A question on possible front wheel misalignment.
09-19-20, 02:31 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
A question on possible front wheel misalignment.
At the beginning of the Summer a branch managed to stick through the spokes on my front wheel.
There was quite a jolt,the branch broke but upon inspection the front wheel looked O.K..
Fast foward three months and a casual glance over the handle bars at the front wheel,
made it look like the tire/wheel was turned slightly to the left side.
Apropos of that the branch stuck through the left side.
I put it down to the little turns in direction necessary on old ashfalt roads.
But no,when I stopped to look better,if the handlebars were straight,
the tire angled slightly towards the left.
How can I tell what needs to be adjusted/fixed?
Hopefully no special tools need to be employed.
There was quite a jolt,the branch broke but upon inspection the front wheel looked O.K..
Fast foward three months and a casual glance over the handle bars at the front wheel,
made it look like the tire/wheel was turned slightly to the left side.
Apropos of that the branch stuck through the left side.
I put it down to the little turns in direction necessary on old ashfalt roads.
But no,when I stopped to look better,if the handlebars were straight,
the tire angled slightly towards the left.
How can I tell what needs to be adjusted/fixed?
Hopefully no special tools need to be employed.
09-19-20, 02:37 PM
#2
Really Old Senior Member
Flip the wheel in the DO's and see if it still shows the same "problem"
09-19-20, 03:08 PM
#3
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Since the front wheel is the usual reference point for handlebar alignment, I would think the bars are more
likely to be off. If the wheel is ok in the fork it will point in the same direction if flipped as Kapaun suggests,
so that will prove it is the bar that is off. This can be frustrating to fix, not as bad as wheel cone adjustment.
1/2-2° misalignments of the bar can be missed for a long time until they are noticed and then become
obvious.
likely to be off. If the wheel is ok in the fork it will point in the same direction if flipped as Kapaun suggests,
so that will prove it is the bar that is off. This can be frustrating to fix, not as bad as wheel cone adjustment.
1/2-2° misalignments of the bar can be missed for a long time until they are noticed and then become
obvious.
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09-19-20, 04:03 PM
#4
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Since the front wheel is the usual reference point for handlebar alignment, I would think the bars are more
likely to be off. If the wheel is ok in the fork it will point in the same direction if flipped as Kapaun suggests,
so that will prove it is the bar that is off. This can be frustrating to fix, not as bad as wheel cone adjustment.
1/2-2° misalignments of the bar can be missed for a long time until they are noticed and then become
obvious.
likely to be off. If the wheel is ok in the fork it will point in the same direction if flipped as Kapaun suggests,
so that will prove it is the bar that is off. This can be frustrating to fix, not as bad as wheel cone adjustment.
1/2-2° misalignments of the bar can be missed for a long time until they are noticed and then become
obvious.
Lets hope it is as easy a fix as that.
Every watt counts when older legs get tired. 😉
09-19-20, 04:23 PM
#5
Really Old Senior Member
09-19-20, 04:48 PM
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
09-19-20, 04:50 PM
#7
Really Old Senior Member
Would you just get off your butt and look?
I'm done.
I'm done.
09-20-20, 05:51 PM
#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I was not in the same city as my ride for most of this thread so could not instantly check out the wheel alignment. Today however I was off to the flea market so made the time to first check out my ride. First off I spun the wheel to try and see how true the rim was. If looking at a still focal point like a brake pad is a good indicator then the rim was definitely weaving in and out.
So as advised I reversed the wheel in the drop outs and spun it again. This time when it spun one brake pad would rub again and again. I checked out the wheel alignment as far as the handlebars go. It looked off the same amount in the same direction.
But lo and behold when I returned the wheel to its original direction the misalignment was almost not noticeable.
To me that means the axle had been wrenched in the D.O.s or something else perhaps even more drastic.
But my ride runs very well. I think getting the wheel trued couldn't hurt then see where to go from there.
Have a great rest of your Sunday.😉
So as advised I reversed the wheel in the drop outs and spun it again. This time when it spun one brake pad would rub again and again. I checked out the wheel alignment as far as the handlebars go. It looked off the same amount in the same direction.
But lo and behold when I returned the wheel to its original direction the misalignment was almost not noticeable.
To me that means the axle had been wrenched in the D.O.s or something else perhaps even more drastic.
But my ride runs very well. I think getting the wheel trued couldn't hurt then see where to go from there.
Have a great rest of your Sunday.😉
Last edited by PdalPowr; 09-21-20 at 10:23 AM.
09-21-20, 11:46 AM
#9
I'm good to go!
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If you are going to take the wheel and get it trued, then make certain you tell them about your other issue with regards to your OP. Otherwise they may just true the wheel and put it back in the bike with out noticing if anything else is amiss.
09-22-20, 09:36 AM
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I will certainly let them know exactly what happened and not just bring the wheel. Besides the only way I have to get there is to use that bike.🤗 I am working on a shop bike as we speak.😉
