[Call_me_Al]

My back wheel has always looked crooked to the left since I bought my used bike last year. I know, it was weird and I should of had it looked at, but I never got around to it. Now I'm trying again to figure it out with out having to take it to a shop.

The wheel looks like it is leaning to the left. You can't really tell if it is twisted, or just leaning, but from the picture of one of the pads, I would say that the wheel is crooked in the drop outs.

Something probably related to this problem: with the quick release open, the wheel automatically goes into its crooked position. But, it seems like you can move the skewer back and forth a few millimeters (not up/down) in the drop out, which also seems to straighten the wheel. Well, I have a confession: the rear skewer has only one spring on it, and the missing one is missing from the problematic drive side. Is this my problem? A little spring? Could this be skewer or drop out then?

Well then, if all I have to do is move the skewer around in the drive side drop a millimeter or two to straighten the wheel out, then all's good, right? I don't think so; it just seems like the wrong fix to me. Can any one help me out? Or should I just take it to my shop...

 

[Squash]

Sounds to me like a frame....

alignment problem. The little spring missing from the QR is not the problem. All that is there for is to assist in keeping the QR centered in the hub when installing the wheel in the frame, that's all it does, nothing else. You can even safely remove the other one and run without them, no poblem. There are two things that it could be, frame alignment or wheel dish. However the odd angled wear on the brake pad is more indicative of a frame alignment problem. Wheel dish really wouldn't affect brake pad wear like that. All a wheel dish issue would do is have the wheel off center between the seat and chain stays. An easy way to check it is to simply reverse the wheel in the drop out, i.e. install it backwards, rotor on the drive side and cassette on the brake side, then eyeball it. If the misalignment stays on the same side as when the wheel is correctly installed, then it is a frame alignment issue. If it is indeed a frame alignment problem, it may or may not be fixable. It will depend on where the misalignment is coming from, how bad it is, and the material the frame is made of. The only way to know for sure is to take it into a shop and have them look at it.

And your right, misaligning the QR in the drop out to compensate IS NOT the correct fix and could be dangerous when using disc brakes. A misaligned QR in the manner that you are thinking of may not be secure enough to retain the wheel in the dropouts under the braking forces exerted by a disc brake system. So don't try that one. :nono:

Good Dirt

 

[Call_me_Al]

The driveside dropout on my Blur is a combination of a drop out and derailleur hanger. Maybe the hanger got hit and knocked the dropout out of whack (haven't had problems with shifting though). I guess that would probably be the place to start when looking for misaligned areas on the frame.

Thanks Squash!

drop out: