# wheel alignment



## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

ok, im sorry. im sure that this has been covered, but i couldnt find it...i even looked at sheldons site.

ok, horizontal dropouts. how do i get the wheel to be perfectly aligned, without haveing to put the axle all the way to the end of the drop out? 

does that make sense?? i know there are "adjusters" out there, but i see most guys dont have them.

once the chain is on, i just pulled back on the wheel, to tighten the chain, then tighted the axel bolts (back and forth), but it seemed VERY easy to not get the wheel aligned straight.

any tricks from the tricksters?

thanks.

ps, this is for my girlfriend. why she is getting her fixie/ss built before me, i have no idea.


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## filtersweep (Feb 4, 2004)

You need to hold the wheel while you tighten the nuts. It can be a bit tricky if tightening the nuts causes the wheel to shift, but it isn't that difficult.


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## argylesocks (Aug 2, 2004)

filtersweep said:


> You need to hold the wheel while you tighten the nuts. It can be a bit tricky if tightening the nuts causes the wheel to shift, but it isn't that difficult.


oh damnit... i mixed it up. i was holding my nuts while i tighted the wheel. 


seriously though, thats what i did, but it still seems like i could very easily get this mis-aligned. in my head, prior to doing it, it seems like if i tighted both sides evenly, it would 'self-align' in practice, it didnt seem to work that way. or did it?


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## timfire (Dec 13, 2001)

argylesocks said:


> ... it seems like if i tighted both sides evenly, it would 'self-align' in practice, it didnt seem to work that way. or did it?


Tightening the bolts sorta has a "self-centering" effect, but it's not very hard to tighten the bolts when the wheels crooked. 

One technique to get both the wheel straight and the chain tight (which I think is the real issue, it's not hard to get one but not the other) is to pull both sides of the axles all the way back. This will leave the wheel crooked. The non-drive side should be farther back then the drive side. You then tighten the drive-side, while the wheel is still crooked. Don't worry about how tight the chain is. There should actually be a tad bit of slack in the chain. You then straighen the wheel (by eyesight) and tighen the non-drive side. Straightening the wheel will actually tighen the chain, if everything was done right.

The only thing with this technique is that you have the potential to twist and bend the axle. From time to time you'll hear someone complain about it, but generally it's considered safe.

BTW, chain adjusters/tigheners only work for track ends ("dropouts" that open to the rear). They won't work on horizontal dropouts that open to the front, like on road bike conversions.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Another way.*

To center the wheel and keep the chain tight, I jam four fingers between the tire and the seat tube and put the thumb against the braking surface of the wheel rim. Palm of the hand is facing the hub. Curving my four fingers more or less against the seat tube tightens or loosens the chain and centers the wheel. Thumb pressure against the rim is the steadying force.


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## TurboTurtle (Feb 4, 2004)

argylesocks said:


> ok, im sorry. im sure that this has been covered, but i couldnt find it...i even looked at sheldons site.
> 
> ok, horizontal dropouts. how do i get the wheel to be perfectly aligned, without haveing to put the axle all the way to the end of the drop out?
> 
> ...


I have found it to be such a pain that I never flip my flip-flop. It's on the SS side and stays that way.

To my knowledge, there are no after market "adjusters" for a forward facing drop out. The track ends with adjusters on the track bike work great. I'm also watching for a frame with horizontal drop outs and adjustment screws in the back.

TF


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## ukiahb (Jan 26, 2003)

*yet another way....*

is to push the wheel back for chain tension and intentionally cock it so the tire touches the drive side chainstay and let it center between the chainstays as you push back on the wheel (left hand fingers against the tire and thumb on the seat tube) to maintain chain tension and tighten the drive side axle nut (or bolt) just enough to hold the setting....then tighten the non drive side and go back to the drive side and bring it up to full torque. With a little practice you can get the wheel centered AND the chain tension correct on the first try this way....before I learned to do it this way I often got one right and the other wrong and it would take a few tries (and some swearing) to get both right....and there is no danger of bending the axle this way






argylesocks said:


> ok, im sorry. im sure that this has been covered, but i couldnt find it...i even looked at sheldons site.
> 
> ok, horizontal dropouts. how do i get the wheel to be perfectly aligned, without haveing to put the axle all the way to the end of the drop out?
> 
> ...


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*anther method*

I put the bike on the stand, grab one track nut in each hand, pull the wheel back til the chain is tight with the wheel centered, and tighten as much as I can by hand.

I then hold the non-drive side nut in place with my left hand and tighten the drive side nut with a ratchet wrench. Then I tighten the non-drive side nut with the open end of the wrench. A last tightening on the drive side with the open end of the wrench and I'm done

I find my stubby, 15mm wrench that's open end on one end and a ratchet on the other handy enough to be worth its weight in the seat bag.


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