Originally Posted by
missmixte
Thanks! So as long as I tighten the bolts there's no safety reason why the wheel needs to be all the way back in the dropouts? Basically I don't want the wheel to fall out while I'm riding, that's my fear. eeks.
The extra room is there so as the chain wears you can move the wheel back to tighten it up. When the chain is properly set you should be able to pick up the middle of the chain about 3/4".
If the nuts are tight the wheel isn't going anywhere and it can't fall out at any rate.