Front wheel off centre...

felix.london

My front wheel is about 5mm off centre!

When you look at the wheel in the fork from above. It is noticeably closer to the left fork stanchion then the right one.

It's spinning true and the brake pads aren't rubbing even slightly on the disc rotor, the whole thing is just off centre.

Any ideas what is causing this? :?

benpinnick

Your wheel is probably out of true, so it will need truing. About £15 in your local LBS, or you can do it yourself if you have a spoke key.

nicklouse

the wheel came from a? and is fitted to a?

but yes in needs dishing correctly.

felix.london

It came off a Marzocchi MX (2006) 105mm and is now on a 2011 Reba RL 120mm - and to be fair has been hammered.

So get it trued then adjust the callipers accordingly.

nicklouse

no.
get it DISHED correctly You say it runs true.

there will be no need to do anything to the brakes as the rim has nothing to do with them.

benpinnick

Yeah, Nicklouse is correct. I am a bad man for leading you astray with true vs dish.

.blitz

Would recommend getting it dished before you put any more miles on it. Wheels are not too strong laterally even when they're built right.

njee20

Was it still 5mm off centre on the old fork? If not it's a fork problem, not a wheel one...

High-Tower

njee20 wrote:

Was it still 5mm off centre on the old fork? If not it's a fork problem, not a wheel one...

Agreed. You shouldn't need to dish a wheel to suit a particular fork. If the wheel was central in your old fork it should be central in any fork. Can you try the wheel in another fork, maybe on a friends bike?

nicklouse

High-Tower wrote:

njee20 wrote:

Was it still 5mm off centre on the old fork? If not it's a fork problem, not a wheel one...

Agreed. You shouldn't need to dish a wheel to suit a particular fork. If the wheel was central in your old fork it should be central in any fork. Can you try the wheel in another fork, maybe on a friends bike?

You do actually.

Some forks require a zero dish wheel. Hence the question. But yes If it was OK before and the fitting is the same ( not incorrect adaptors fitted etc.) then look to the fork.

High-Tower

nicklouse wrote:

High-Tower wrote:

njee20 wrote:

Was it still 5mm off centre on the old fork? If not it's a fork problem, not a wheel one...

Agreed. You shouldn't need to dish a wheel to suit a particular fork. If the wheel was central in your old fork it should be central in any fork. Can you try the wheel in another fork, maybe on a friends bike?

You do actually.

Some forks require a zero dish wheel. Hence the question. But yes If it was OK before and the fitting is the same ( not incorrect adaptors fitted etc.) then look to the fork.

OK, I've not come across one, but if that's what the OPs got, I'm happy to stand corrected.

felix.london

Still have the old fork so will put in and see now.

nicklouse

High-Tower wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

High-Tower wrote:

njee20 wrote:

Was it still 5mm off centre on the old fork? If not it's a fork problem, not a wheel one...

Agreed. You shouldn't need to dish a wheel to suit a particular fork. If the wheel was central in your old fork it should be central in any fork. Can you try the wheel in another fork, maybe on a friends bike?

You do actually.

Some forks require a zero dish wheel. Hence the question. But yes If it was OK before and the fitting is the same ( not incorrect adaptors fitted etc.) then look to the fork.

OK, I've not come across one, but if that's what the OPs got, I'm happy to stand corrected.

In this case it is not as he has mentioned the forks. But just like some frames use zero dish rear wheels so do some forks.

felix.london

Just whacked it in the old Marzocchi and it does look slightly off centre but not as much as when it's in the Reba.

Is it possible the fork is out? Brand new 2011 Reba RL from Merlin.

A custom wheelset from Superstar is next on the list of upgrades but literally just put a deposit down on a DH bike so the new wheels will have to wait a bit

benpinnick

What axle is it?

felix.london

benpinnick wrote:

What axle is it?

Standard Q/R

The Northern Monkey

do you have another wheel you can try/borrow to check fitment?

felix.london

I will in a few days...just ordered a white Stans Arch EX with white PC Double Butted Spokes, red Alloy SAPIM SILS nipples and red Switch EVO hub!

...lets hope it's not the forks hey :?

Will take the wheel down to the lbs tomorrow and see what they make of it. It definitley doesn't instil confidence looking down and your front wheel's not centred.

nicklouse

Why do people bother with alloy nipples?

Have fun.

