Should the wheel be central in the fork?

hard-rider
hard-rider Posts: 460
edited May 2010 in MTB general
Could be a daft question but I noticed that my front wheel is not exactly in the centre of the forks. It's slightly offset towards the brake disk by about 5-6mm. Is this normal or has the wheel not been inserted correctly? It's how the bike came.

Comments

  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    sounds like it needs redishing/tensioning.

    or you are imagining things, they can look off but are not.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Definitely, not imagining it. I'll see if I can photograph it.

    when you say redishing/tensioning, do you mean the wheel spokes need retensioning?
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    pics might help :)
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Ok some pics.
    f3a5099e.jpg

    This photo really shows it clearly.
    71cd6cf8.jpg
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    time for a visit to the LBS for a redish and sort out.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • richg1979
    richg1979 Posts: 1,087
    is the wheel sitting in the dropouts correctly? undo qr, give wheel a shake side to side then tighten up again,

    ive known cheap qr sqewers let the wheel move in the drop outs when braking hard and it kicks the wheel over to one side.

    if that dont cure it then as nick says, will need re-dishing.
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    I'll try reseating the wheel in the morning. What is re-dishing? Is it releasing the spoke tension and re tensioning them to pull the rim over a little? If so then I think I'll be out of luck as I'm not sure my LBS could do that. In fact I'm not sure I'll even be able to convince him that there is a problem with the wheel.
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Ok, couldn't wait. I've just tried reseating the wheel by releasing the QR and wobbling the wheel around to seat it and then re-tightening the QR. The wheel is still offset as before.
  • RealMan
    RealMan Posts: 2,166
    Stick the side of your finger against the fork, so the tip of your finger is just touching the surface of the rim. Then spin the wheel, and see if the rim comes closer or further from your finger.

    Also take the wheel out, skewer out, and check its all ok there.
  • cgarossi
    cgarossi Posts: 729
    Is that a Scott Scale?

    I noticed the same thing when I had my Scott. It was never a problem.
    Trek Fuel EX8 2009
    Cube LTD Race 2010
    Hereford and Worcester rider? Ledbury Mountain Bikers
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Ok did the finger against the rim trick and the wheel isn't 100% true. There is about .4-.5mm difference between the high and low point. Is this normal for a oem wheel? The rear wheel is almost perfect with virtually no run-out on the rim. Also checked the discs and they far from true with about 1mm run-out.

    I also removed the skewer and it all looked OK. After refitting the skewer and wheel it's sitting a lot more central between the forks and the offset is almost not noticeable.

    I think I'll leave it for now as I don't think the LBS will be able to true up the wheel and I don't want them to attempt it and make it worse.

    @cgarossi. Yes it's a Scott Scale 50.
  • stevomcd
    stevomcd Posts: 37
    Take the wheel out, flip it around and put it in the fork the "wrong way" round (i.e. with the brake disc not in the caliper). If It's now offset to the other side, it definintely needs re-dishing.

    I'd be stunned and amazed if your LBS couldn't do this.
    Mountain bike holidays in the French Alps - www.whiteroomchalet.com
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    stevomcd wrote:
    Take the wheel out, flip it around and put it in the fork the "wrong way" round (i.e. with the brake disc not in the caliper). If It's now offset to the other side, it definintely needs re-dishing.

    I'd be stunned and amazed if your LBS couldn't do this.
    Good idea. I should have thought of that :oops:

    About the LBS, I didn't see anything in the shop that would indicate that he builds / repairs wheels. I may be pleasantly surprised though so I'll check with him. Convincing him that the wheel needs re-dishing may be a problem though.
  • cgarossi
    cgarossi Posts: 729
    It was exactly the same on my Scale 50. I dont think its a problem.

    It could be a design in the wheel to counter act the weight of the rotor, which leaves it slightly off set.

    I know my rims are asymetrical.
    Trek Fuel EX8 2009
    Cube LTD Race 2010
    Hereford and Worcester rider? Ledbury Mountain Bikers
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Flipping the wheel round doesn't work because the brake calliper snags on the spokes. I seem to have got it pretty central now so will leave it for now and speak to the LBS about them being able / willing to re-dish the wheel.
  • nickfrog
    nickfrog Posts: 610
    Knowing the Algarve, the wheel will be square by the time the LBS has finished with it.
    2007 Commencal NUTS5 Superteam
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    cgarossi wrote:

    It could be a design in the wheel to counter act the weight of the rotor, which leaves it slightly off set.

    Nope, it needs sorting. it has most likely lost some tension on the none disc side and the rim is now not central.

    It needs fixing.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    nickfrog wrote:
    Knowing the Algarve, the wheel will be square by the time the LBS has finished with it.
    Ah it's not that bad but yes, it's not the easiest of places to get things done.
  • cavegiant
    cavegiant Posts: 1,546
    It is very easy do do yourself with a ruler, some tape and a spoke key.

    Only do it if you are confident on what needs to be done i.e. a bit of reasearch.

    If not it is a minor shop that any LBS could fix...hopefully.
    Why would I care about 150g of bike weight, I just ate 400g of cookies while reading this?
  • hard-rider
    hard-rider Posts: 460
    Yeah, I've looked at a few youtube videos of wheel truing and building and read some guides and it doesn't look too difficult. I'm going to rig up a wheel dish gauge and see how far out the wheel is if at all. I'll also have a go at truing the wheel up so it's closer to perfect.
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Sort the dish before you true anything.

    To move the dish. Just undo the spokes on the side you wish to move away from systematically (starting from the value for a guide) and turn each spoke nipple either 1/4 or 1/2 a turn of 'undo'. Then move onto the other side in the same fashion but tighten each by 1/4 or a 1/2 turn what ever you did on the other side. It's not an exact science as you're changing the tension from one side to the other (you may not need to do each side equally) this way you should not change the trueness of the wheel as you've moved everything equally. Then check for trueness.

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