PowerTap wheel issue, anybody ever see this before?
All,
I've had this problem/issue from the very beginning, but had always assumed that the problem was with my bike (Giant OCR 1) and not with the PT wheel (Mavic Open Pro). However I discovered the same problem, only seemingly worse, when trying to use the wheel with a borrowed Cervelo P2k.
I seem to be able to fit wheel into the drop outs just fine, there's a little resistance but nothing major. However when I attempt to remove the wheel it basically sticks in place. With my current bike I've found the right points to apply pressure so that I can usually force it out of the drops pretty quickly. But on the Cervelo with the drop outs actually being horizontally aligned, I can't seem to get any force on the wheel. I put the wheel on, biked maybe 1-2 minutes on a trainer, and then went to take the wheel off and it was darn near frozen to the frame. It took me the better part of 45 minutes to get the wheel out of the drop outs, and by the end I was afraid I was going to bend the rim or the bike frame doing it.
The issue seems to be with the circular 'nut' (for lack of the correct term) that is on the side with the hub cover opposite the cassette. It seems like this is too big for both of the bikes' drop outs. Could this be the case? Are there multiple sizes for this piece? I would think drop outs would be a standard diameter so there wouldn't even be a need for different sizes.
Any ideas on what to do or check here? I obviously can't use my PT wheel with a bike that takes me almost an hour to remove the wheel. Plus I'm a little concerned about the long term consequences of jamming the wheel into the frame if it's not fitting correctly.
Suggestions appreciated!
Comments
I have a Mavic Open Pro and a P2K but have not experienced this issue. The fit is a little tight but there hasn't been an instance where the wheel was stuck. When I get home tonight I'll walk through removing the wheel and see if there is any trick I can think of.
Hey Jeff,
Did you notice anything in your setup that might help me?
Thanks!
I did a quick look but there was really nothing that looked like it would catch. When I take the wheel out there is a bit of resistance and it's not a gracefull removal but nothing that I would classify as stuck. Could it be that the black PT casing isn't screwed on all the way or is misthreaded? What about making sure the cassett is screwed on properly?
Right now my trainer tire is on but I'm planning on riding outside tomorrow morning. When I swap it out I'll pay closer attention.
Maybe take it to the LBS and see what they have to say.
@Jeff - Thanks for checking for me! I agree, I'm pretty much at the point where I need the LBS to look at it and tell me what's wrong, equipment malfunction or user error.
Tony,
I have had 2 PowerTaps. My older wired one has exactly the problem you describe. Removing it takes a herculean effort to pull it out of the dropouts. The newer wireless one has no problems. It just seems that that fitting for the wired powertap is very tight, but it continues to function well.
@Kevin - thanks for the info, so at least there's a chance this is a known issue then. Strangely mine's a wireless SL+, but maybe it was constructed with parts from the wired version or something....mmmmm.... Did you ever get your wired one fixed?