Bike wheel visibly off centre AFTER truing
 

My front wheel was off centre (so to centre it I had to lift one side slightly higher in the dropouts). I was unsure if it was a wheel issue or a fork issue so took to a bike shop and they trued the wheel. It now sits properly in the dropouts but is visibly off centre. Is this normal? This is my first disc brake bike and I read they are normally more to one side, but I would have expected to still align with the centre.

Or have they trued a wheel when it's a fork issue?

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...78d08b0b56.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...473c2e3538.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b3624a869e.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a7fb6aa574.jpg

Flip your wheel. If it offsets to the opposite side your wheel wasn’t dished (centered) during the truing process.
If it is offsetting to the same side, then it’s your fork.

Looks crashed to me. Did you buy it used? Or the shipper dropped it?

If your LBS trued it they should also centre it. If so, its probably the fork by the looks of it.

Who trued it? Take it back. Probably should take the bike too so they can see what they are dealing with. My front wheel with disc brakes is centered. The off to one side thing you heard must have been their way of relating dish. But IMO and AFAIK, the rim and tire should be centered.

Though it might be that you didn't get it in the fork ends correctly. I would have liked to have seen a camera angle from each side showing the lower part of the fork end under the QR. But if you say it's good, I'll take your word for it.

A disc brake is a dished wheel. If someone tried to set the tension equally on both sides, the wheel will not be properly dished. The disc side will have a higher tension (tighter spokes) than the off-dish side. OEM wheels are sometimes off on dish.

Is that a bad tire?


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c4e6555f05.jpg

Don't think the tire is bad. Looks bulging but I think that is the hub below. The light area just looks like dirt to me.

Blown up a touch there is a little variation but I think there is a piece of metal or something sticking out just far enough that it looks as part of the tire which it is not.

No, the tire itself is fine, that's just dirt.

Decathlon. They also sell this bike so I figured they'd be the best place to go. I took the bike. They even looked at it at the end after putting it back in frame and said "That's perfect". I just don't think (and as others on here have confirmed) any wheel should me that off centre, so thanks for explaining re disc brakes.

Will try flipping it tomorrow and see.

perfect? they need their eyes examined.

It's a Walmart bike. If the dropouts were bent the disc would be off too.
Maybe the headset isn't set right.
Turn the bike upside down and take pics from front to back to show alignment.

It should be centered better than that. Either the wheel lateral true is off, or the fork is laterally bent, or the fork dropouts for the axle are not even so the axle cocks. If either of the latter two, fork/dropout issues, truing cannot correct, because the angle of the wheel will not be in line with the plane of the bike frame, which means if you center the wheel in the top of the fork, it will be off from the bike centerline at the road surface. I would recommend they put the bike on a stand, use the gismo that locks the steering straight, front wheel out, back up, then eyeball how the fork looks with respect to the frame behind it, that's to judge fork blade straightness. If looks good, next check dropouts for slot evenness, ideally they would have an extra-long axle that can go in there temporarily, or just a long straightedge held upward against both of the dropout upper radius, just to eyeball that with respect to the frame. If dropouts not even, the solution, if there is enough metal, is on the dropout that is too low, enlarge the radiused slot upward, until the dropouts are even.

I flipped the wheel and it does sit more centrally, but still off centre (to the left now). So I guess that means the fork is ok? As it's off-centre in the opposite way?

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...04405c1887.jpg
Wheel flipped 2 - off centre to left
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2ed90ccbaf.jpg
Wheel flipped
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...34e544626a.jpg
Wheel back right way - off centre to right

If flipping it visibly goes to the other side it must not be dished properly. In the old days you didn't dish a front wheel you just centered it.

Someone screwed up. Take the whole bike back to the shop that trued it.

You have to consider if the place you bought it from is really a full service bike shop or just a sales outlet. And just because they might have a mechanic that can wrench bicycles, doesn't mean that person knows anything about wheels. I've DIY'd my own bikes for over 60 years now. But I don't do wheels. I rather they be done by someone that does them often and that wouldn't be me.

If they pulled the wheel that much off center truing it, then I'd wonder if the spokes on the left side of the wheel are not protruding inside the rim. And the right side spokes hanging on by a few threads. But I don't claim to be a wheel person. Not my cup of tea for the DIY I like to do. So maybe see if any of the other persons that actually build wheels has any input on that thought.

I don't know if it's been ask yet, but have the fork ends alignment with the frame been checked? There wouldn't need to be much difference in the length of one to the other for it to be off center at the top of the fork. Though flipping the wheel did show that the rim isn't centered between the hub's OLD. So that still is the bigger issue.

As above, you need to have the wheel dished properly and locate a proper bike shop first, then decide on the alignment of the fork (which seems asymmetrical to me).

Wheel needs dish even, forks are not aligned, is what I see

are you seating the axle all the way in the fork ends? it looks like the wheel is tilted? If it is seated all the way there is and issue with the fork

From what I can see, the bike is not a great quality bike...so this could just be parts of lots of ongoing issues.... I know OP does not want to hear this, but start saving for a better bike and get rid of this one as soon as possible

More centrally…i.e. off but not the same amount. This makes me wonder if the problem is a little bit of both the wheel not being dished, AND an uneven/bent dropout. If it went completely and equally to the other extreme when flipped, then that’s dishing. If it stayed on the same side equally, then it’s the fork/dropout bent. But flipping doesn’t go to the opposite extreme like you’d think. So there must be some dishing issue AND a problem with the fork.

You could see if/how much the dishing is off. Take the wheel off the bike, and the QR skewer out. Rest the wheel horizontally on 3 or 4 blocks (under the rim, not the tire). Measure the distance between the lower end of the axle and the floor. Flip the wheel over and measure that same distance with the other end of the axle. Both measurements should be the same.

Lastly…could this be that the dropout is resting on the QR skewer and not the axle on one side?

Dan

Actually you did dish it, just to zero offset.

Turn the bike upside down. Spin the front wheel and examine the tire profile. Make sure that the tire is properly seated and not warped.