# Colnago Frame Alignment...



## simplyhankk (Jan 30, 2008)

Just got a new Extreme-C frameset, was pretty excited about it. But this is what I've discovered...the fork and the rear dropouts are not aligned. The wheels are closer to the left forkarm/seatstay rather than middle. The fork is worse than the rear dropout. I know they are mere imperfections, but this is a Colnago and I didn't really expect this. This will probably be ridable but I hate the feeling of that glitch in my mind that this bike is slightly out of alignment later if I build this bike. What would you do? Has this happened to anyone before?


----------



## em3 (Dec 25, 2005)

It is highly more likely that your wheels are out of dish (only slightly from what I see in the pics), rather then the frame being out of alignment. However, as with any high end frame, you should check the alignment of frame, dropouts and rear der hanger with the proper precision tools (prior to building). If you don't have the right tools take the frame to a REPUTABLE and PROFESSIONAL LBS that can assist you.
Good luck,
EM3


----------



## simplyhankk (Jan 30, 2008)

em3 said:


> It is highly more likely that your wheels are out of dish (only slightly from what I see in the pics), rather then the frame being out of alignment.



You brought up a great point. I'll bring it to lbs and we'll see what happens. Fingers crossed...


----------



## nrspeed (Jan 28, 2005)

try another pair of wheels and rotate your wheel so the cassette is on the left and see if its still out of alignment.


----------



## Ride-Fly (Mar 27, 2002)

Both nrspeed and em3 bring up great points and suggestions. I want to add that you should check for any residual paint overspay that could be in the drop outs. A Ritchey WCS fork I bought had what initially appeared to be alignment issues. But after taking it to the LBS, it turned out to be just some paint that wasn't completely "faced" off the drop outs. 

If it turns out that the frame is indeed misaligned, I would send it back to the place where you bought it from. If it was on Ebay or a classified, I would still send it back to Colnago and ask them to fix it. After all, an alignment issue should have been caught at the factory before it was ever shipped out. Could it have been caused by an accident? If it was, there would be telltale signs that it was in accident. Abrasions, cracks in the resin or laquer, chips in the paint, etc. Good luck and let us know the root cause.


----------



## dnalsaam (Dec 6, 2004)

Given that the jigs used for building only permit a minor possible excursion, Colnago is able to align the frames by simply filing the drop-outs before painting the frame. So no matter what the case, I would not be overly concerned. The previous points are all valid and should be verified before thinking about a possible alignment issue.


----------



## simplyhankk (Jan 30, 2008)

Hey guys, thanks for all of the comments. There weren't really any 'problems,' I was just a little paranoid. The out-of-center alignment was caused by two things, according to the mechanic....1. One of the dropouts had excess clear coat...they filed one side but apparently forgot to file the other, 2. The wheel(s) were out of dish. Those were easy fixes...And if they were really 0.000000005mm out of alignment, I might let that slide :-D
Can't wait to finish the build...I'll post some photos after it's done.


----------

