Bicycle Mechanics - Wheel dish

Just wondering if my rear wheel is laterally true and completely round but is off center, what will this do to bike performance. Will it do any damage? I know that the correct thing to do is have it centered but I am in a race this weekend and do not have the time to take it in. Wheel does not rub on brake pads. Just kind of annoying knowing that it is off center. Thanks

Your bike may pull to one side. Your bike may oscillate on fast descents. If you notice neither of these problems in a test ride, go ahead and race with your wheel off-center. Alternatively, it is not difficult to re-dish a wheel -- just advance each drive side nipple by 1/4 turn and ****** the nipples on the other side by the same amount to increase the dish offset.

Maybe it is just too early in the morning, but is the wheel off center with
respect to the frame or to the axle? If to the frame, I would expect it
to rub the brakes. Since it is perfectly true, or close to true from the description
could this then be unrecognized dishing? Redishing to one side or another is not straight forward because the spoke torque is near the spoke twisting level already. If the rim is fairly heavy or aero cross section then it would simplify the process somewhat. Steve

If a wheel is off center, it can cause a problem with centering a rim type brake. Off center wheels can also lead to handling problems, but when riding straight, and in corners. The idea of centered (dished) wheels is to allow the rear wheel to track directly behind the front wheel. That assumes the frame is correctly aligned, which is not always the case.

See Wheel Centering (http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/wag.shtml)

I have one front wheel that appears to be off center
at the hub, the rim is centered to the hub.
I wondered if it the axle or spacers were off and could
that be corrected? It seems that applying dish would not be
the optimum solution here.
Am I missing something here?

Marty

Lotek.

Do a double check on your front wheel and turn it around to see if it is centered then. I know that doesn't sound like it should make sense, but that was my recent experience with a front wheel that I recently purchased.

Mike

I actually thought the same thing, and yes it does center
the wheel better (but still not perfect).
I guess my question is if there is a way to offset the
axle within the hub shell so the hub is centered no matter
how it is installed.

It does make for some interesting rides and don't even
ask about riding rollers with this wheel.

Marty