bikeboy100

I bought this '75 Raleigh Record off of ebay. It has many upgrades and I thought it would be a good mixture of classic and modern. I put it together and so far it has been one frustration after another. I finally got the gearing sorted out and went for a ride around the block. I heard rubbing and looked down to see the rear tire rubbing along the frame. The wheel is loose in the dropouts. Why? The skewer is tight as I can possibly get it. I'm not use to skewers. Is it possible that you shouldn't mix old and new?

rhenning

The rear axle is to long and skewer is tightening against that instead of the frame. It is a problem when you used more modern wheels designed for a thicker dropout on a thin dropouts frame like that Raleigh frame has. Roger

bikeboy100

Starting to wonder if the guy might have.....stretched the truth some? He claimed to have ridden it over 40 miles once. I can't get around the block with it. I had to tweak the shifter (properly) to get it to shift into low gear.

DrIsotope

The skewer is too long. That bike would have a 120 or 126 rear spacing, and from the amount of threads sticking out of the nut, that might be a 135mm MTB skewer-- the threaded portion just isn't long enough. Or the unthreaded portion is too long. Take your pick.

Just buy a shorter skewer.

bikeboy100

What length of skewer would you recommend? I'm clueless to this modern stuff. I'm usually a vintage bike guy.

Ironfish653

You CAN mix old and new, but sometimes it doesn't work right out of the box, without some tuning. In the 40 years since they made your Raleigh, bikes have changed a lot, in many, many small ways. This is why things that 'ought to work' sometimes don't, until you look really close.

Most likely, you've got too much axle on the non-drive side of the wheel. Or the Skewer's too long. This is one of those things that we can't tell from a picture of an assembled bicycle.

Take the wheel off and look at how much axle is sticking out past the hub nut. That's the little skinny part, all the way to the right. If it sticks out past the face of the drop-out (on the frame) the axle is too long.
You can make the axle stub shorter by adding a spacer under the locknut, or adjusting the locknuts and bearing cones to shift the axle to the other side. You have a claw-mount derailleur, so there's more room to work with on the drive side of the hub.

HillRider

Over and above both axle protrusion and skewer length/thread length is the fact you have the wrong type of skewer. You have an "external cam" skewer which can't develop the clamping force that an internal cam (Shimano, Campy) skewer can. With vertical dropouts the external cam works OK but with horizontal dropouts, which your frame has, they are inadequate. So, get the axle length straightened out and replace the skewer with a Shimano or Camp model.

Finally, I hope you realize a quick release skewer isn't a wing nut. If you aren't sure you know how to tighten them, have someone familiar with them show you the proper method.

mixteup

All the above is possible - But regardless of the skewer length, the axle ends need to be a couple mm shy of the outside of the dropouts, when the skewer is clamped. Maybe just flush, if the skewers are recessed enough.
Otherwise the skewer can't clamp the dropouts against the lock nuts - That's the way it's supposed to work. If the axle is too long, you're just tightening against IT, and not clamping the wheel into the frame.

JohnDThompson 

You're using an open-cam quick release on a horizontal dropout. The open-cam design is intended for use with vertical dropouts, where pedalling force cannot pull the wheel out of alignment. You need an enclosed-cam quick release; these have much higher clamping force than the open-cam design, e.g.:


https://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-Ul...-Quick-Release

Andrew R Stewart 

I would also ditch those poorly designed QR skewers for ones that have an enclosed cam, usually in a steel cap. The enclosed cam design will clamp tighter then those cheap exposed cam on plastic ones. The current skewers are not really made to clamp tight enough to hold a wheel well in a horizontal drop out. Andy

bubish

The dropout on the non drive side looks REALLY chewed up - was it like that when you go the bike? If so, I wonder if that's contributing to the problem.

bikeboy100

I didn't look that close. I really haven't ridden it even a half mile yet, so....

Cyclist0108

Those Ultegra skewers can be had reasonably cheap from Jenson USA. Replace that tire while you are at it, and find out why the sidewall is being worn down like that.

fietsbob

Alternate can be a secure non QR skewer , you tighten with a hex L wrench..
because you can turn the wrench to be as tight as it takes to not have it shift in the dropout

axle lock nut bite into the metal from the inside of dropout well ?


Even lower cost internal cam skewers are often included with repair wheels , so @ bike shops

they will have a bin full of used skewers for next to nada ..

Such steel capped skewers also have been labeled 'Trainer Skewers',
because they are better in trainer stands than a higher cost one.. due to end cap shape ..






.....

bikeboy100

My alternate might an ancient set of Ambrosio aluminum 27x1-1/4 rims with giant wingnuts and a 10 speed cassette from the 60's or 70's and get this thing on the road!

WizardOfBoz

Here him, hear him.

fietsbob

You have to replace the axle on the hubs then , it has to protrude long enough outside,
to fit the nuts on it..

Cyclist0108

Mine say 7 Nxm as a torque limit. I assume at some point you strip the threads. Is this really superior to a good internal-cam skewer applied as tightly as possible? (I'm trying to decide which to use on a wheel that is prone to slipping in the horizontal dropout.)

JanMM

There were 10 speed bikes in the 60's and 70's but no 10 speed cassettes. 5 speed freewheels mostly.

fietsbob

Again, steel nuts resist stripping , alloy saves weight..




yes "10 speed bike" = 5 by 2, until quite recently ..






...

bikeboy100

Yeah...that's what I meant.... lol

Cyclist0108

I found a steel nut to replace my aluminum alloy one, so now have a steel bolt and nut, and torqued the bejesus out of it.

Thanks for the suggestion.

(The steel nut came with a quick-release supplied with my trainer -- I guess they don't want to mess around.)

bikeboy100

I don't know why or how, but I took the wheel off yesterday and put it back on and this time it was perfect! I even rode around the block twice this time! lol It must have been my error. I did notice that I accidentally had both of the little springs on the left side so I fixed that. Not sure if that was an issue or not. Thanks everyone!