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Front wheel isnt centered in forks

3706 Views 22 Replies 12 Participants Last post by RickBullottaPA, Feb 3, 2022

siskuiN7

Discussion Starter · Feb 1, 2022

So I noticed that my wheel isn’t centered between the forks like all the other bikes. It’s massively over one side. I turned the wheel around and it shifted to the other side. I built this wheel myself and my friend said it’s because something to do with the spokes hanging out more on one side than the other? Which I’d never heard of.

many ideas what’s causing this? Is my wheel just out of dish? I seems straight as when I spin it

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junior77

· #2 · Feb 1, 2022

Umm….need to learn how to dish a wheel properly. One side of the wheel will have more tension than the other. Since the rim is not centered with the hub flange (disc brake).

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siskuiN7

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 1, 2022

junior77 said:
Umm….need to learn how to dish a wheel properly. One side of the wheel will have more tension than the other. Since the rim is not centered with the hub flange (disc brake).

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didn’t know dishing was a thing just radially and laterally trued it

junior77

· #4 · Feb 1, 2022

But, highly suggest bringing to a wheel builder. Since, I’m concerned on what else may have been incorrectly done.

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Taroroot

· #5 · Feb 1, 2022

Out of dish. You may have switched sides of spokes? If the hub flanges are symetric, then the rotor side spokes should be shorter.

siskuiN7

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 1, 2022

junior77 said:
But, highly suggest bringing to a wheel builder. Since, I’m concerned on what else may have been incorrectly done.

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Everything else is fine ridden it on well over 10 times now on downhill tracks

siskuiN7

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 1, 2022

Taroroot said:
Out of dish. You may have switched sides of spokes? If the hub flanges are symetric, then the rotor side spokes should be shorter.

Ok how will I know this? I assume I just need to loosen and tighten the other side to get it to stand straight ?

junior77

· #8 · Feb 1, 2022

siskuiN7 said:
Everything else is fine ridden it on well over 10 times now on downhill tracks

Ok….but if someone built up wheels for me that didn’t know ‘dishing’ is a thing, I might have some doubts on the overall build quality of the wheel. Don’t take it personally…but there’s a lot that goes into wheel building and quite a few opportunities a mistake can be made.

Just check out this site on all the ins/outs of building a wheel properly.

wheelfanatyk.com

Wheel Fanatyk | Wheel building tools for inspired wheel builders

Our commercial specialty is wheel oriented tools. Many are exclusive and all are used and approved by clever builders worldwide. We depend on a broad network of bicycle mechanics and wheel specialists and this collective wisdom is funneled into a large library about the what and how of bicycles...

wheelfanatyk.com

wheelfanatyk.com

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junior77

· #9 · Feb 1, 2022

siskuiN7 said:
Ok how will I know this? I assume I just need to loosen and tighten the other side to get it to stand straight ?

Basically, yes.

You can purchase dedicated dishing tools to help measure the offset.

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siskuiN7

Discussion Starter · #10 · Feb 1, 2022

So I’ve just noticed this on the inner spokes. They aren’t going the same direction. One side is going back and the other is forward. Is this what’s causing the issue? The rear wheel the are identical on each side

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VegasSingleSpeed

· #11 · Feb 2, 2022

No, you haven't properly dished the wheel.

You've claimed to have trued the wheel laterally. So, did you happen to notice that when you tension a spoke on one side, it pulls the rim towards that side...and when you loosen a spoke on one side, the rim moves towards the other side?

Let's see if you can work this out...

Reactions: 1

siskuiN7

Discussion Starter · #12 · Feb 2, 2022

So I trued it 100% straight but I must have trued it using a wrong reference lol. I just used a zip tie on the fork which obviously was shorter on one side and that’s why it was so far over lol. I’ve tightened and slightly loosened and it’s almost bang on Center now. Thanks guys

JaxMustang50

· #13 · Feb 2, 2022

Now that it is center, check for proper and even tension on each side respectively. The rotor side spokes will have a higher tension than the right side. Make the tensions as equal as possible (on the same side) while keeping the rim runout as true as possible. A little runout on a MTB you won't notice, but poorly tensioned spokes can be a rim failure waiting to happen. To a degree, spoke tension trumps rim trueness. Borrow or acquire a tension meter if you aren't familiar enough to do it by feel.

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alpinerider38

· #14 · Feb 2, 2022

JaxMustang50 said:
Now that it is center, check for proper and even tension on each side respectively. The rotor side spokes will have a higher tension than the right side. Make the tensions as equal as possible (on the same side) while keeping the rim runout as true as possible. A little runout on a MTB you won't notice, but poorly tensioned spokes can be a rim failure waiting to happen. To a degree, spoke tension trumps rim trueness. Borrow or acquire a tension meter if you aren't familiar enough to do it by feel.

Well said, id much rather have a wheel with good even spoke tension but slightly out of true over a wheel that is perfectly true but uneven spoke tension.

CrozCountry

· #15 · Feb 2, 2022

The flanges on a disc hub are not centered, so when you properly dish a wheel, the rim is not exactly between the flanges. The spokes on both sides have different angles. You dish the wheel based on the axle, not based on the flanges. It's pretty easy to fish if you have a dish measuring tool, or give it to a bike shop, it's usually a cheap fix (no parts).

RickBullottaPA

· #16 · Feb 2, 2022

Read the wheel building bible from Sheldon Brown:

Wheelbuilding (sheldonbrown.com)

I have this printed out and laminated in my shop. Even though I've built 30+ wheels I still refer to it.

drdre

· #17 · Feb 2, 2022

The spokes coming out differently on each side isn't quite correct either. You can imagine when you brake hard, the spokes will pull differently on the rim, one side more from the center, and the other side, more from the outside. its not a huge effect so probably fine. The last thing to look for is that the two spokes next to the air hole should be parallel(ish) when looked at from the side. The air hole is a stress riser and the parallel spokes here put the least stress on that location.

Jayem

· #18 · Feb 2, 2022

I would shorten your handlebar a bit on one side to help balance it out.

Harold

· #19 · Feb 2, 2022

junior77 said:
Ok….but if someone built up wheels for me that didn’t know ‘dishing’ is a thing, I might have some doubts on the overall build quality of the wheel. Don’t take it personally…but there’s a lot that goes into wheel building and quite a few opportunities a mistake can be made.

Just check out this site on all the ins/outs of building a wheel properly.

Wheel Fanatyk | Wheel building tools for inspired wheel builders

Our commercial specialty is wheel oriented tools. Many are exclusive and all are used and approved by clever builders worldwide. We depend on a broad network of bicycle mechanics and wheel specialists and this collective wisdom is funneled into a large library about the what and how of bicycles...

wheelfanatyk.com

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

yeah, that's where I am with this. OP needs to just take it to a wheel builder and probably have the build re-done.

Used zip ties to true it. Didn't check dish. Guarantee that spoke tension wasn't measured.

Taroroot

· #20 · Feb 2, 2022

The spoke head on inside or outside is open to debate and in practical terms in the end doesn't make much difference. Spokes have strength in tension so some feel its best to have the ones under most tension force on the outside, so the ones on your disc side are "correct", I believe. But If you were ascribing to that, then the rear should be built like your front, since disc side and drive side have more tension force in opposite directions. Looking at my "professionally" built wheels, one set is all in one direction, the other is same direction per wheel, but front and rear is different.
Anyway, carry on, sounds like you're figuring it out. Main thing is its straight and has enough tension. If spoke lengths are wrong, you'll eventually run into the nipples bottoming out and not tightening enough, or seeing exposed threads and not having enough spoke insidfe the nipple and cracking nipples.

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