These DIY roller wheels are quite useful, I would say essential for wheeling the bike vertically into the elevator. However, as already observed previously, these roller wheels are quite flimsy and are not of good quality. These can be seen from the thin side walls and also simple plastic wheels.
Recently, I found that the bike is unable to roll straight when placed vertically. It tends to wobble from side to side, and I realised that this is due to misaligned roller wheels, as shown below.
Steel side walls of the roller wheel bracket are already bent and deformed, as the side walls are quite thin.
The whole roller wheel is already tilted to the side, causing it to be misaligned with the other roller wheel on the other side.
There is no other way to fix this than to get new roller wheels. I tried knocking and bending it back into place but these only made it worse. Getting a new set of the same roller wheels would make the swap easier, but I could not find the same type of roller wheels. It will probably not last very long as well.
The long term solution is to use a better set of roller wheels, but that also means that the bracket dimensions will be different, which will require a new mounting method. I have no idea how it will be mounted, the only way is to get the roller wheels first and figure out a way later.
Bigger and stronger roller wheels shown on the right.
The side walls are much thicker and stronger. However, the hole distances on the metal bracket are different from the previous one.
After a few hours of fiddling, plus lots of trial and error, I managed to create a new way of mounting the new roller wheels. I had to use some new brackets from my spares, without any drilling of new holes on the parts.
New roller wheel on the left, old roller wheel on the right.
Both roller wheels changed to the bigger and stronger version.
Using some creative and desperate methods to hold the roller wheels securely to the frame, to prevent it from moving under load.
Additional brackets at the side to help prevent the roller wheels from shifting when under load.
Mounting these roller wheels is quite challenging due to limited space and non-existent mounting points on the frame.
When vertical and not moving, one of the roller wheels will not touch the ground as the bike tends to rest on the other two points at the end of the wraparound bar.
At least these new roller wheels look stronger than the previous version.
I was glad I was able to make this work, as it is essential to be able to roll the bike when it is vertical. Once again, I wished that there is a standard mounting point on the rear of the Haul-A-Day frame, where standard roller wheels can be mounted easily. This would save me and others a lot of trouble. I would not mind paying extra for a proper mounting point and proper roller wheels, it can be an add-on option when the frame is being made.
Additionally, I changed to a nicer looking brake rotor at the front, because I had an extra Dura-Ace RT900 disc brake rotor available. It is essentially the same as the Ultegra RT800 rotor, just that the cooling fins are black in colour instead of raw aluminium.
Dura-Ace RT900 rotor on the left, Ultegra RT800 rotor on the right. Differs only by appearance.
New look for the front wheel! Looks better in my opinion.
I did not change the rear rotor, as I only had 1 extra Dura-Ace RT900 rotor. Besides, the rear rotor is hidden behind the side bags and totally cannot be seen, so it doesn't matter what rotor I use at the back.
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