The Rookie

As a quick test, remove the brake calliper and put the wheel in with the disc to the right, is the rim still 5mm out but the other way? If not it's possibly something else!

Simon

Ouija

It doesn't really matter if it's closer to one fork leg than the other as some forks legs aren't symmetrical. It only matters that the center of the wheel is aligned perfectly with the frame. Flip the bike upside down and see if the center of the tyre ligns up perfectly with the downtube of the frame or that the center of the tyre is centrally aligned with the hole on the bottom of the fork steerer (use a straight edge ruler on the center of the tyre and see if it runs directly down the center of the steerer hole).

If it doesn't then it's simply a case of pulling the rim of the wheel in the direction you want. Take a spoke tool and tighten all the spokes on one side of the wheel by EXACTLY the same amount (say a quarter turn) and then check again. If the wheel really is true then tightening just one side by the same amount shouldn't knock it out of true, just pull the rim in the direction you want.

felix.london

Cheers. Will give that a go. Pretty obvious one really - thanks.

mrmonkfinger

nicklouse wrote:

Why do people bother with alloy nipples?

Because they come in funky colours and somebody told them alloy ones were lighter (not that it matters).

njee20

Because they come in funky colours and somebody told them alloy ones were lighter (not that it matters).

The number of threads about bike weight, saving weight etc suggest otherwise.

sloppycowpat

Alloy nipples are shoot but look good

they are for people who like bike 'bling' surely

felix.london

mrmonkfinger wrote:

nicklouse wrote:

Why do people bother with alloy nipples?

Because they come in funky colours and somebody told them alloy ones were lighter (not that it matters).

Purely for the fact that they're red! :roll:

felix.london

Ouija wrote:

It doesn't really matter if it's closer to one fork leg than the other as some forks legs aren't symmetrical. It only matters that the center of the wheel is aligned perfectly with the frame. Flip the bike upside down and see if the center of the tyre ligns up perfectly with the downtube of the frame or that the center of the tyre is centrally aligned with the hole on the bottom of the fork steerer (use a straight edge ruler on the center of the tyre and see if it runs directly down the center of the steerer hole).

If it doesn't then it's simply a case of pulling the rim of the wheel in the direction you want. Take a spoke tool and tighten all the spokes on one side of the wheel by EXACTLY the same amount (say a quarter turn) and then check again. If the wheel really is true then tightening just one side by the same amount shouldn't knock it out of true, just pull the rim in the direction you want.

This sounds easily doable and it will be my first foray into the dark at that is wheel truing and if it all goes tits up I take in to the shop (which I would've done anyway).

Thanks for the advice

mrmonkfinger

njee20 wrote:

The number of threads about bike weight, saving weight etc suggest otherwise.

You lost me.

64 brass nipples are 65 grams, 64 aluminum are 20 gram

45 grams - serious business.

Ouija

felix.london wrote:

Ouija wrote:

It doesn't really matter if it's closer to one fork leg than the other as some forks legs aren't symmetrical. It only matters that the center of the wheel is aligned perfectly with the frame. Flip the bike upside down and see if the center of the tyre ligns up perfectly with the downtube of the frame or that the center of the tyre is centrally aligned with the hole on the bottom of the fork steerer (use a straight edge ruler on the center of the tyre and see if it runs directly down the center of the steerer hole).

If it doesn't then it's simply a case of pulling the rim of the wheel in the direction you want. Take a spoke tool and tighten all the spokes on one side of the wheel by EXACTLY the same amount (say a quarter turn) and then check again. If the wheel really is true then tightening just one side by the same amount shouldn't knock it out of true, just pull the rim in the direction you want.

This sounds easily doable and it will be my first foray into the dark at that is wheel truing and if it all goes tits up I take in to the shop (which I would've done anyway).

Thanks for the advice

Also, if you find that tightening the nipples on just the one side is kinda hard then it probably means the tension of the spokes on the opposite side is quite high. You could also loosen those nipples by the exact same amount which would help the rim move a little easier.

felix.london

Ouija wrote:

Also, if you find that tightening the nipples on just the one side is kinda hard then it probably means the tension of the spokes on the opposite side is quite high. You could also loosen those nipples by the exact same amount which would help the rim move a little easier.

I feel a wonky wheel followed by a walk/drive to the bike shop coming on...

cooldad

I agree, that's a bit of a hit and miss method of dishing a wheel.