[SOLVED] Thru axle ID and adjutment

triplemaya

Hi. Need to identify this thru axle

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/19620927/Thru%20axle.JPG

Trying to adjust the play. Not much, about 1/2 mm at the tyre. Seems as if it needs shims somewhere. When I hold the legs hard against together the play seems to go away.

rockmonkeysc

Sounds like the wheel bearings are dead. Do they spin freely and smoothly?
There shouldn't be any sort of shim.
I think it's an old DT Swiss Axle. What diameter is it?

triplemaya

Thanks.
The bearings seem perfect. Spins true and sweet.
It is 20 mm
Hex allen key on both ends
The reason I suspected a missing shim is the bolt tightens fully but then there is 1 or 2 mm gap under the shoulder of the bolt

rockmonkeysc

I think it's an old Rockshox Maxle. Are you fitting it in a Rockshox fork?
There is no adjustment.

triplemaya

Thanks
It came on a bike fitted with Zoom 660 Gordo triple clamp forks
Wrong fitting perhaps?
...
Yup. The centre rod looks exactly like this - less the writing
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RockShox-Maxle-Stealth-Road-Bike-Front-Axle-15x100mm-L-125-TL-9mm-TP-M15x1-5-/221816449223

rockmonkeysc

There's you're problem. You won't get a replacement axle for that abomination of a fork.
I haven't seen a 660 Gordo in years. Possibly the worst downhill fork ever produced. Absolutely no damping.

triplemaya

Which is why I am not using it for downhill.
Electric bike. Road use at speed. Just wanted something cheap and unbreakable and it came with just the right frame.
So the only problem I have is getting the play out of the front bearings.
Which is what I am looking for help with.
...
But if anyone has a better tripleclamp fork for the same money - £20 or so - that would be great.
Cheers

rockmonkeysc

Seriously, you really don't want triple clamps for road. You're never going to damage any fork on road so why go for one of the heaviest which is so long it will make the bike unstable at speed and really unstable when cornering? Downhill forks are designed for really heavy impacts so it takes a big bump to get them moving, especially with a really crude & un-damped fork like this.
You would actually get more small bump performance out of a rigid carbon fork and you won't have any issues with strength with one of them either, they're extremely strong.
Triple clamp forks are not cheap, they're generally extremely high spec forks designed for control under extremely harsh conditions. The few cheap ones that were made are extremely harsh (don't react to small bumps) and are extremely heavy. You're Zoom forks are 9lb, that's heavier than most complete road bikes and even heavier than some complete mountain bikes.
My Rockshox Boxxer triple clamps are just over a third of the weight, cost over a grand new and wouldn't move when hitting even the nastiest pot hole. On a steep, nasty downhill track though they feel super plush.

triplemaya

Thank you for all the info. I will be miffed if it is unstable. It seemed like a good bet as I was thinking it is a bit like a motorbike fork.
A trusted adviser told me that ordinary forks have been known to break at the crown with a heavy bike hitting a significant obstacle. And I have seen a wrecked e bike with that problem, though I don't know what it hit. I have not got this bike working yet but the forks are soft. Yes, probably knackered, but I will see how they work. It is a 1400 watt motor so weight is not so much of an issue but strength is. Perhaps moped forks would be good!

rockmonkeysc

It takes a lot to break a single crown. They're used for some of the most extreme mountain biking.
The purpose of the extra crown is to reduce flex under extreme riding conditions, not prevent them breaking. By fitting a fork which is far too long for your bike you are raising the centre of gravity which reduces stability and will also cause it to fall in to turn rather than have a nice neutral steering. You're also vastly increasing the leverage on the head tube on your frame so you're quite likely to break the frame with a relatively low impact.
Whoever told you to use dual crowns is a moron with no idea.

triplemaya

Well you sound as if you know what you are talking about so I will take all that under advisement. Thank you for your time. (However I do feel it is inappropriate for you to insult someone you do not know and have not even had any communication with. For all you know I might have got wrong what was told me, or/and he might have been responding to a more complex issue at the time which I did not realise. He rides off road on an incredibly powerful mid mounted e motor, at motorbike scrambler speeds, and swears by triple crown forks for out and out strength. Naturally he also uses a massively strong frame which I have a feeling might be off a motorbike.)

triplemaya

The question still remains of how to get a good fit on the front axle so I can go and try out all this with a front wheel with zero play in it. Any help appreciated.

cooldad

triplemaya wrote:

Well you sound as if you know what you are talking about so I will take all that under advisement. Thank you for your time. (However I do feel it is inappropriate for you to insult someone you do not know and have not even had any communication with. For all you know I might have got wrong what was told me, or/and he might have been responding to a more complex issue at the time which I did not realise. He rides off road on an incredibly powerful mid mounted e motor, at motorbike scrambler speeds, and swears by triple crown forks for out and out strength. Naturally he also uses a massively strong frame which I have a feeling might be off a motorbike.)

So he rides a home made motorcycle IOW. Perfect for destroying trails.

rockmonkeysc

triplemaya wrote:

The question still remains of how to get a good fit on the front axle so I can go and try out all this with a front wheel with zero play in it. Any help appreciated.

You need the correct axle for the fork. You won't be able to get Zoom spares.
You aren't planning on riding this off road are you?

The Rookie

You could get a local machine shop to make you up some spacers.

triplemaya

Yes. Cheers. I am thinking it would be nice to understand why this setup needs them first. Is the Maxle designed to just nip up tight compressing the bearings just so? And if so, is the [crappy] zoom fork defective in some way, too narrow?! or are the bearings odd? They don't seem to be worn. I know a bit more about engineering than I do about bikes and I am curious about how it comes I have inherited this problem!
I am still not clear if all thru axles are made to the same specification of width of wheel components and fork clamps.

Horton

Axles are specific to the fork, despite there being only a few different "standards" when it comes to the width between the dropouts as they have different ways of fixing in place. I could be a number of things given the fact your set-up appears pretty old and rather questionable quality. Wrong end caps in the hubs? Worn end caps? Worn dropouts? Incorrect bearings in the hub? Wrong axle meaning you can't tighten it up fully? Who knows...

On a separate note, looking at your first picture, it appears your disc is a touch bigger than the caliper/adapter combo you are using was designed for as there's clear wear on the rotor splines and an unworn strip around the outside edge.

triplemaya

Thanks. So it could be the wrong axle?
There do not seem to be any parts in the hub except for the bearings. Should there be?
No worries about the disk I am re doing all that with a larger disk.

rockmonkeysc

Yes, it is the wrong axle. You need the correct Zoom axle. Good luck getting one!

triplemaya

Thanks. Simple!

rockmonkeysc

The Rookie wrote:

You could get a local machine shop to make you up some spacers.

That'd cost more than the forks.
Whatever he does the bike will be horrible to ride anyway, right up until he snaps off the head tube.

Horton

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Whatever he does the bike will be horrible to ride anyway, right up until he snaps off the head tube.