tire material that is sewn together and then attached to the rim with adhesive If you have a flat, changing a tubular tire is more work, but tubular tires are safer than clinchers if your flat occurs when you re riding at a high speed, because they re less likely to come off the rim while you re riding Some downhill mountain bikes are starting to use a new style of rim and tire combination that doesn t use tubes These are more durable and hold up better to the extreme conditions of mountain biking, but they aren t ideal for every rider because they re very expensive and hard to work with

In order to maintain proper braking, you should keep your wheels clean and grease-free Regular washings with soap and water will keep grime from building up If you have trouble removing residue, try using a solvent and a Brillo pad to clean the rims Use rubbing alcohol to finish the cleaning and remove all solvents and residue off the sides of the rims Make sure you keep the solvent away from the tire solvent will cause the tire to deteriorate Another aspect of care for your wheels is keeping the hubs properly lubricated At least once a year, overhaul the hubs Most hubs today have rubber seals that keep a lot of contaminants out of the bearings If your hubs don t have rubber seals or you re riding in dusty, rainy, or muddy conditions, you ll need to overhaul your hubs and replace the grease more often You can do a number of things to extend the life of your wheels and keep them in good working order: Properly inflate your tires Tires act as the primary suspension for a bike They cushion the wheel from blows and grip the road as you ride The most important thing you can do to protect your rims is to keep your tires inflated to the psi indicated on the side of the tires The number-one cause of damaged rims is under-inflated tires Keep your tires at the right pressure and, when you hit the next pothole or rock in the road, you ll have a good chance of your wheel surviving it intact Plus, you ll have the added benefit of not having to expend as much energy to pedal when your bicycle has properly inflated tires Make sure your spokes are properly tensioned Wheels with spokes that are tensioned too loosely will have a shorter lifespan and could be dangerous Loose spokes flex more than tense spokes do, so they fatigue more and are more likely to break If several spokes give out, the wheel could collapse while you re riding A wheel with loose spokes will also flex and wobble, causing reduced steering control At the same time, the answer to loose spokes is not to randomly or overtighten them A wheel with spokes that over-tensioned can be dangerous as well A wheel has a high risk of bending like a pretzel with under- or over-tensioned spokes You want a wheel with spokes that are tight enough that they don t work their way loose while you ride Frequently pluck the spokes of your wheel Spokes of the same tension will make a similar sound, allowing you to quickly identify which ones are loose Make sure you have the right wheels Just as important as inflating your tires and properly tensioning your spokes is to pair the right wheels and tires with the type of bike and style of riding you engage in For example, if you re going off-road, you should have mountain-bike wheels and tires,