Bicycle Mechanics - Wheel Keeps Misaligning

I keep having to losen and realign my back wheel (which keeps pointing to the left such that the tire ends up rubbing against the frame of the bike and making rubber shavings). I losen the bolts, move the wheel and tighten it back up so it stays good for a few more days. What could be causing this? The bike has hub gears if that makes any difference.

Clean surface of dropouts and nuts. The nuts should not have a serrated but not flat like surface.

Your own torque, transferred through the chain, is pulling forward on the drive side of the rear hub and causing the tire to rub the left chainstay.

Since this is a bolt-on hub, I think you just need to tighten the drive-side bolt more. Do you have access to a torque wrench? If so, tighten it to the manufacturer's specs.

Also, be sure the drop-out and the portion of the bolt that touches it are clean and don't have any grease, etc. on them.

How tight did you tighten the axle-nuts? To what torque-spec? Did you use a torque-wrench? ;)

Internally geared hubs generally require a no-turn washer if this is missing it could cause your problem. Check the dropout alignment & grease the threads of the axle.

if you have the room. Use Lock-Washers {they have small teeth on them. apply grease on the outside of the washer. Then use ANOTHER washer of that one. This will allow the Nut to do it's job better.

if it has a quick release {for future reffs. make sure the axle doesn't go past the drop out. Grind away until its flush or less**

I havn't got access to a torque wrench; I've been using a regular adjustable wrench and tightening about as much as I could. I'll look into those lock washers, although I'm not sure I understand the instructions. You say I should grease the outer circumference of the washer OR the smooth side of the washer? And I use two, back to back on each side (four total)?

With regard to grease - the washers need grease, the thread needs grease, and everything else should be grease-free?

This problem only started to occur after I took my bike to Halfords to have the rear tire changed (I'm not really a bike-fixing person, and though I always try to do things myself, I couldn't fathom the hub-gear changing device and didn't want to end up with a pile of peices I couldn't put back together). They used this thing where you only remove the bolt at one side, and then it stretches the frame of the bike, to create a space through which a tire can be slipped, without removing the wheel altogether. There are no washers currently on either side of the wheel, although the Halfords guy said he never touched the chain-side fo the wheel.

Grease on threads and grease on outside flat surface of washer where the nut rubs. Dry everywhere else.

After it's back together and torqued down, use some nail-polish or touch-up paint and draw a line across the washer, nut and axle-end. This will tell you later what part has loosened and moved.

Good idea re: nail polish. Re: grease - wouldn't greasing the surface between the nut an washer, increase the ability of the nut to rotate? Also, are you suggesting I only using one locking washer per side of wheel (two total)?

This problem only started to occur after I took my bike to Halfords to have the rear tire changed (I'm not really a bike-fixing person, and though I always try to do things myself, I couldn't fathom the hub-gear changing device and didn't want to end up with a pile of peices I couldn't put back together). They used this thing where you only remove the bolt at one side, and then it stretches the frame of the bike, to create a space through which a tire can be slipped, without removing the wheel altogether. There are no washers currently on either side of the wheel, although the Halfords guy said he never touched the chain-side fo the wheel.

Ideally, you should be able to mount the wheel in the dropouts and everything should align properly without nuts or clamped quick release.

A note: Unless you are riding your bike to the lbs to have repairs to the wheels, it is always best to take the wheels off the bike and take the wheels only to the repair shop. Don't let them use anything to span the stays. You can span one side but it has the potential to bend the hell out of the derailleur side dropout.

Take it back, make them fix the problem.

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