Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - trying to get the back wheel back on

hey all, I recently purchased this bike http://seattle.craigslist.org/bik/36292500.html I was riding it last night and the chain slipped off, I threw it up on my shoulder and carried it home. It looks like the bolts holding the back wheel on were too loose and as I was cranking up a hill they wheel slipped in the drops and the chain popped off.

I loosened the wheel put the chain back on and now I am trying to put the wheel back on and am having some issues, the boltss down want to get tight, they just turn and then they go "click" and dont get any tighter, I pulled em both off and nothing looks stripped... what gives? is there some kinda trick to getting the back wheel on?

sorry bout the newbie questions but i guess we all have to start somewhere.

Bike shop! Most mechanics will look at a bike like that for free then quote u a price with what they think it will cost to fix or tell u what's wrong. Well they would for me but i spend money in my lbs frequently.

Much easier than guessing what we can't see.

On my first FG bike, I had the problem of the wheel slipping forward upon applying great stress. I ended up buying a set of washers with little teeth on them which gripped into the frame holding the wheel tighter. It might work, I would buy new nuts though, just in case the old ones are stripped without being noticable, it would be cheap to fix (5$ or so).

Phil

see google.com, businesscycles.com, sheldonbrown.com for "track nuts".

well, I think I will go try getting some new track nuts tommorrow, I have a feeling either the nuts are stripped and I cant see it or the threads on the axle itself are shot, ( I think its called the axle, the threaded part that goes through the hub) I was trying to get some pics up here but the batts in my digital just died :( arg ...

anyway, if the threads on the axle are shot does that mean the whole wheel is bad? or does that just mean they will swap it out at my LBS, I have this suspicion that if I take this thing into a LBS their just gonna strait up laugh me out of the place, oh well guess I should just get over it

now lets just assume the new track nuts work, it appears the back fork is too wide ( I know a bit about the whole 120mm 135mm etc.. spacing stuff) so does this just mean that I need to pinch it in their and force it? There is already some spacers between the hub and where the dropouts get pinched, so would I just pull the drive side as tight as I can hand tichten it, then I pull the other side back tight hand tighten it, is that all there is to it?

On my first FG bike, I had the problem of the wheel slipping forward upon applying great stress. I ended up buying a set of washers with little teeth on them which gripped into the frame holding the wheel tighter. It might work, I would buy new nuts though, just in case the old ones are stripped without being noticable, it would be cheap to fix (5$ or so).

Phil



So much for FG reduced maintenance.... :)

Only kidding.

ok well, I think I figured a couple things out and am able to put my questions in a more coherent form....

1) My drops are spaced farther apart then my rear hub by about half an inch, so can I just throw some washers in there to keep from having to try and crank down the nuts to pinch the drops together? If so where do I put these spacers in the sequence?

2) If my axle is threaded I can just have my LBS put in a new one, doesnt mean my hub is trashed

3) I think the "cone adjustment" may be off, I read sheldons article on it but I can't figure out how to tell if mine are too tight or too lose

4) how do I make sure my chain is alligned? Do I just eyeball it?

My back spacing is wider than the hub. I took it to a bike shop...cold Frorge and track nuts.

MY bike is just a trashy commuter so I really didn't mind the cold forge.

Matt

You can cold forge a nice frame too. It won't hurt it. My frame is about 5mm to big on each side and I just sinch it shut w/ the nuts. It sounds to me as though you definatly have a stripped nut or axel, hopefully just the nut. The washers with the teeth are a good idea too.

You can also get spacer which go inbetween the hub body and the inside of the dropouts, it should be easy...

Phil

well unfortunately I think my axle is shot, I picked up some track nuts but they just wont sinch down tight, seems to be the axle is stripped. argh... oh well, at least I learned alot about stuff in the few days that I had her :( now to save up for a new rear hub...
-jeremy

you can just get a new axle...unless you're looking for an excuse to just buy a new hub...

hey all, I recently purchased this bike http://seattle.craigslist.org/bik/36292500.html I was riding it last night and the chain slipped off, I threw it up on my shoulder and carried it home. It looks like the bolts holding the back wheel on were too loose and as I was cranking up a hill they wheel slipped in the drops and the chain popped off.

I loosened the wheel put the chain back on and now I am trying to put the wheel back on and am having some issues, the boltss down want to get tight, they just turn and then they go "click" and dont get any tighter, I pulled em both off and nothing looks stripped... what gives? is there some kinda trick to getting the back wheel on?

sorry bout the newbie questions but i guess we all have to start somewhere.
go to your local shop, your axle bolts might not have the right thread or you may need to hold everything as tight as possible (push the chainstays together over the wheel when you have the wheel into the dropouts)to get the bolts to catch enough thread to spin on. also try using a wrench on both bolts, that might help. if none of this works, just go to your local shop and ask for help.

go to your local shop, your axle bolts might not have the right thread or you may need to hold everything as tight as possible (push the chainstays together over the wheel when you have the wheel into the dropouts)to get the bolts to catch enough thread to spin on. also try using a wrench on both bolts, that might help. if none of this works, just go to your local shop and ask for help.
guess I was too late hahaha. a new axle should only cost 20 or 30 bucks AT the most.don't let them rip you off. the only way it'll cost more is if you get higher end stuff.