Balance

Quoted message said:

I recently had some work done on my bike. Since getting it
back from the shop it feels like it pulls to the right.

Were there any Bush posters in evidence at the shop?

Quoted message said:

The work I had done was related to the drive on the right
side of the bike and new parts were installed. Is

it

Quoted message said:

possible that this has thrown off the bike's balance? Has
anyone ever experienced this? Is there anyway to check a
bike's balance and then

correct

Quoted message said:

it if it is off?

Make sure the frame is straight and that the wheels are
centered in the frame.

See: sheldonbrown.comframe spacing.htmlOpen ↗

Scroll down to the bottom and read "The String Method."

Art Harris

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I recently had some work done on my bike. Since getting it
back from the shop it feels like it pulls to the right.
The work I had done was related

to

Quoted message said:

the drive on the right side of the bike and new parts were
installed. Is

it

Quoted message said:

possible that this has thrown off the bike's balance? Has
anyone ever experienced this? Is there anyway to check a
bike's balance and then

correct

Quoted message said:

it if it is off?

The first thing I'd do is loosen the quick releases and re-
seat the wheels to make sure they didn't just fail to seat
them in the dropouts correctly. Also check the cable
housings up around the handlebars. Are they binding
anywhere? I've had them cross in such a way that they just
wedge against each other when turning and it creates a
strange resistance.

But I like the Bush poster comment. Did you hear Rush
Limbaugh on the radio at the shop?

Bob C.

Something wrong with the angle of the front wheel.

On a bike with a bent frame you can sometimes fix the
pulling right or left by deliberately angling the wheel in
the dropouts. Conversely if the wheel is angled accidently
in a straight frame it will pull left or right.

I don't think the rear wheel has much effect on pulling,
though it can make the wheels not track each other. It's a
second-order effect otherwise.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Quoted message said:

I recently had some work done on my bike. Since getting it
back from the shop it feels like it pulls to the right.
The work I had done was related to the drive on the right
side of the bike and new parts were installed. Is it
possible that this has thrown off the bike's balance? Has
anyone ever experienced this? Is there anyway to check a
bike's balance and then correct it if it is off?

It's not the bike's "balance." It's more likely the bike's
wheel alignment. They may not have the rear wheel in
straight. (They may not have the front wheel in straight,
but it sounds like they worked in the back.) The other
potential cause is a bent frame or fork, but if your bike
rode fine before the shop visit, that's an unlikely cause.

Look at the back wheel, where the tire passes between the
chain stays (the two frame tubes just behind the
crankset). Is the spacing between the tire and those frame
tubes even on the left and right? If not, the wheel's
crooked in the frame.

Loosen the rear quick release lever (or axle nuts, whichever
you have), pull the axle all the way back in the dropout
slots and re-tighten, then check again. Still crooked?
Loosen again and "steer" the wheel straight before re-
tightening. If you've got axle nuts, it's sometimes helpful
to leave the right one tight and loosen only the left before
you steer the wheel straight.

But now that you've fussed with it, check to be sure the
wheel's straight between the brake shoes. You don't want it
to drag the brakes, even a little.

The front wheel is usually easier. With the bike on the
ground, just loosen the axle's quick release or nuts, push
down on the handlebars to force the wheel & axle firmly up
into the fork ends, then re-tighten and check the brakes.

There are more precise measurements we could discuss, but
those moves will usually take care of things.

--
--------------------+ Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove
rodent and vegetable dot com, replace with cc.ysu dot edu]

<sstearns@main wrote: I recently had some work done on my
bike. Since getting it back from the shop it feels like it
pulls to the right(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I have seen bicycles
with one loaded pannier, certainly out of balance more than
yours could be, being ridden without difficulty. I have
ridden with an unbalanced load lashed to the rack, and all
that happens is that I shift my body weight and the angle of
the frame to compensate. I don't think your problem is
caused by unbalanced weight. Since you say that drive-train
components were replaced, my first thought is that the rear
wheel was not fully engaged in the dropouts when it was
reinstalled. Certainly, if the rear wheel is set at an
angle, this would cause the bike to handle "funny."

clip) it might be that one of the brake cables is too tight,
literally pulling the bike to one side.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't agree with this part. If
one of the wheels is out of line, it would certainly
make the bike "pull," but not due to brake drag. Even
if one brake pad is rubbing, the drag is felt as a
torque retarding the rotation, but it does not cause
the wheel to turn the bike.

Quoted message said:

I recently had some work done on my bike. Since getting it
back from the shop it feels like it pulls to the right. The
work I had done was related to the drive on the right side
of the bike and new parts were installed.

Instead of us guessing ... what exactly did they fix
and replace?

It's not top secret is it?

jw

I think David meant one of the cables going up to the
handlebars could be too tight or snagged, and is pulling the
bar to the right.

I dont' think he meant that a brake pad rubbon the one side
is making the bike pull to that side... because, exactly as
you said.. that wouldn't work anyways.

--
Mike Beauchamp therevox.comtherevox.comOpen ↗ - custom electro-
theremins and stuff. mikebeauchamp.commikebeauchamp.comOpen ↗ - mike's
personal site.

"Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

clip) it might be that one of the brake cables is too
tight, literally pulling the bike to one side.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I don't agree with this part. If
one of the wheels is out of line, it would certainly
make the bike "pull," but not due to brake drag.
Even if one brake pad is rubbing, the drag is felt
as a torque retarding the rotation, but it does not
cause the wheel to turn the bike.

Bicycles that pull to one side, or require a rider to lean
to one side to ride no-hands usually has a bent fork, frame
bends having little effect on straight ahead balance. The
rule is to bend the fork blades laterally toward the side to
which one must lean to ride no-hands. This generally
requires fork tip relocation of 5mm or so.

This will not show up on any frame measurement technique but
must be determined at the fork. Whether the fork is
symmetrical can be measured by laying the bicycle on its
side, handlebars removed so the fork can be rotated 180
degrees. Measure the lateral position of the fork ends when
they are in an (exactly) horizontal position, tips up and
tips down. This is a simple measurement in a fork fixture
used by frame builders.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]