Wheel alignment (Wheel dish?) question

Shotsaway
Shotsaway Posts: 175
edited January 2011 in MTB workshop & tech
A couple of months ago my front wheel was slightly out of alignment (I think it is called wheel dish). The wheel was pulled towards the left hand fork leg and to centralise the wheel I added 1/2 a turn of tension to the right side spokes. This cured the problem and the wheel was now central in the forks. After this the wheel creaked and groaned until the spokes bed in again.

Anyway I have since changed the forks and now I've noticed that the wheel is slightly out of alignment towards the right side fork leg (not by as much as it was originally on the left side).

So to cure this do I

a) Loosen the right side spokes (the ones I originally tightened) by 1/4 of a turn?
or
b) Tighten the left side spokes by 1/4 of a turn?

Comments

  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    That seems odd. mix and match the sides.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    make sure the axle is seated correctly.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • Shotsaway
    Shotsaway Posts: 175
    nicklouse wrote:
    make sure the axle is seated correctly.

    That was the 1st thing I checked and the axle is seated correctly.

    I think the original problem was to do with slight wear on the left side drop out. Hence when I fitted the new forks the wheel now slightly leans to the right.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,675
    Shotsaway wrote:
    I fitted the new forks the wheel now slightly leans to the right.

    if it leans it is not a dish issue.

    a lean is a fork/axle issue

    a dish issue has a vertical wheel not central.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • Shotsaway
    Shotsaway Posts: 175
    nicklouse wrote:
    Shotsaway wrote:
    I fitted the new forks the wheel now slightly leans to the right.

    if it leans it is not a dish issue.

    a lean is a fork/axle issue

    a dish issue has a vertical wheel not central.

    Although I said lean, it is a alignment/dish issue. The wheel is vertical just closer to the right side fork leg than it is to the left side fork leg. The forks are new and I have also tried a different skewer but the wheel is still slightly pulled to the right fork leg.

    So do I loosen the right side spokes by 1/4 or tighten the left side by a 1/4, bearing in mind that the right side where tighten by 1/2 on the old forks?
  • Chunkers1980
    Chunkers1980 Posts: 8,035
    Why would a skewer matter - the lock nuts and how the axel seats against the inner on the fork is what matters.

    Mix and match the tensions, undo one side tighten the other perhaps in 1/8s rather than 1/4s. First check which side has the most tension.

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