regular swapping of wheelsets

Unicycles and Equipment
1

is it ok to change wheelsets regularly? is a weekly swap-over too frequent? i’m worried about the threads on the bearing caps becoming worn and especially worried about the looseness of them over time, or rather their tendency to become looser, allowing bearing wear. should i dab a bit of blue loctite on the threads each time or every few times? is there a disadvantage to doing this eg premature thread wear? thanks
t

2

you should be fine, the loc tight is agreat idea :slight_smile:

3

Steel frame and steel bolts, swaps would take a while to wear the threads, just don’t overtoque the bolts and use grease to lubricate the threads. No need for loctite, esp if you are swapping wheels. Loctite is for semi permanent (blue) or permanent (red) use, neither of which applies to your wheel swapping.

Aluminum frames and steel bolts, the aluminum will wear faster than steel, just be careful and if they get buggered up you can always drill out the threads and use a nylock nut + washer.

I swap wheels on my Oregon weekly, been doing it for a year plus, no problems yet :slight_smile:

4

I’ve been swapping my wheels on my KH 2007 frame alot, No problem so far, like Ben said, just make sur you dont over-tighten you bolts and you should be fine.

5

Grease is a bad idea for two reasons:
[LIST=1]

  • Grease traps grit and debris, which will act as an abrasive and wear your threads down faster, unless you remove the old grease every time you swap wheelsets. This is extra work and is unnecessary.
  • Dry (ungreased) threads have better holding power than greased threads for a given torque. The bolts have a higher chance of becoming loose when greased. [/LIST] Grease may have been recommended to avoid corrosive bonding. Being that you're swapping wheelsets often, there won't be enough time for the threads to bond together, as you'll likely break the bonds when you remove the bolts.

    Steel or aluminum, just keep the bolts clean and you’ll be fine. The “loosening” effect comes from abrasives working their way into the threads. If you wanna be extra careful, spray the threads (bolt and socket/nut) with WD-40 and scrub 'em with an old toothbrush each time you change 'em. No abrasives, no wear, done!

    Loctite, no need. Bolts hold themselves in place from friction between thread surfaces. As long as they’re clean, dry and tight, they shouldn’t come loose.

    • 6

    thanks, all. puts my mind at rest.
    t