Bicycle Mechanics - front hub fine off bike, tight when on

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al5
03-02-04, 07:42 AM
my front hub (surly) is smooth as anything when off the bike, but when its mounted on the fork and locked down with the track nuts, it becomes very tight

any ideas ?

Ed Holland
03-02-04, 08:52 AM
al5

Odd, I was going to say that this is a common issue in the adjustment of quick release axles... until you mentioned the track nut fixing

However it does sound like soemthing is compressing the bearing mechanism when you fix the wheel into the fork. Try loosening the track nuts a little at a time and see how this affects the tightness problem - is one siden or both sides causing a problem? Are the cone locknuts on the axle tightened properly before the wheel is fixed back on the bike? If not this can cause some play in the cone position that will upset the adjustments. Also make sure the axle is not bent.
You may just need to re-adjust the bearing cones to optimise the hubs's running when fixed onto the bike.

Good luck,

Ed