Bicycle Mechanics - Brake not balanced-> wheel off center ?

I see the front wheel about 2mm to the left off the center of the fork.
I don't know if this is causing any risk to me because the bike still rides well but when I ride and see the wheel closer to 1 side of the fork than the other side it's simply driving me nuts.
about 4 months ago I had to true this wheel and I did a good job, the wheel was very true and in the middle of the fork too.The problem I guess is with the front brake,when I pull it then the right pad comes first to touch the rim and starts to push the wheel to the left until the left pad arrives and holds back.
Both pads are worn the same.
I tried this,I loosened a little the nut that holds the bolt that holds the brake so it could move more freely from side to side, this maybe helped a little but the problem is still there.
The bike is Raleigh 10speed 199x? and the brakes are Raleigh Weinmann alu. top center pull.
There is no problem with the rear brake.Actually both brakes work well except this problem.
How can I fix this ?


Problem #2:
I installed a new saddle on this bike.
After I tightened the locking nut as hard as I could, the saddle still moves up and down a little when I ride.
help!!

Put the front wheel in the other way. If it sits off center to the right, then the rim is not centered in relation to the hub. That's part of the wheel-truing process. If you don't have a rim-centering guage, you can fake one up. Take the tire off the rim, and take the quick-release skewer out. Lay the wheel on two evenly-high stacks of books, just high enough for the end of the axle to clear the table/floor. Find a shim (nut, piece of wood, etc.) that is very close to the distance between the table/floor and the axle nut surface. Or, if you can, measure that distance. Flip the wheel over. The other axle nut should be the same distance from the table/floor (using the measurement or shim method). If it's not, you'll have to loosen the spokes on one side and tighten them on the other, all the while keeping an eye on the radial and lateral trueness of the wheel.

If the wheel is still off-center in the same direction when you put it in the other way, then either you're not putting it in right, or the fork is bent.

Put the front wheel in the other way. If it sits off center to the right, then the rim is not centered in relation to the hub.

I agree, I have been changing a lot of stuff around lately, and I often find that certain front wheels don't fit properly in certain forks, so I either flip the wheels over, or swap wheels around. I don't know why this happens. :mad:

If it's off by a little, I don't worry, and just move the brakes. Sometimes I put an extra washer on the axle, next to the cone, to even things out.

I suggested putting the wheel in the other way 'round just as an experiment, to determine what is off. If you're shimming, or getting different fit based on orientation, something's bent or misadjusted, and unless it's a beater, shouldn't be left.

if one brake pad is hitting first and pushing.....you wont get maximum braking power...
Make sure both pads are hitting at the same time...and are evenly spaced. If not, there are spring tension set screws that will move the pad closer or further away. Screw in it move pad away...out to move in....hope it helps

if one brake pad is hitting first and pushing.....you wont get maximum braking power...
Make sure both pads are hitting at the same time...and are evenly spaced. If not, there are spring tension set screws that will move the pad closer or further away. Screw in it move pad away...out to move in....hope it helps This applies to V-brakes (okay, "linear-pull" brakes). From the original poster's description ("Weinmann center-pull"), it's either a caliper or cantilever; my money's on caliper.

This applies to V-brakes (okay, "linear-pull" brakes). From the original poster's description ("Weinmann center-pull"), it's either a caliper or cantilever; my money's on caliper.

Caliper.

I put the wheel the other side around and so I was expecting to see the rim now closer to the other side that is the right fork side but no- the wheel is still off to the same side.
Does this mean that my fork is bent ?
I added another washer at the left side of the axle so now the wheel is in the center,but Im not enthusiastic about riding on a bent fork.

I put the wheel the other side around and so I was expecting to see the rim now closer to the other side that is the right fork side but no- the wheel is still off to the same side.
Does this mean that my fork is bent ?
I added another washer at the left side of the axle so now the wheel is in the center,but Im not enthusiastic about riding on a bent fork. Sometimes you can detect a bent fork by "eyeballing" it. You might also try measuring, using a string, from the some center point at the fork crown to each fork tip, to see if the distances are different. But to know for sure, you should take it to a reputable LBS where they can take more precise measurements. They'll also be able to tell you what options you have for dealing with it, as a function of how badly (if at all) it's bent.

Is it a quick-release? If so, as you throw the lever, do you feel the fork blades "twisting" at all? This can be hard to tell, but when you put the axle into the dropouts, do the dropout faces appear perfectly parallel to the axle nuts, or is there a bit of an angle?

a quick fix i guess to "dishing" (i htink) is just tighten the sppokes one at a time 1/4 of a turn to move the entire whell that way

The quickest and easiest fix is to take it to your LBS and ask them...

it could be wheel dish, it could be you are not seating the wheel straight in the dropouts, it could be you have a QR spring on the axle backwards, it could be a bent fork, etc... theres a million possibilites and without seeing it no one here can do anything but guess, and give bad advice on how to dish a wheel.