Just thought a thread on frame alignment should include a picture of professional tools. I didn't have dropout alignment tools (Campy H tools) in this picture but 3Alarmer has those covered. I'm not a proponent of the string method because it assumes the front triangle is correctly aligned. More often than not it is not. I've aligned thousands of frames over my long career and especially classic era frames are out. Many of the best Japanese ones are spot on. The Park Frame Alignment Gauge is not that expensive and a much better option than using string.


In this picture you will see a surface gauge with a bent point to check that the tubes are parallel to the cast iron surface. There is also a black V step gauge that lets me know the dropouts are equidistant from the frame's centerline. The unit is adjusted up and down by placing the V into the seat tube. The the inside of the dropouts should match one set of steps. The Park tool is there as well as 2 of my own versions. Mine could be used instead of the table by placing it against the face of the BB shell and adjusting the end of the screw to just touch the tube near the BB and then again out on the other end to see if it matches. If not, bending begins.