# Wheel pulls left under braking



## PacMan84 (Jul 3, 2011)

So i bought my Gravity29 point 2 from BD. I had my LBS do the install. Now it appears when under hard braking the front wheel pulls to the caliper side. I also found that my front rotor is rubbing on my shock (assume under braking). I tried to tighten the quick release which was loose but it sill pulls the tire to the left (not as much).

So my question is how tight is too tight (quick release)?
Are the bearings in the hub bad
Did the LBS Fud my bike up?


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## theMeat (Jan 5, 2010)

Hmmm, could be the frame or fork bent?, maybe wheel not centered with hub or frame? Loose spokes, bearing. I can only speculate. I'd say take it back to LBS.


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## FNFAL (Feb 5, 2009)

It's nearly impossible to overtighten a quick release by hand. If the hub feels wobbly or you can move it around laterally, take it to the shop and see about getting the bearings tightened. No, your LBS didn't mess up. Sometimes these things happen.

As a bike mechanic, what I just said may or may not be the solution to your problem, however.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

Does the wheel recenter its self after you stop braking or does it stay over to one side? I would have to suspect there's something not allowing your wheel to be tight enough to stay put in the dropouts. The QR should be tight enough that you can loosen the lever by hand, but it takes a little effort.


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## PacMan84 (Jul 3, 2011)

it re-centers when the lever is released


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

PacMan84 said:


> it re-centers when the lever is released


Can you tell if it is wobbling from the hub bearings or from the where the axle sits in the dropouts? Something is moving that shouldn't be moving, it's either in the hub or the axle as far as I can say. Fixing things is so much easier when they're in front of you.


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## PacMan84 (Jul 3, 2011)

when i ride no movement.. only under braking ...when i pick it up there doesn't feel like there's any lateral movement either?


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

PacMan84 said:


> when i ride no movement.. only under braking ...when i pick it up there doesn't feel like there's any lateral movement either?


Can you rock the wheel side to side with your hand?


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## PacMan84 (Jul 3, 2011)

no...


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

PacMan84 said:


> no...


So the rotor rubs the shock leg or do you just hear a rubbing noise under braking? If you can't move the wheel to the side by hand then it shouldn't be able to move under the braking force.


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## Specialized03 (Jun 26, 2011)

My bike does it as well-Hardrock Sport with BB7's, I just thought it was a mixture of having a 185 rotor on 160 rated forks coupled with stock QR's. I'll be upgrading to Shimano QR's and RockShox fork, I'll let you know if it works.


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## coot271 (Sep 15, 2010)

Hey Pac Man, I have the EXACT same problem with my Moto outcast 29er. I asked about it in another area of the forum. No one really knew.:madman: Hub bearings are tight, no wobble when the wheel is NOT under breaking. Nothing appears to be loose. I adjusted and readjusted the QR. Nothing. I think I'll just buy a better wheelset. If u find out something, please post....if I do, I'll post, K?


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

This shouldn't be an issue with either a fork or a wheel. It might be helpful if you got a stronger QR, but I can't be sure without actually seeing what's happening. maybe try sanding off a bit of the paint on the surfaces the QR clamps to. Are you sure everything is seated properly in the drops?


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## coot271 (Sep 15, 2010)

Yes, I have seated and reseated in the dropouts, same result. What skewers do you recommend? I am currently using the ones that came with the bike....I suppose they are regular steel. I willl try the sanding


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## faceplant72 (Oct 25, 2009)

I can get flex under braking in a 26" wheel with a 160mm rotor (RS Tora 289). I only notice when riding around the yard and can watch the wheel. When actually needing to brake it is a non issue. Some flex is inevitable and it is probably worse on a bigger wheel with a bigger rotor. I am sure this is why the quick release is not used on the high end bikes.


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## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

the undeniably 'BEST' skewers are the shimano type.


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## coot271 (Sep 15, 2010)

When I brake "hard" the wheel flexes so much to the left that it rubs my fork. The bike definitely stops. I am using tektro mech. brakes with 180mm discs. I am aware of the flex caused by the larger 29" wheels, but I didn't think it would be this much.....I'll try the shimano skewers and see wht happens.


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## Rad Rider 415 (Nov 20, 2010)

Hub, check and make sure the bearings arent loose. I had this problem many times on my trail bike.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

There's something wrong here but I can't work it out without having the bike in hand. No QR system is so weak it will allow the wheel to shift if it is tightened properly. There must be something else wrong but I don't know what it can be.


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## highdelll (Oct 3, 2008)

^^^, man, I agree.
I'm leaning to a loose hub -

All wheels (hubs) need to be checked ESP. if from a mass market.
It's not a huge deal, you just need to know how to do it
There's a bunck of TUTs put there from ParkTool, YouTube, I think SteveUK (member) did a writeup on his blog...I did a thread too (cup/cone). But the preload thing is the same for 'jam-nut' systems...


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

I just thought of something:

I have seen once or twice a hub/fork combo that allows the axle to protrude wider than the fork dropout. If this is the case, the QR will tighten against the axle instead of the dropout and not hold the wheel in place. If you had a washer lying around that was a proper diameter to fit in the dropout and allow the axle to stick through if needed then you could try it out. I might be able to MS Paint something if this didn't make sense.


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