John!

My back wheel got jammed against my left chainstay when I was biking up a very steep hill. I gave it a temporary fix by readjusting the axle and retightening everything, but while on a casual ride it got jammed again. I inspected the axle, and it looks like it is possible that there is a washer missing. Would that make it jam?

GeoLes

Is the quick release mechanism tight enough. Flip up the handle. Give it another turn or two and snug it down tight. If it still occurs drop it by the bike shop for a lookover.

John!

It's not actually a quick release. Yeah, it's tight. But could the lack of a washer cause my problem?

GeoLes

Without actually seeing it, it is difficult to diagnose. There are very few moving parts in a QR hub. You may have a faulty one. Ihttps://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/qui...explained.html Here is a basic primer on Quick Releases. You can also search the site for related items that may contribute to your problem.

Retro Grouch 

Absolutely!

You need washers between the axle nuts and the frame. Serrated washers work better than plain flat ones. They chew up the paint but they'll hold the axle straight.

John!

OK, thanks. The one thing is is that since I don't know the specifications of the part I lost, how can I replace? Are washers non-specific enough that I can just buy a few and try them on?

Sorry. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm very new to bike repair.

tellyho

Any spacers that were on the axle would not have simply fallen off. I suspect you just need to honk on your axle nuts some more. Alternatively, if it looks like the dropouts are wider than the hub locknuts, you could pull off the locknuts on both sides and space things out evenly to take up that extra room. But that's going to be a pain in the ass.

If you re-tightened the axle nut with a multi-tool, you almost certainly did not have enough leverage to get it tight enough. You need a real (presumably 15mm) wrench to do the job right.

I'm having trouble imagining that the serrated washer would be distinct from your axle nuts. Usually, the nuts have a wide flange that's serrated itself, and no washers to loose.

In any case, you need things tighter.

John!

No, I tightened it with a 15mm (open-end) wrench, and I'm pretty sure it won't get any tighter.

Also, if there is a washer missing, it wouldn't have come off by itself, but rather fallen off when I was installing a new back tire-about 5 days before the first occurrence of my current problem.

DannoXYZ 

Also make sure the washers didn't slide to the inside of the dropouts when you installed the wheel.

rideone

time to resurrect this thread since i am having this problem way too often. actually i did a coaster brake build for a friend and his back wheel is frequently jamming, especially on turns he says. the frame spacing is 123ish and i dished and spaced the back wheel nicely. chainline is good. i've had to fix his back wheel four times! i even rebuilt the damn wheel using sapim race spokes and a rigida sputnik rim b/c i am at my wits end!

the only thing i can think now is that either there is an uneven force on the left side (with the brake arm) or the frame alignment is off. since the physics of the whole thing is beyond me, i am lost. anyone else care to chime in and help out?

some facts:

rear hub is velosteel. brake arm is not directly below the chainstay but offset to the right, fastened using a sturdy velo-orange p-clamp.
nuts are track style with serrated washers built in. real tight!
lock nuts are also serrated.
left side has an attachment for trailer between nut and frame. image below



thanks!

rideone

found this information abotu 3 speed hubs from Sheldon:

"When you remove and re-install a 3-speed rear wheel, pay particular attention to the axle washers. The axles are flatted, and there are special anti-rotation washers keyed to the flats on the axles. These washers have tabs that must face into the drop-outs to help keep the axle from twisting under load. The axle nuts are easy to strip because of the interrupted threads on the flatted axle, so you should lubricate them with medium-to heavy oil or grease. They do have to be tightened quite securely."

could the same regarding coaster brakes be true?

since this is a peugeot road frame would it help to use the spring loaded adjustment screws or that little insert in the dropout that is so common on older frames, especially peugeots. here on the left dropout.

jim p

It sounds like the right side of the rear axle is slipping forward. The only way that I know of to stop this is to make sure that you have the right chain stay lug clamped between two strong serrated washers or nuts. In some cases it is possible to tighten down the outside nut and think that it is grabbing the rear lug when what it is actually doing is compressing against spacers and such that are also on the axle.

Also if these are fixed gear bikes or single speeds with no slack in the chain, then an out of round front chain ring may be pulling the wheel out of alignment.

I am just guessing but maybe this will help some.

rideone

the chain does have some high and low spots, since the chainring is not entirely round (which is normal for road rings i think). it is not overly tight.

sorry, i didn't quite follow the compressing part. ok, going to try some serrated washers next. you suggest one on the inside and outside of the dropout (you referred to as "lug")?

vrg3

I've had this problem too. Even with everything in proper working order and torqued down nicely, I still sometimes pull a rear wheel forward in the dropouts. I'm a big heavy guy and these are fixed gear bikes so the top of the chain is just under a lot of tension when I'm climbing a steep hill.

My solution was a Surly Tuggnut. They only market them for track forks but I've been able to install them on a few frames with forward-facing rear dropouts after a little finagling.