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question about horizontal drop outs..what is proper setting for wheel?

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question about horizontal drop outs..what is proper setting for wheel?

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Old 10-29-10, 03:03 PM
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question about horizontal drop outs..what is proper setting for wheel?

How do I know what is the correct position for my rear wheel along horizontal dropouts? Is there some sort of calculation.

...i have a road bike with gears and not a fixed gear.
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Old 10-29-10, 03:19 PM
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the horizontal-ness of dropouts allows for some latitude, and some ppl like this for the *very* slight variability in wheelbase, but i think this is really too slight to mention. I read somewhere that, when running a derailer system, you'll want the axle towards the front of the bike if it's indexed, and towards the back if you're running friction. I can't really say if this is critical, but here are some things i've tried in regards to geared bikes with horizontal dropouts:

#1-if you're running fenders, you might want to put the axle in a spot that's advantageous for keeping your fenders looking "right" while avoiding any rubbing between the tire/fenders
#2- if you're running indexed rear shifting, and you feel like the cable is tuned right, the derailer is tuned right, and you're still skipping or having otherwise sketchy shhh going on, try moving the axle forward or backward in the dropouts. see if it doesn't improve. make tiny adjustments, note any differences, and readjust as-needed.
#3- you're probably good so long as the axle is bolted/QRed in the dropout entirely. Also, make sure it's aligned straight.

I've never run a bike with rear-facing "track" style fork ends and a derailer, so i don't have any advice for all of that. But, the short answer to your questions is "no, there's no hard-n-fast calculation to determine where the axle sits in the horizontal dropouts."

hth
-rob
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Old 10-29-10, 03:30 PM
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as forward as possible for best shifting performance and cornering ability.
as rearwards as possible for comfort and stability.

the derailer works better if it's closer to the cassette and the top pully to cassette chain angle is closer to parallel compared to the ground.
shorter wheelbase is more agile, while longer wheel base is stabler.

But it doesn't make a noticeable difference, at least, not with the amount of adjustment you get on horizontal dropouts.
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Old 10-30-10, 07:56 AM
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If your derailer is an old one that doesn't have a B-tension adjusting screw, the axle has to be moved forward or back in the dropouts as necessary to keep the jockey wheel from contacting the largest cog when you are backpedaling with the chain on the small (front) chainring. (You make this adjustment after you have made sure the chain is the correct length to start with.) That's why bikes up to the C-Record era had adjustment screws in the dropouts, nothing to do with wheelbase etc. although that was the street-corner wisdom we all believed at the time.

The introduction of B-adjustment screws pretty well did away with the need for adjustable horizontal dropouts, although my wife has a bike that does need the axle pulled all the way back -- the screws have to be removed altogether -- to keep her 105 long-cage mech. from clattering in the 29->32 combination even with the B-screw at the max.

Agreed, optimizing fender clearance is the main reason for taking advantage of this adjustability nowadays.
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