Chris O

I took my first shot at servicing a hub a while back. This was for my Shimano RS11 rear wheel. I had to replace the cone on the drive side (#3 in diagram) due to pitting and when I took the whole thing apart I was not careful enough to note exactly where things were on the axle. I realize I should have counted threads past the locknut, but I found that out too late. I put it all back together and it does seem the wheel is off center a mm or two, sitting a little too close to the non-drive side now.

My question is, is there any real way to get the wheel precisely centered on the axle now, or do I just fudge it by threading things in increments on the axle to try and eyeball it? These are cheap wheels so it's not a big loss, but I was hoping to use them this winter.

Chris

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Chris

Chris O

Just one note, I do have set of electronic calipers for precise measuring if that helps.

C.

dsbrantjr

IIRC the axle thread pitch is 1mm, so each turn of the cone would move the axle 1mm.

reconnaissance

It’s good to leave one cone and locknut undisturbed—you then just have to remember which side you pulled it from, and how many balls go there. If you have to replace both cones, do one side at a time.

mack_turtle

OLD of the hub is 130mm.
how wide is the axle itself?
subtract 130 from the total width of the axle, divide that by two. that's how far the end of the axle should be from the outside of the locknut. start by installing the cone and lock nut on the drive side and get that spacing within 1mm. torque that lock nut down in that spot. it's often difficult or impossible to adjust the spacing or tension on the bearings from the drive side because the freehub will be in the way. when you slide the axle in through the drive side of the hub and thread the cone, spacer, washer, and lock nut on the NDS, it should even out. if not, you did something wrong.

alcjphil

How much axle is sticking out on each side has nothing to do with the rim being off center. Check to make sure that you have not moved a spacer from the non drive side to the drive side. Doing that would account for your problem. Look at the diagram you posted. There should not be any spacer on the drive side of the axle between the cone and lock nut

Chris O

Thanks Mack,
That sounds reasonable. I guess I had in my mind that amount of axle protruding from each locknut in the rear might be different because of the differences on the hub between drive and non-drive sides. But you're saying they should be exactly the same? I'll give this a try this weekend and let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

Chris

Chris O

I just tried this. Axle width is 141 mm. So I subtracted 130 mm and divided by two. I locked in the drive side with 5.6 mm protruding. Then put in the axle and threaded on the non-drive side cone, spacers, and lock nut. Tightened it down and there is 5.4 mm protruding on that side, so it looks like this worked great. I haven't put it on the bike yet, but I think this wheel will at least now be usable on the trainer if nothing else. Thanks Mack!

70sSanO

Your answer is what alcjphil said.

Think about it. After you place the wheel in the dropouts, does the axle have an impact from locknut to locknut. You would like to balance it for supporting the wheel evenly, and to make sure the axle does not protrude beyond the dropout, but keeping everything intact and just moving it along the axle doesn’t change the centering of the rim.

John

Bill Kapaun

And if you're asking about a specific measurement, axles are typically 11mm longer than the drop out spacing, so 141mm.
OR
5.5 mm proud of each lock nut
OR
5.5 threads.

70sSanO

In re-reading this, if you are trying to adjust the hub on the axle so you’ll have the same amount of axle in each dropouts, then what you are doing is correct.

Centering a rim is generally a different subject as it has to do with an equal distance between the chainstays. With a wheel that is true, it indicates an improper re-assembly of the rear hub assembly.

John

Litespud

If your problem is that the axle isn't sitting evenly in the dropouts (ie, one end is protruding past the outer face of one dropout), then what you're doing is appropriate. However, if your problem is that, when the wheel is in the dropouts, the rim is closer to one seatstay/chainstay than the other, this suggests that you messed up the reassembly of the various parts of the hub, so that the entire wheel is displaced to one side, even if the axle is properly centered. Depending on the extent of the offset, you might have simply added a washer or spacer to the wrong side.

Eric S.

When I have an axle assembly completely disassembled, I reset things by putting the axle in the dropouts with one side ready to be locked up and just the locknut on the other. In the case of a rear wheel I would have the cassette side installed. Get things centered, lock up the cone on the one side and then rebuild the hub.