Ok, LaWoof mentioned in another thread his front wheel was backward? Talked about reading the hub while on the bike, and the QR should be on the static side? Whats the static side?
Help I know it doesn’t matter but want to understand a few things (why is the above way correct?) and what does the above way look like?
Then we can talk about tires, and labels on drivetrain side and centered on the valve stem.
static side = non-drive side
backwards…no such thing, except aesthetically
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By static side he means the non-drive side. In other words, the left side.
Front wheels can be mounted backwards. He just likes to be able to read the writing on the hub, but a wheel like a Xentis or a HED 3 definitely has a rotational direction to it.
Tires are “supposed” to be mounted so the the label on the tire is centered on the valve stem just by convention, and if there is only a label on one side of the tire, then that side goes on the drivetrain side.
static side = non-drive side
backwards…no such thing, except aesthetically
Some tires are directional so wheels with tires mounted could be put on backwards.
They covered it! Just makes it easier on the trained eye. Just think, from now on, we can look down on the newbies when they have the wheel in backward or the tire mounted wrong. We can even huff and puff about how crappy the LBS is for not knowing to build the wheel so you can read the hub through the valve hole. More opportunity to be geeks!
Most tires do have a direction. Even if there are labels on both sides you;ll find the one with the company and sizing info will be on the drive side.
Doing all these things jsut makes it more universal. Doesnt affect performance any (unless you mount a tire the wrong direction) Front hubs can roll both directions but there’s a way to mount them so the bike looks right. It would be like wearing shorts over tights when running. just dont do it!
Mt bike tire directions are more readily seen. A lot for them are rear tires rolling one way and front tires rolling the other.
I just bought a new Hed 3 front for next season’s racing and was wondering if it needed to be oriented a particular way round. I haven’t mounted a tire and put it on the bike yet. How do you tell which way round is correct? It seemed symetrical at first glance.
The side with the valve opening is on the drive side…
OK, cool. Thanks! I would probably have put it on that way round to match the disk without realizing 
But then it doesn’t tell you why there is a side…if you check carefully your hed 3, you will notice
that one side of the ‘spoke’ is fatter than the other. The fatter side cuts air, and the thinner one exits (the
trailing edge) pretty much like really nicely designed aero frames.
I’m not riding the tribike at the moment (too busy running :)) so I just shoved it in a wheelbag after a cursory examination to check for damage in transit. My eyes obviously weren’t up to spotting the subtleties. I bought it in the sale when trisports were relocating to save a few $$$s but probably won’t try riding it until next year. I’ll have a careful look then. Amazing what you learn round here!
Of course Jan Ullrich might have something to say about wheels being mounted backwards. The big question is does it make 31 seconds of difference?
FM.2.0,
The Hed3 is the only wheel I have encountered that is intended to rotate in a particular direction. In this sense there is a “forward” and a “backward” direction. The rear wheel can only be installed in the “right” direction because the drive side can only be on one side. But the front wheel could be installed “backwards.” If installed “backwards,” one negates some of the designed aerodynamic benefits of the wheel.
Others will have to chime in if there are any other wheels where a specific direction of rotation makes a difference.
The previous post about ulrich is referring to his infamous reversed Xentis wheel and the supposed huge difference from fitting it the wrong way round.
… It would be like wearing shorts over tights when running. just dont do it!
…
Great I just find out about wheels, now I learn I’m not suppose to where shorts over tights when running. I know I can when I play basketball, So why not when I run. Oh wait does that mean I am not allowed to run on the bball courts?
Oh god all these little details I have been missing out on
As Francois had noted, the sharper point of the blade of the 3-spoke should be the trailing edge of the direction of which the wheel would spin. Heres the reasoning…
When the wheel is rotating, the spoke moves twice as fast (with respect to the ground) at the top of the revolution (12 o’clock) vs. the bottom of the revolution (6 o’clock). So it matters more to orientate your wheel in the proper direction.
Most composite spoked wheels are designed to rotate in a specific direction, Hed3, Corima, Xentis, Mavic IO, XLab, (I think the Nimble Crosswind)…
Also many of the Campy “G3” wheels are intended to rotate in a particular direction. The valve stems for the tubes exit the rim right behind the spokes.