Can't get front wheel on.

Xherdan

I just bought a new bike and it arrived in the mail today. It's a Raleigh Airlite 100 and I've been assembling it but I can't get the front wheel on. It's quick release but when i try to slot it onto the forks I can't get it on (I've loosened the brakes etc). I've never had this problem on my MTB and I don't want to force it for fear of damaging the bike....

Frank the tank

I assume you've opened up the brake caliper and the quick release a has been backed off enough to get over the "lawyer lugs". As a last resort let some air out of the tyre.

ricklilley

Might sound silly but have you unscrewed the other end of the quick release skewer?

Other option is the lever on the side of the brake caliper which opens them up (don't forget to close it before riding), and if its still tight let some air out of the tyre.

Xherdan

There's daylight between the ends of the skewer and the forks, its like the slots in the fork aren't wide enough to take the axle.

Gizmodo

Normally it's the tire hitting the brake pads that stops it going in. As the others said, there is a release lever (see photo) to open the jaws wider whilst fitting the wheel and you may need to let some air out of the tire as well.

Xherdan

Yeh, the brakes are completely loosened off, its catching on the bottom of the fork where the wheel slots in. I'll get a photo in a second...

Xherdan

Here's a photo attempting to explain what I mean. The red arrow shows the part which feels too tight.

Gizmodo

I've never had that problem, the slot in the fork to take the axle normally has plenty of clearance. It looks to me like the forks have been manufactured to the wrong tolerance or something.

rsands

may sound stupid but try taking the skewer off and see if the wheel slots in. Will just ensure springs not getting in the way of it

tiredofwhiners

Remove the whole skewer and remember what order the springs etc go on in.

Turn the bike upside down.

Put the wheel in place between the forks and line up the wheel axle holes and the fork slots.

Slide the skewer in from one side all the way through to the other and add the other end of the Qr system inc spring back on.

If it all fits then all is okay, if the skewer won't simply slide all the way through, there is either a problem with the fork slots, or the forks are actually misaligned/twisted.

cougie

You've got the qr lever closed in that photo ?

Open it for more width ?

Xherdan

rsands wrote:

may sound stupid but try taking the skewer off and see if the wheel slots in. Will just ensure springs not getting in the way of it

Yeh, I actually tried that but still can't get it on. Are the forks supposed to rest on the skewer or the larger part that it goes through?

snoopsmydogg

they rest on the skewer

Xherdan

In which case it seems the blades on the fork are too close together...

rsands

No, they rest on the end bar of the wheel spindle/hub. The skewer simply pulls against the forks on both ends to cause tension.

If brakes are clear, give it a bit of a push...would take a good bit of force to break

rolf_f

snoopsmydogg wrote:

they rest on the skewer

They definitely do not. The hub axle rests on the skewer - all the skewer does is stop the wheel falling out.

As already said, the best approach is to remove the skewer altogether and do exactly what tiredofwhiners said with the brakes opened up. If the wheel doesn't happily drop in place, then there must be something wrong with it.

snoopsmydogg

apologies OP but I had read it that you were trying to get the fork ends over the hub axle.

to correct my previous post (or the way i understand it) the forks should go either side of the hub axle with the skewer in the slots at the bottom. The skewer is then tightened to the forks using the quick release mechanism.

Best advice has already been given, unscrew the nut on the skewer and remove it from the hub completely (taking note which way around and where the springs go. Turn the bike upside down and slide the wheel between the forks. Once in place you can refit the skewer and tighten.

nwmlarge

is your bike upside down ?
if not put it upside down you'll never get it in right otherwise

me-109

Xherdan wrote:

Here's a photo attempting to explain what I mean. The red arrow shows the part which feels too tight.

In the photo on the left it looks like the 'jaws' of the fork are too narrow to go over the axle, like it has been damaged in transit.
In the photo on the right the fork looks to be seated over the axle correctly. It's the same side of the fork and hub. Optical illusion or does it actually fit in that photo?

topdude

Looks to me like the dropouts are too narrow for the axle to fit into, do the slots look equal width all the way along or narrower at the ends ?
I suggest you have three options :
Carefully file the slots until the axle fits,
Take it to your LBS and let them do it,
Contact the place you bought it from and get a replacement.
Personally i would just get the file out and have it sorted in minutes.

cougie

I really cant see how the forks would be damaged in transit to close up.

Maybe the paints just a bit thicker than they'd planned. I'd just line it up and whack it in. Sorted.

NITR8s

Had a similar issue on my old bike, which was a cheap claud butler bike. Basically it doesnt fit properly due to poor manufacturing. I used to just give it a good push, but I suspect yours may be even worse so wouldnt suggest that.

I would contact the store you bought it from and tell them the forks are faulty as dont fit the axel and you dont wanna force it in case you do more damage.

ugo.santalucia

topdude wrote:

Looks to me like the dropouts are too narrow for the axle to fit into, do the slots look equal width all the way along or narrower at the ends ?
I suggest you have three options :
Carefully file the slots until the axle fits,
Take it to your LBS and let them do it,
Contact the place you bought it from and get a replacement.
Personally i would just get the file out and have it sorted in minutes.

If it's a steel fork, sometimes the dropouts need to be filed... I had that problem with a Croix de Fer frame... bit of a hassle and if unsure, better to return, as once you start filing, your warranty is pretty much down the drain

Xherdan

Thanks for all the responses. I eventually got it working by flipping it upside down and pulling the forks apart slightly in order to put the axle in without going through the atual entrance to the jaws. Basically like Me-109 said.

Me-109 wrote:

In the photo on the left it looks like the 'jaws' of the fork are too narrow to go over the axle, like it has been damaged in transit.

Once i had it upside down I was able to force it in, it has a slight squeak now but runs pretty freely, I may try using it a few days then see about filing the entrance as suggested.

topdude wrote:

Carefully file the slots until the axle fits,

I would have taken it to LBS but I got the bike on sale online (student budget...) and probably couldn't afford to get their help/would feel guilty not paying if they didn't mind, since I didn't buy the bike there...
Thanks again for all your help.