I went out for a ride and realised thar my tire was rubbing all the way. The steel frame seems to have been compromised as a result of friction. Heres the pictures below. What can i do to fix this issue? Im not sure whether its the frame or the quick release or even the wheel itseld. Could i please get some feedback?
by Ok_Bad2288
8 Comments
check to make sure wheel is square in dropouts first. loosen quick release, square it up, ensuring hollow axle is fully seated in dropouts, tighten quick release. Then you will see if there is actually a problem.
Undo the quick release and retighten while ensuring the wheel is on straight. If it keeps sending it to one side maybe its on too tight (spin the lever counter clockwise a bit before tightening) can also correct it by pulling it the tire the other way when tightening the QR.
Flip the wheel and see whether it still rubs on that side or on the other.
If it still rubs on that side, then the wheel is straight and there’s something else. If it rubs on the other, then true the wheel first.
That tire is too big for the frame. Put a skinnier tire on.
EDIT: To everyone saying to check the wheel alignment, flip the wheel, etc. NO! The tire is too big for that frame. Look at how little space there is on the drive side. Even if the tire was *perfectly* centered, it would still be brushing both chainstays.
The tyre is slightly off centre which is more often caused by the wheel not being cemtered in or correctly mounted in the dropouts so release the QR / nuts seat the wheel correctly in the dropouts and re tighten…
HOWEVER
That tyre is significantly oversized for that frame. The guide that you may have read is that you should aim to have no less than 6mm clearance between tyre and frame only applies to road bikes for MTB’s you need a lot more because treaded tyres tend to pick up large amounts of dirt/debris & mud. If you think of mud/dirt as natures home made grinding compound ready to wear away anything it rubs against and you will get the idea so what you have there is a tyre that’s so badly oversized that the tyre it’s self is rubbing on the frame which is coated with this grinding compound and you end up with a frame that can be damaged surprisingly quickly.
If this is an older steel frame it wasn’t uncommon for these to have a maximum tyre width of 1 3/4″ and when it was muddy you would have to drop to 1 1/2″ to give extra clearance for mud
What do the rear dropouts look like?
The wheel looks like it needs dishing and you need a narrower tyre.
Which Specialized frame is that? Doesn’t look like a FatBoy.