List of things I have tried:
- have tried centering front wheel & handlebars multiple times, am happy it is close to dead centre
- removed quill stem & threaded headset and tried adjusting various ways, still pulls left
- replaced old caged ball bearings in headset cup with loose (as seen in pictures, for both sides of headset)
- tried examining the fork with naked eye, appears to be symmetrical but would need a caliper to measure exactly
- The bike came brakeless and was pulling left when i got it so happy it is not cable tension
Any ideas? The pull is quite aggressive, unsure what could create this kind of movement
Cheers!
by Honest-Volume8530
11 Comments
Is the [frame bent](https://youtu.be/dUPAKqS3dt8)?
Your fork is bent my man, see 1st picture. Now you have 3 options:
– buy a new fork
– bend the old one back
– file out one dropout so the alignment is correct again
I would choose nr. 2 then nr. 3 if is didn’t work and lastly nr. 1
I dunno if it’s just the perspective of the pic, but seems to me that the steerer is bent on the fork crown
I’d bet that it’s been bent in a crash. It’s super common for steel bikes to be bent out of alignment. A good bike shop will be able to check the frame and fork alignment, and check the alignment of the dropouts. That being said, there aren’t many good bike shops around! So a local frame builder is probably the best option.
if you really checked the wheels for running straight and beeing centered, something else is bent. either the fork, or the frame.
remove back wheel, take a string and fix it at one dropout, go to the front, over the steering tube and to the other dropout. if you have it positioned evenly in the dropout left and right, you can measure the distance between the string and seat tube on both sides.
my guess would be a small crash from the right, which bent the whole bike a little to the left.
Like everyone else said if your wheels are straight and bearings are running smooth.
It’s probably a frame and fork issue.
Those quilt stems, at the bottom they have grooves. Over tightening the stem squishes The grooves, more so if it’s aluminum. If the grooves are squished as you’re tightening the stem down it’s going to move it out of place.
Look at the vork legs and the frame,vork legs are bent,but this can be straitened at the bike shop
https://preview.redd.it/2oid9fyj9ctg1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a99b095cc3dcf19fbd7bab5ff71420512e580826
I think the fork is bent/twisted as per everyone else, but the single brake cable and outer on one side, with backwards bars certainly won’t help.
The cable needs to be a softer arc to the lever.
Is there a space in lower headset bearing? It’s shouldn’t filled completely with balls, needs to be a gap to prevent the balls grinding on each other and to allow the balls to displace the grease.
I can tell you one thing, it’s probable bent somewhere but no one is going to be able to actually diagnose this from these pictures. Take it to a bike shop. A good one that has been around for a while should have frame alignment gauges and tools.