Originally Posted by
davbiken
When I put the wheel in all the way to the bottom of the dropouts it is off-center in the fork and leans to the right. I can cheat by pulling the left side down a little then tightening, but it soon gets off-center and rubs. So it seems as if the left fork is a tiny bit short. Also the forks are spread apart too much- about 100mm inside dim. and the wheel looks like 95mm wide, so they need to bend together. I am not able to upload pics but based on my description does anyone have tips are advice that might help?
First, check the alignment to ensure that the blades are equally offset and the dropout centerline is coaxial with the steer tube centerline. This is hard to do without a gauge of some sort, like the Park FT-4. Perhaps a local shop may have this tool?
If it turns out that one blade is longer than the other, causing this displacement, then you can use a round file to deepen the dropout slot on the side with the longer blade. Go slow, check often. It's easy to remove material but hard to put it back if you remove too much.
Finally, replacing the fork can be a reasonable option, especially if the headset is worn out and needs replacing. A replacement fork will have English thread, and allow a wider variety of replacement options.