so after irreparably bending the rear axle on my old road bike and snapping a few spokes, i decided to convert it to a fixed gear, as I had intended to build one anyway this seemed like a good excuse to get on with it. After some thought I decided to jsut purchase an already built wheel from the lbs as i had some free cash. So i brought the bike in picked up a nice wheel, cog and lockring, and the guy asks me if I wanted him to put it together for me, said he would do it for free, so i said sure, it would save me some time. I asked him if the chainline would be fine, and he told me a little disgustedly that it would be. So after i get it home i take the first look at my chainline and it sucks. It must be a good inch and half off, with the chainring way outside the cog. Now im left wondering exactly what i should do to fix it. The original cranks are on, with two chainrings and i think i might be able to replace, or ive read some places its not that hard to take the small one off and move the big one in. Also it seems like it shouldn't be to hard to get some spacers and move the cog out. But i dont really know much of anything about fixed gears and Im still angry at dropping off a load a cash on what I thought would be a perfectly working bike, and don't want to spend any unnecessary money. So if someone could recommend the best, easiest, and cheapest to correct the line and save me days of muddling through poor corrections I would be so grateful.

Are you using the inside or outside ring position on your crank?

out side

i would take it back to the shop and ask them to figure it out for you...

but if not, try putting the chain on the inner ring and see if that makes it better. if it does and you want to use the bigger ring, move it to the inside (provided that it will clear the chain stay). if you do that you'll need to get single stack chainring bolts (since they'll be holding onto one chainring instead of two). you might need to play around with spacers as well.

Yeah, I'd put it on the inner ring. I've gotten my chainline near perfect that way. Very near, actually...

Am I the only one who is seeing different solution to this problem? A wonky chainline is almost always due to a bb spindle that is either too long or too short.

because he's looking for cheap

Why buy a new bb when moving the chainring is free? Also, make sure he didn't put the cog on backwards. The bigger lip with the radius should be on the inside.

When moving the chainring, you might have to either put spacers in the chainring bolts, leave the old ring on as well, or else get new single-stack chainring bolts. Just something to keep in mind.

sheldonbrown.com/chainline might be of use, too.

An inch and a half? How is that even possible? I think I have to see pics of this one...

I was wondering about that too. You have the cog and the chain ring on the same side of yer bike, right?

the problem is that the large chainring is a single-piece with the crank, so it doesn't seem to me like it is possible to change its position. ideas?

Spacers on the hub. But if it's really an inch and a half off that won't do it. Pictures?

This is the Internet, remember? Measurements are always distorted on the 'net. An inch and a half really means half an inch. Now let me tell ya about my 11 inch...

New bottom bracket. Chainstay clearance could be an issue, as I'm assuming this is a 52t chainring. You can buy yourself 3mm or less on the rear by installing a BB spacer, more than that and you may start to run out of threads. Invest $20 in a crank puller and a cheap plastic vernier caliper and measure everything to figure out how far in this chainring needs to go to get you a standard 42mm chainline. If it will hit the chainstays there, and a spacer out back won't help, you need a new crank.

Ohhhhhhhh...this explains alot. But still, 1.5 inches off?

replace welded/riveted chainring combo with a BMX chainwheel that fits the cranks. Take them off and go to an LBS to see what fits. This will bring in the chainline. Also, there is SOME adjustability in the chainline of ashtabula cranks, but not much. Take it apart and think about it when you put it back together.

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she just love my big 10 inch
record of her favorite blues