Author Topic: Front wheel alignment  (Read 2302 times)

Offline aliasdck

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Front wheel alignment
« on: May 09, 2020, 06:25:28 AM »
Is there a good way of keeping the front wheel perfectly aligned while tightening the pegs? Usually it will be slightly offset once I'm done tightening everything, just a few mm off center one way or the other. It usually takes me several attempts before I get it tightened down perfectly centered but even when I do get it perfect it usually won't stay that way for long, a hard crash or whatever and I've got to recenter it again.

Offline out~riding

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2020, 01:35:05 PM »
what's the setup?

Offline aliasdck

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2020, 03:37:02 PM »
Nothing special, odyssey f zero fork, the hub has 3/8 male axle, and run of the mill aluminum pegs. Hub is well aligned with no play. Bike is upside down, I place the wheel onto the fork, the pegs onto the axles then tighten everything in place using a ratchet with a socket on an extension. I just always have had a hard time getting the front wheel to stay perfectly aligned between the forks during this tightening of the axle nuts, it tends to always be slightly off center once I'm finished.

It's not a bent fork, bent axle, or anything like that I've examined everything closely, the wheel sits nicely in place before being tightened, it just tends to move slightly one way or the other during the last bit of tightening. If somebody was to hold it in place for me while I tightened then this probably wouldn't happen, but I'm always alone so this isn't an option.

Offline khe killah

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2020, 06:18:06 PM »
Do you fit washers under the nuts??

Offline aliasdck

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #4 on: May 09, 2020, 06:44:01 PM »
No, should I? I always figured the peg acted as a washer.

Offline khe killah

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #5 on: May 09, 2020, 06:48:19 PM »
If your axle is long enough then yes. I run washers front and rear inside my pegs. When you tighten down on the peg they can have a tendency to shift slightly on the final twist.
If you have proper serrated faced washers they grip the peg and allow the nut to tighten down without disturbing position.

Offline khe killah

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #6 on: May 09, 2020, 06:49:32 PM »
Look up all bmx wheel nuts for sale and you will see the serrated grip washers.

Offline aliasdck

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #7 on: May 09, 2020, 06:49:39 PM »
Im assuming you are referring to placing washers between the nut and the peg, right? So it would kind of look like:


[nut][washer][peg][dropout][    Hub    ][dropout][peg][washer][nut]

Offline aliasdck

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #8 on: May 09, 2020, 06:51:03 PM »
If your axle is long enough then yes. I run washers front and rear inside my pegs. When you tighten down on the peg they can have a tendency to shift slightly on the final twist.
If you have proper serrated faced washers they grip the peg and allow the nut to tighten down without disturbing position.

Ok that makes sense, and that is exactly what is happening.ill get some serrated washers and give it a go.

Offline khe killah

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #9 on: May 09, 2020, 06:54:03 PM »
Yes, that configuration is correct. Washers under nuts inside pegs.
Pretty much every BMX wheel nut set you buy those washers are supplied with them.

Hope that helps, let us know!

Offline out~riding

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #10 on: May 10, 2020, 02:10:16 AM »
Tighten one side slightly, then the other side and then go back and tighten all the way. The criss-cross should keep the wheel centered.

Offline FlatismŽ

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #11 on: May 12, 2020, 10:27:46 AM »
Glad this been brought up. I've had ongoing issue with front wheel too.
I've changed out wheels, fork, & frames even, yet still seems to give me gip.
I generally have to loosen one side at a time, and force the wheel over, then tighten right up accordingly.
But I suspect it's a wheel dishing problem, where one side of the truing process is off centre.

https://www.wheelfanatyk.com/blog/mastering-wheel-dishing/
Flat-ism

Offline aliasdck

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #12 on: May 21, 2020, 04:34:32 AM »
Thanks everyone, utilizing the washers has made it much easier to tighten it without the peg twisting things out of place at the last moment. Still takes a bit of trial and error to get it centered but atleast it's much easier now.

When it's even just a tiny bit one way or the other it really disrupts my balance. Such a pain, every time I take the wheel off and put it back on it takes me a couple days to readjust because it never feels exactly the same, like I'm never getting installed in exactly the same position.. Oh well just a part of riding for me, the washers help immensely in this  so thank you.

Offline khe killah

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Re: Front wheel alignment
« Reply #13 on: May 21, 2020, 07:37:39 AM »
Thanks for letting us know, glad they helped...