hernick

Hi,

I got a 26" front wheel, fairly recent, with a cheap Formula-brand disc hub (even though I'm using V-brakes) and a Sun Rhyno Lite rim. The wheel goes on my 3-speed whose chromoly fork has been unbent. The wheel axle is solid and uses a nut on either side to tighten it to the fork dropouts.

There's something I really don't understand. When I install the wheel back on the fork, say after a tire change, wheel centering varies - and flipping the wheel doesn't help. I reinstalled the wheel yesterday - first try, it's totally off center. Both nuts are tight. So I untighten the nuts, and try again - it's still off center. I try again, and finally it's centered! My two reference points for centering are the tire (inflated) position within the fender and the rim position relative to the V-brakes.

I remember having the same experience last time I reinstalled that wheel. None of my other front wheels on my other bikes do that, and I just don't understand what's happening here. I figure it might have something to do with which nut I tighten first, but I don't understand how it could influence the centering of the rim...

Anybody cares to speculate as to what's happening here, and how I seem to be influencing wheel centering simply by the way that I tighten the two axle nuts?

Thanks!

adaminlc

It sounds like your hub may be too narrow for the fork. I had this same problem with a rear wheel and a size difference ended up being the problem.

CACycling

Loosen the nuts and make sure the wheel is fully seated in the dropouts. If it is centered when fully seateed, you are moving it when tightening the nuts. If, when fully seated in the dropouts it isn't centered, there is a problem with the wheel or fork that you are trying to overcome when tightening the nuts.

jsharr

This does sound plausible. If the axle nuts are completely loose, does the wheel move from side to side in the forks? If so, try putting some spacers on the axle between the cone nuts and the forks to center the wheel.

hernick

Indeed, the fork seems to be a bit too wide for the hub.

So I guess I have 4 options here

1. Rebend the fork for proper spacing. Maybe not so good an idea, even though my fork is chromoly.

2. Replace the fork - $20 in parts, lots of dirty labor, I'd have to cut the new fork to size and transfer the headset, brakes and fender... I've done it before, but it's not fun. It's probably the best thing to do, though.

3. Add spacers to the hub to correct spacing - seems like a perfectly good option.

4. Keep centering the wheel with obscure voodoo, as I've been doing so far. Main downside is, I don't understand by what principle I'm able to change the centering of the wheel simply by turning the two axle nuts in a particular order.

gurry

I've encountered the same problem with one of my bikes. Both front and rear wheels are a pain to install, however , I use these wheels for another bike and they install no problem. I'm thinking it might be the quality / straightness of the dropouts / forkends.
The rear axle is new, solid, straight. However I've sized it for the other bike (126 mm) and may need washers. Same for the front.

Retro Grouch 

Try this:

As you reinstall the wheel in the fork, before tightning the axle nuts, stand the bike up on it's two wheels. My bet it that'll fix it.

Getting the hub slightly skewed in the fork is common. Standing the bike on it's own wheels uses the bike's weight to seat the hub in the dropouts.