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Author Topic: My new Strowler, my first problem  (Read 5316 times)

Offline RadCo

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My new Strowler, my first problem
« on: March 20, 2010, 05:59:58 AM »
So all I wanted to do was just take a little spin around the neighborhood and see what the new bike felt like. I coast down my driveway, feeling pretty good, the brakes are dialed in sweet. It's been a long time since I was on a bike, so it feels a little weird. Push down to pedal up the small hill and I hear this awful noise and the rear wheel basically locks up. WTF? I get it back in the garage and the rear wheel had shifted, moved forward and over, loosening up the chain and pushing it against one side of the brakes. Now, where should I start with solutions. Am I too much of a fat f**k to ride anymore? Should I shorten the chain and move the rear wheel forward so it has nowhere to go? Will chain tensioners solve this? (I have a pair on order) I thought I had the wheel cranked down pretty tight. Obviously I didn't. As always, any help will be gratefully appreciated.
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Offline tod miller

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2010, 06:03:20 AM »
Chain tensioners and a good wrenching down.  Don't be afraid to muscle it down.
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Offline slcflat

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #2 on: March 20, 2010, 04:54:30 PM »
might be a dumb question but are you using 14mm axles? i think the strowlers are 14mm dropouts and if you use the 3/8" axle, your wheel will slip like that.
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Offline RadCo

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2010, 05:08:15 AM »
Yes I am and that isn't a dumb question at all because it's probably something I'd do lol.
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jm

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2010, 06:54:23 AM »
If your wheel is moving against the frame when you pedal uphill, something is very wrong. Chain tensioners do prevent the wheel from shifting forward.
« Last Edit: March 21, 2010, 06:56:03 AM by jm »
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Budz

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2010, 07:15:33 AM »
man up on those nuts. ;)

*edit...that sounded kinda creepy. sorry for that. ^_^
 i meant tighten them nuts good and plenty.
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Offline 2flat2furious

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2010, 08:17:17 AM »
Are you running axle converters or anything? Sometimes they muck up how well the rear end holds onto the frame. You shouldn't "muscle" anything though, you can strip out axles and nuts that way.
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Offline mid_night gypsy

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2010, 02:33:12 PM »
 When you put the back wheel on was the drop outs touching the jam nuts of the back wheel.. They should be a snug fit even before you tighten the wheel down. Use washers to fill the gap on each side. Chain tensioners do help. I see no need for them myself. But, be careful using them. Cause the will put additional stress on the wheel bearings. As to how tight you should crank down your axle nuts. It really depends if you are using an aluminum or steel axle. The rule of thumb I use for aluminum is half turn pass snug finger tight and half to three quarters for steel... Hope this helps....Russ
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rick macdonald

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2010, 03:00:00 PM »
when I put my strowler together, I noticed the axle adapter I had (profile brand) was a little thicker than the drop out..(barely, though!)

So I was really only clamping down on the adpater, not really biting on any dropout.

I ground it down to just thinner than the dropout, all is good.

I will certainly talk to you soon, Man!  MA flatland is getting huge this spring!
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Budz

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #9 on: March 21, 2010, 04:12:40 PM »
Quote from: Rick Macdonald on March 21, 2010, 03:00:00 PM
when I put my strowler together, I noticed the axle adapter I had (profile brand) was a little thicker than the drop out..(barely, though!)

So I was really only clamping down on the adpater, not really biting on any dropout.

I ground it down to just thinner than the dropout, all is good.

I will certainly talk to you soon, Man!  MA flatland is getting huge this spring!
i had this same prob with my old Mike.S pegs. they had that screwy anti roll bs built into em which extended past the dropouts on the 08 Oddy forks and hittin the hub locknuts.
had to grind em against the pavement at York 2 years ago so my front wheel would stop moving around.
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Offline RadCo

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #10 on: March 21, 2010, 08:33:26 PM »
Thanks for the great tips everyone. I got a PM that had some great info too. A couple of you guys touched on things I never even thought of, one being the space between the jam nuts and the dropouts. I think that is the case. I'll mess around with it tonight and hopefully my chain tensioners will be here by tomorrow or Tuesday from FF. Thanks again. It's really frustrating to put so much time, effort, money and heart into buiding what I think is a sweet bike and then run into something like this.
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Offline RadCo

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #11 on: March 21, 2010, 09:39:30 PM »
I just took everything apart to start from scratch and see where I stand. It looks like one washer on each side, inside the frame, will put it dead center with the chain lined up perfect. I may pop a link out of the chain too, since it does sit pretty far back in the dropouts. The pegs also have the anti-spin screws on them, and they will fit snug against the front of the dropout I think. I'll throw the chain tensioners on when I get them too, and hopefully that will solve my problem. Thanks everyone. I'll keep you posted.
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Offline RadCo

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2010, 01:45:03 AM »
I think I'm in pretty good shape now. I shortened up the chain, put in a couple of washers and cranked the nuts down hard. Then it did it again. So I cranked it down even harder and it seems ok. It's definitely different feeling, having never ridden with shorter cranks or smaller sprockets before, not to mention some very different geometry. I feel like I've never been on a bike before and I can't do a single trick lol. I'll have to watch Ground Rules again and go from there. Pick a couple of tricks and just stick to them. Any suggestions for what to start with?

Also, I'm still going to put the chain tensioners on. Is there a right and wrong way to do this? Should I put them on and snug them up before tightening the axle nuts, or tighten the axle a little first? I don't want to keep screwing things up.
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jm

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2010, 02:03:20 AM »
Quote from: RadCo on March 22, 2010, 01:45:03 AM

Also, I'm still going to put the chain tensioners on. Is there a right and wrong way to do this? Should I put them on and snug them up before tightening the axle nuts, or tighten the axle a little first? I don't want to keep screwing things up.


I've had good luck taking up all the gap with the axle nuts, leaving the pegs just loose enough to turn easily by hand, set the tension, then tighten the axle nuts all the way. best of luck!
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Offline fatninja

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Re: My new Strowler, my first problem
« Reply #14 on: July 28, 2010, 05:50:56 AM »
Has it been staying tight since your last post? I have a strowler too with 3/8 Axel adapter setup and my chain always loosens. So annoying.
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