popefelix

As some of you may have seen, I switched out my bent French threaded fork for a standard fork (generously donated by nlerner). I've got it on the bike. I try to put the front wheel back on and... the skewer doesn't fit. It's too wide for the dropouts. What do I do?

dedhed

Shorter skewer?

Homebrew01

Just about every road bike has 100 mm fork spacing. You're using the same wheel ?
Can you give more detail of the problem ?

oneclick 

If it's the skewer, you turn the nut on the end opposite the QR lever.

If it's the locknut spacing on the axle you might have a choice (or you might be faced with a)):

a) bend the fork to suit
b) remove spacers/washers from the axle, if necessary removing some of the end of the axle as well (so the axle doesn't stand proud of the outer droput face, preventing the skewer clamping).

But before you do anything, measure. If the fork is bent to start with you will have to do a).

The Golden Boy 

Are you using the rear skewer on the front?

popefelix

Sorry, I misspoke. It's not the spacers on the axle. The skewer itself is too thick for the dropouts.

It's not the rear skewer, though, as far as I know. It's the same as was on the old fork.

Piff 

I'm no frame builder, but maybe you could just use a file on the dropouts? Got any pictures of the fork?

oneclick 

I think by "too thick" he means "too long". I can't see how a skewer (~5mm) is not going to fit in a slot designed for an axle (~9mm).

clubman 

You really should post a picture with these questions. Pics = better, quicker advice.

popefelix

I'm not somewhere I can post photos at present, but it's like this. Each dropout has a "C" shape. The jaws of the C are slightly too narrow for the skewer to fit.

if this is the dropout:

__
| |

Then this is the skewer:
O

But that O is just a little too big to fit into the C.

That may just muddle things. I'll post photos when I get a chance.

steve sumner

if you mean the axle is too thick for the fork tips then you need to slightly file
a fork tip made for a solid axle is is 8mm while a hollow axle is 9.5 so not much
material needs to be removed.

Homebrew01

Yes, I think that's the correct diagnosis.

oneclick 

Ok, this is a nomenclature thing. A "skewer" goes though a hollow axle and has clamping bits on the ends, and that's what holds the wheel on. What you have is just an axle - solid, and yes they can vary is size. You can fix this by filing the dropout. If at all possible, remove the axle from the wheel to use as a check while you file.

CAREFUL filing, same side each dropout, one dropout first until the axle just slides into the "C:, then the other dropout, checking with the axle as you go for both fit and squareness.

popefelix

That was going to be my next question: how to evenly expand the dropouts. 🙂

oneclick 

Remove the fork if you haven't already.
Arrange the fork in a vice so that the slot is parallel to but just a bit proud of the jaw faces. File down to the face, checking the parallelism as you go to see that the dropout has not shifted. After each filing, check to see if the axle fits, and then reset the dropout if necessary.

Remember, it's much harder to put the metal back - and you don't need much.

Leave the curve at the top of the slots alone until you have got the sides correct, then turn the fork so the bottom of the curve is just touching the jaw faces and the slot is vertical; then use a round file to
re-shape the curve on the side you filed. Check with the axle to see it bottoms where it should (check with the threaded part).

popefelix

"Just a bit proud"? I'm not sure the slot is capable of having an opinion of the jaw faces.