aluminium fork misalignment?!

pcandyhk
pcandyhk Posts: 40
edited February 2015 in Workshop
Recently I have shipped my bike. When I assemble the bike, the front wheel does not really go on with the (left side) fork.
With the help of some WD40, I managed to (kind of) force the wheel shaft on to the fork. I noticed some play with the left fork, and therefore the wheel before I tighten the quick release.

I wonder whether the fork is safe for continuous use?

Extra information:
1. No obvious cracks at the aluminium fork.
2. Front wheel is perfectly fixed and aligned after the quick release is tighten.

Many thanks,
Andy

Comments

  • JayKosta
    JayKosta Posts: 635
    pcandyhk wrote:
    ...
    I noticed some play with the left fork, and therefore the wheel before I tighten the quick release.
    ...
    Is there any actual 'looseness' (play) involving the fork?
    Or does it require some pushing to get the fork in alignment to accept the axle?

    Try gently using your fingertips along all surfaces of the fork to feel if there are any irregularities - bumps, ridges, ripples, etc.

    A good bike shop will probably have a fork alignment tool that would show if there's an alignment problem.

    In the future for shipping, it is a good idea to clamp a suitable sized piece of wood or bare axle in the front and rear to provide support.

    Jay Kosta
    Endwell NY USA
  • pcandyhk
    pcandyhk Posts: 40
    It is difficult to define how much would be actual 'looseness'. For the ease of the discussion, I have now measured the spacing with a caliper, as follow:

    99.91mm - Tighten
    100.87mm - Loosen (diff: 0.96mm)
    101.44mm - Pulling with hand (diff: 1.53mm) *the fork goes back to the loosen position once the force is removed.

    Many Thanks,
    Andy
  • JayKosta
    JayKosta Posts: 635
    From your description, it seems the fork tips are now slightly wider apart - but there doesn't appear to be any fore-aft change in the fork tip alignment.

    Since you are obviously concerned about the safety of the fork, it would be foolhardy for anyone to give an evaluation without inspecting it. And even then, the 'safe' advise would be to replace the fork.

    You could visit a local bike shop and ask whether the 'new' fork tip spacing ever appears on new bikes, and whether the shop does anything to 'correct' it.

    Jay Kosta
    Endwell NY USA
  • pcandyhk
    pcandyhk Posts: 40
    Yes I think this time visiting a bike shop cannot be avoided. Now need to find out a professional bike shop around me... (headache)

    Anyway, thanks Jay!

    Andy

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