Was showing a kid how to align his rear wheel between the chain stays - Well - I just eye ball it making sure the wheel is straight - More aliening to the seat tube than the chain stays because of the difference in the dish of some vintage bikes... But are there other ways...

Whats your best method if any?

If I'm feeling particularly picky, I'll measure from the rim to the outside of each chainstay.

I usually eyeball it but if you have drop-out adjustment screws, you can measure now far they are inserted on each side.

I usually use my fingers to "measure" the distance from the rim to the inside of each chainstay, making sure the chainstay comes up to the same distance on each side.

This thread reminds me, I need to readjust the dropout screws on my Atala. :-)

Just as your described it.

I just stick my finger between the rim and the stay on both sides. If that matches up, I eyeball it to be sure it's centered, then, done.

The "difference in dish" shouldn't make any difference. The rim will be centered between the locknuts if it's built correctly.

I just pull the wheel back hard aganst the stops and it's centered. That's why I use two stops even though some people say only one is necessary.

[QUOTE=Grand Bois;14144103]The "difference in dish" shouldn't make any difference. The rim will be centered between the locknuts if it's built correctly. QUOTE]

This will sound funny, but I actually think he was referring to "frame dish". i.e. the asymmetric offset of the chainstays from the seat tube.

As far as "measuring the adjusters", that won't work. The adjusters operate over such very small distances that even paint thickness would affect the measurement, but also are there in part to compensate for the inevitable, normal frame manufacturing discrepancies that are found in all welded or brazed structures, due to thermal expansion.

You could use the string method. Stretch a string from the leading side of the front tire to the trailing side of the rear rim. adjust the two rims so there is 4 point contact.

I eyeball the tire, with emphasis on the front, against the ST and DT. I'll look at the chainstays too but they don't necessarily indicate wheel alighment w.r.t. the front half of the frame unless they were brazed into positions exactly symmetric on the BB. (Presumably the stays would be symmetric on a good bike, but you never know.)

However either improper wheel dish or asymmetric rear DOs would make that visual position wrong. Wheel dish could have been done poorly by whoever built or "adjusted" the wheel, and a previous owner (or the factory) resetting the rear spacing poorly could have gotten the DOs asymmetric. However the vertical position of the DOs is harder to screw up, or is at least more likely to be unaffected by a previous owner. So for a quick test the wheel dish can be judged against the brake mounting bolt. If the wheel is known to be true w.r.t. the brake bolt even if the DOs are themselves asymmetric, then the front of the wheel can be aligned to the ST.