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Front wheel. Does it matter which direction I mount it on?

2K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  PJ352 
#1 ·
Hi,

As above, I have no cycle computer so no magnet. Should I try and mount it the same way each time or does it not matter as long as the tire is non directional as well.
 
#2 ·
saga said:
As above, I have no cycle computer so no magnet. Should I try and mount it the same way each time or does it not matter as long as the tire is non directional as well.
Some tires have directional treads and are presumably optimized for rolling in a particular direction. I don't see much effect for road tires, but it can be a significant factor for mountain bike or cross tires and maybe hybrid tires. I also like to have the tire graphics matching front and rear, and sometimes they are asymmetric side to side. A tip here is to line the biggest graphic up with the valve stem to help you find it more easily, and it is more aesthetically pleasing too.

The easy way to remember which way to put on the front wheel is to match the quick release to the same side as the rear. This is easy to do so I see no reason to mount the front wheel randomly. Also when standing in front of the bike this places the QR on the right which is convenient for us right-handed folks. If you haven't figured it out yet, the best way to install a wheel is with the bike upright. This ensures that the weight of the bike is on the wheel so that it will fully seat into the drop-outs.

(An advanced tip, not for the beginner forum ... if you want to make front wheel changes really quick you need to file off the "lawyer" tabs! There is no risk on a road bike, unless you have disc brakes, as long as you use the QR levers correctly.)
 
#4 ·
ukbloke said:
The easy way to remember which way to put on the front wheel is to match the quick release to the same side as the rear. This is easy to do so I see no reason to mount the front wheel randomly.
There isn't any reason to do it randomly, and good reason to put them on the same side. The reason is to save a bit of time and grime.

Same side is useful when working on the bike (less walking around the thing or flipping the bike around to get the other QR), and non-drive side makes it easier to stay a bit cleaner when working on the bike (like when changing a rear flat).

It's not a big thing, but one of those tiny things that make things go just a little bit easier time.
 
#5 ·
ukbloke said:
Some tires have directional treads and are presumably optimized for rolling in a particular direction. I don't see much effect for road tires, but it can be a significant factor for mountain bike or cross tires and maybe hybrid tires. I also like to have the tire graphics matching front and rear, and sometimes they are asymmetric side to side. A tip here is to line the biggest graphic up with the valve stem to help you find it more easily, and it is more aesthetically pleasing too.

The easy way to remember which way to put on the front wheel is to match the quick release to the same side as the rear. This is easy to do so I see no reason to mount the front wheel randomly. Also when standing in front of the bike this places the QR on the right which is convenient for us right-handed folks. If you haven't figured it out yet, the best way to install a wheel is with the bike upright. This ensures that the weight of the bike is on the wheel so that it will fully seat into the drop-outs.

(An advanced tip, not for the beginner forum ... if you want to make front wheel changes really quick you need to file off the "lawyer" tabs! There is no risk on a road bike, unless you have disc brakes, as long as you use the QR levers correctly.)
Good tips on related issues. Two I would add is that most hubs have manufacturers names imprinted, and that should be upright and face the rider. Same with any writing on the rims. If it's only on one side, mount the wheel so that the writing is legible on the drive side of the bike.

EDIT: This, of course, assumes the wheels were built up correctly.
 
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