gman26

When I ride my Schwinn Traveler, an old 3-speed, it feels liek it's pulling to the right.

I pulled off the front wheel since the axles had slop; it had some play. I'm figuring it is probably the wheel, however, I am not sure.

Everything looks straight on it.

I did notice that when I place the axle in the fork drops, it doesn't sit even, it hits the side of the fork. To keep the wheel straight, I have to pull the one side up before I tighten the axle nuts.

Panthers007

Sounds like your headset may be loose and out-of-adjustment. Many old 3-speeds have never been overhauled. I just did a full overhaul on a 3-spd. that had the same problem you describe. So yes - check the wheel and try adjusting the hub. And overhaul - disassemble - the headset and clean it out thoroughly. Pack with fresh grease. And put it back together and adjust it to remove any play.

Seems mine had been in need of a spacer for a million years. A 2mm one on the stack took out all play. Now it all runs smoothly and seamlessly. No more pulling to MY right. Oh - and the wheel wasn't properly mounted in the fork-blades. A rubber-hammer solved this.

I L*O*V*E old 3-Speeds....<BANG!>....<BANG!>....<BANG!>....

gman26

'm not an expert, but the headset seems to be smooth.

Could the fork be bent?

neil0502

It could be.

https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=43

May want an LBS to help you on this one.....

Panthers007

Yep - you don't want to trust forks to a novice. But most older 3-spd. forks are pretty solid. A head-on that would bend them would leave the frame looking like an accordion.

noglider 

It sounds like a bent fork.

dahoyle

Certainly could be a fork problem. Wouldn't hurt to check the wheel as well tho, because if the when you fixed the slop on the axle, you might have offset it just enough to end up with a rubbing problem depending on the size of the tires, and then when you "adjust" before you tighten things up, you may well be creating the problem, rather than fixing it. A bent axle or an incorrect dish would cause the same rub, and then canting the wheel in the dropouts (to correct the rubbing) could cause the poor steering, by forcing the wheel to lay over slightly to one side.

Hope I'm describing that adequately. it would be what I would check first.

une_vitesse

i would also check that the ft and rr wheels are properly dished, and that the no turn washer on the rear wheel is properly positioned: if it's on the wrong side of the dropout, the wheel may no longer be dished. wheels that aren't centered on the frame can cause tracking issues.

Panthers007

Please let us know what the answer is.

Hydrated

Duh... lean left.

gman26

After closer inspection, in daylight, I was able to determine that the fork was bent to one side.

I muscled it over and refit the wheel, it dropped into the stays straight. In addition, I could see that the handlebars are bent. So, it rides much better now; all I need is some new handlebars.

Thanks for all you input!

Panthers007

(Please don't give that Pig anymore slop for awhile...)

Good! Glad you got it sorted. Get some nice handlebars for it. Maybe some 'mustache-bars'?

kamalster

Were you in an accident? How did the fork and the handlebars end up getting bent?

Not sure I'd want to keep riding with a bent fork, even if I thought I'd managed to straighten it out.

noglider 

It depends. If the original bend and the bend back aren't severe, it's fine.