sknhgy 

I feel like this is a dumb question, but here goes anyway. I have a bike and the rear axle is fastened with nuts, not a QR. When I tighten the nuts the axle wants to "walk" away from the bottom of the dropout. Is there a trick to tightening these types of axles while keeping the axle where you want it so the wheel doesn't end up cock-eyed to the frame?
Thanks

LesterOfPuppets

Vertical Drops? I usually just lean hard on the seat or bars while tightening up, bike standing up with the wheels on the ground.

Horizontal - I use a burly old mop handle to pry between chainstay bridge and tire. I can't imagine that would work on my road bike, if I had a nutted axle on it, I dunno what I'd do.

electrik

Angle the wheel and pull it backwards to guestimated location then snugly the drive-side nut. Straighten the wheel, snugly tighten the non-drive side. Slowly torque to spec both sides.

reptilezs

grease the threads and washer, mostly the washer and nut interface

caloso

I walk the axle to the point where I want it (or on my FG, where I have good chain tension), and finger tighten the nuts. Wrench tighten the non-drive side nut first because if it walks, it will tend to walk back rather than forward.

BCRider

If you don't have washers under the outer axle nuts then that is why it's walking. Note that all the replies so far are assuming that you have washers. If they are not there then it's time to get some or to get axle nuts that have captive washers that turn easily on the nut. With those you should be OK. Also don't try to torque one down fully all at once. Start with aligning the wheel and just pinch the nuts tight, then go back and do each about half way and finally go back and do both to full torque. Doing it in these smaller increments and with proper washers or washer and nut combos that are lubed should solve your issue.

sknhgy 

Hmmm. There aren't any washers. I bought this bike used. Do you think someone lost them, or maybe there were never any on there? Is there a specific kind of washer or will any kind do (ha, another dumb question!).

Thanks

TurbineBlade

Some nuts have an integrate washer -- unless this guy bought some cheap hardware at Lowe's and put it on there, I'd bet you have the right axle nuts.

Most people just use a 15mm (or 14 or 17mm depending) wrench to "walk" the wheel backward into the right position for proper chain tension. Just slightly tighten each nut alternately as you move the wheel by hand (or lever) back and forth into the drop out.

When you have it where you want it, just snug the nuts well with the wrench. Sometimes the wheel will try to move forward when you apply torque...no big deal, just grab it keep it centered in the chain stays as you tighten both sides. It's never caused me any real trouble.

peripatetic

If you bought the bike used and it's of an older vintage (or just lower-end quality), it could have "serrated flange" nuts, as seen here (under "track nut"); it can be a bit tougher for the serrated flange nuts to stay put.

If the nuts are like normal, everyday nuts, then you need washers, as people have said. Replacing either with actual track nuts, where the flange "floats" but is "captured by" the nut, will make it far easier. That's not entirely necessary, though.

BCRider's tip about tightening the non-driveside nut down first to avoid "walking" is a good one. I actually learned to start w/ the driveside, but that's mainly because I have to deal with this on a lot of single-speed and fixed gear conversions, and I'm trying to get chain tension good enough first. After tightening that nut down, I sight down between the seatstays and the seattube to get the wheel centered into the frame.

I've never found alternating back and forth to tighten to be as easy or effective as just getting one side tightened down at the proper spot, then going to the other. YMMV. You now have an explanation for approaching this in just about every possible way.

Retro Grouch 

That's the way that I do it too. After tightning the non-drive side I have a free hand to hold the wheel straight while I seriously tighten the drive side.

sknhgy 

It has serrated flange nuts. They look like original equipment. It is not a high-end bike. I'm thinking of robbing some washers off another bike and trying them on this bike. I've noticed that typical washers on a bike are serrated. I'm going to find some of those and try them.

I looked at my old Schwinn Varsity and it has a flange nut and serrated washers on each side. So I probably need to "upgrade" to a non-serrated flange nut and a serrated washer.

FastJake

You can probably do it without the washers. What I do is hold one axle nut in the correct position with my fingers. I keep the other nut tensioned with the wrench as I'm tightening it. It takes a little patience and I'm probably not explaining it well on here, but it is possible.

sknhgy 

I robbed some washers off an old Schwinn Collegiate I have. Works fine now. I don't know why it didn't have washers on it in the first place.

BCRider

I suspect that the serrated flange washers are a cheap copout used on cheaper bikes where the folks don't normally remove the wheel for much of anything. You are far, far, far better off with the serrated washers as you've already found out. Those flange nuts would do little but dig away at the dropouts and make a mess of them over the long term. If you want to keep using these flange nuts with the washers I'd suggest you grind or file off the serrations so they don't grab against the washers and try to turn them. Ideally you'd find some flange nuts with smooth faces. If you grind or file the serrations off to make them smoother to tighten up be sure to do it evenly so the flange stays square to the axle.

If you're feeling flush and want to keep the bike for some years if you can find the track style nuts with the integrated slipping washers that are serrated that would be one less part to keep track off when you slip the wheel on and off since the washers will then move out with the nut and not get in the way of installing the wheel after doing something on it.