mauin1x

On my already built frame (I've had for years) the rear dropouts are uneven height wise. Any tips on how to align them? It's a track frame

unterhausen

That's tough, since you probably use more than one wheel position. Is it really a problem? There are really only two ways to fix it, file the top of the low dropout, or fix the discrepancy through surgery. I would be inclined to mostly ignore it, but sometimes look at the builder's logo and shake my head in disappointment.

Trakhak

Never thought of it before reading that common-sense suggestion on Bike Forums years ago (possibly in one of your previous posts). That simple fix might be all the OP needs to do to eliminate the problem.

Kontact

Once the top has been opened with a file, can one close up the bottom via bending?

unterhausen

I hope it's not that bad since OP was living with it for some time. Bending is going to close it at an angle, but I suppose you could fix that by more filing. A really small amount of filing moves the top of the wheel pretty far though. And we can hope the low dropout is on the non-drive side, so it doesn't get as much force applied.

Andrew R Stewart 

[QUOTE=Kontact;23245828]Once the top has been opened with a file, can one close up the bottom via bending?[/QUOTE

Yes but the lower face of the slot won't be parallel to the upper face of the slot.

I might try filing down the axle... Andy

Kontact

That's what I figured, but wanted to ask in case the secret framebuilder coven had a better solution.

bulgie 

If you don't have paint or chrome to worry about, you can build up some braze (brass or nickel-silver) on the other side of the slot, then file it to shape. After paint, no one will be the wiser.

Not that I have ever resorted to any such thing! Honestly, wouldn't do that on a custom I was building, there are higher-integrity ways, but I have done it for a repair on someone else's frame.

mauin1x

Thanks for the advice. See the issue is the wheel in centered in the seat stays but not the chain stays. I think the frame twisted when I removed a seized seat post.
​​​​

Kontact

Normally with track bikes you have to center the wheel in the chainstays by adjusting where in the horizontal dropouts you tighten the bolts down. How does that not apply to your bike?

mauin1x

Well since my dropouts are out of alignment height wise I'm guessing that's why the wheel is center in seatstays but not chainstays. My seatstays are welded to seattube and top tube so I'm guessing when I removed that seized seat post it's misaligned the rear triangle.I uploaded a photo of the exact model I'm referring to

[QUOTE=Kontact;23247088]Normally with track bikes you have to center the wheel in the chainstays by adjusting where in the horizontal dropouts you tighten the bolts down. How does that not apply to your bike?

unterhausen

With horizontal dropouts, you center the wheel in the chain stays. You can't tell if the dropouts are off until you center the wheel in the chain stays. It's not going to be right.

79pmooney

[QUOTE=mauin1x;23247117]
Well since my dropouts are out of alignment height wise I'm guessing that's why the wheel is center in seatstays but not chainstays. My seatstays are welded to seattube and top tube so I'm guessing when I removed that seized seat post it's misaligned the rear triangle.I uploaded a photo of the exact model I'm referring to

"Well since my dropouts are out of alignment height wise I'm guessing that's why the wheel is center in seatstays but not chainstays." Do you mean "chainstays but not seatstays"? With track ends like on your bike (and also horizontal road dropouts), it is easy to center any wheel between the chainstays. Tighten one hub axle nut, center the tire and tighten the other. Done. (Well, you may have your chain slack not right.) The alignment of the dropouts dictates how crooked the wheel sits (tire at the seatstays) but not the ability to center the tire in the chainstays.)

Now you say you may have tweaked the rear triangle messing with that seat. Get that looked at and corrected first before you even think about filing or bending anything at the track ends. A tweaked rear triangle typically moves the hub out of the plane of the bike frame. Filing stuff to make the tire sit pretty is getting a crooked bike presentable to pass the audition (on stage; not on the road under a rider).

Kontact

If the dropouts were wrong height wise, that would cause the top of the wheel to be right or left of center. The seat stays are the ones by the top of the wheel, so if the wheel is centered in the seat stays - you don't have a dropout height problem.

And if that doesn't make sense to you, please stop working on the bike and take it somewhere.

duanedr 

Is it possible it's bent and the rear triangle is out of plane?