How important are the weights on the rims? My bike doesn't have any on there and to get my tires balanced at a shop it will cost a bit of money. Is there a secret to balancing the tires yourself?

 

I think it's called static balancing where you spin the tire until it stops, then mark the bottom most point, then repeat a few more times. If it keeps stopping at the same spot, then you must put a weight on the opposite end of the wheel. An actual spin balancer surely would work much better though.

Hop this helps some.

 

That does help.

Is it really needed though? How much will the missing weights effect my bike stability?
I don't want to go down because I am missing small weights off my rim.

 

unbalanced tire's can cause wobbles at different speeds. it is very important to have them balanced.

 

Exactly. Wobbles are kinda scary if you have never experienced them before. I made my 750 wobble a little bit at highway speeds from an abrupt jerk of the handlebars. I got back control pretty easily, but I'd hate to imagine getting the wobbles at 100+

For you own safety, It would be best to shell out a few extra bucks so you can be sure your wheels are properly balanced.

 

Have the weights always been off or did you just notice them off? I had a set of tires installed on and weights weren't needed. Perfect balance without them.

If you have the choice of balancing procedures, choose the static balance. Computer balancing can be off quite a bit sometimes.

 

The weights have always been off. I am not sure if the guy before took them off or had the tires balanced and just didn't need them. I am going to try and get in contact with him to see what the case is. They tires look new but I am not sure if he would of put them on himself or had a shop do it.

I have been riding for 2+ months on this bike and havn't noticed any wobble or anything.

 

if you can find out from that guy you bought it from that's cool. if not, it would be worth it to have them checked by a shop. it should'nt cost that much. peace of mind at high speeds is nice.

 

I agree. It's too cheap not to do it. But, you didn't mention if you are experiencing any ill effects from the missing weights. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you're really that worried though, spend the $20.

 

Hmm.. I emailed a bike repair shop around here when I first got my bike. I asked for an estimate on balancing the wheels and a general checkup of the entire bike and the quoted me at around $190 depending on if the wheels were off the bike or not.