Bicycle Mechanics - Incorrectly Spaced Hub

Hey-

I have a 1988 Schwinn Prelude that I bought used recently (a roadbike from the era) and one day I removed the front wheel to lock both wheels together, and it seemed difficult to remove but I ignored it. Then when I went to put it back on it was impossible. The spacers (I think that's the right term) were too wide for the fork. I eventually enlisted friends and two of us pulled the fork apart while another put in the wheel, but it was very difficult. I bought the bike used about a month ago, so I don't know its history, but both hubs and rims look original and have identical quick release skewers which makes me think they're the original set, as it looks like it the cassette on the rear wheel is original (I hope I got that term right too).

Is it possible that it's normal for me to need to jam the wheel in there? Or is it more likely that the front hub is spaced incorrectly and I'm slowly destroying the fork by having this wheel on.

I hope I was descriptive enough; thanks for your help.

I think it's more likely that one of the forks is bent. If it's steel, bend it back out. I did this on one of my old bikes. If it's aluminum, I would get a new fork.

I second what Gonzo said. You DO NOT want to risk riding an aluminum fork that has been bent.

Measure between the front fork ends with the wheel removed. Normal width should be 100mm or just barely under 4" for 99% of front forks. If much less then the fork is almost certainly bent.

I bet it is a bent fork also........the Prelude is a nice bike so it is worth fixing imho.

I believe that some earlier forks had different measurements. Is it possible that the original fork was replaced at some point? I'm not sure what sort of impact could bend a fork so that the dropouts were closer together.

I believe that some earlier forks had different measurements....
I'm not sure what sort of impact could bend a fork so that the dropouts were closer together.
That may be, but his bike is pretty recent and should conform to the standard spacing. My bikes from the '60, '70s, '80s, and '90s (don't have any '00s yet) all have 100mm front dropout spacing.

Most likely cause of a narrowed spacing would be if the bike were transported without the front wheel and something fell on one of the fork arms.

Thanks everyone. I'll measure the front tonight. I looked it up and am fairly sure it's steel so I'll look into bending it back if the gap is too small.

Thanks everyone. I'll measure the front tonight. I looked it up and am fairly sure it's steel so I'll look into bending it back if the gap is too small.

Real easy to check with a magnet to make sure.