Gitane Mixte - rear wheel issues: is it the dropouts?

[IvonaDestroi]

So I am working diligently on an old 70's gitane mixte frame, (teaching yourself bike repair isn't easy!) and I've had some problems with the rear wheel.

The original axle that came with the bike was bent, so I put on another 27" wheel from my schwinn which worked fine on that bike. I trued it as best as someone whos learning how to true could... it seems straight enough.

Now this wheel is starting to lean sideways and rub against the seat stays. I'm wondering if the old axle bent from this same problem, could it be my dropouts?

It's fine at first, then a couple of blocks down the road the wheel starts leaning sideways and rubbing the seat stay. The first wheel did this too, of course that one had the bent axle. I've re-installed it a couple of times, (quick release on both wheels), and my bike shop roomate also tried with the same result.

The center seat stay on the chain side is slightly bent outwards, although from what I looked up this is commonly done on mixte frames so the chain won't rub the seat stay. It does, in fact, look like if it were built straight the chain would rub.

However, I saw the same model (possibly a different year, but VERY similar from looking at it) at the bike shop the other day and that seat stay bend was nowhere nearly as pronounced as the one on my frame. The guy at the shop said it was probably fine. Could someone have tried to enhance this bend for some reason? It seems unlikely...

there is one spot on the paint on the inside of the stay where it looks like a chain may have once rubbed but it's hard to tell because there's paint chips all over the frame anyway, but the rest of the paint is fine in that spot.

What do I do now? How do you check your dropout alignment? I always think the problem is bigger then it is, maybe it's something simple that I'm doing wrong? over or under-tightening the wheel perhaps?

[Cataboo]

I have no idea - but I just pictured you gallivanting around europe now or on safari in Africa, so I was surprised to see you post.

[IvonaDestroi]

I have no idea - but I just pictured you gallivanting around europe now or on safari in Africa, so I was surprised to see you post.

LOL, still waitin on findin that job. On the upside I got unemployment again. I went to an interview for a hostess job at a brewery yesterday and there were 40 applicants ahead of me, really, I counted heads and there were 40 people interviewing for one position! I really don't like doing this whole unemployment thing, its driving me crazy!!!! Well, if my new man ever gets his army pension he promised he will take me himself. We will know in a month

[tulip]

LOL, still waitin on findin that job. On the upside I got unemployment again. I went to an interview for a hostess job at a brewery yesterday and there were 40 applicants ahead of me, really, I counted heads and there were 40 people interviewing for one position! I really don't like doing this whole unemployment thing, its driving me crazy!!!! Well, if my new man ever gets his army pension he promised he will take me himself. We will know in a month

Hey, ho, Ivana, my favorite punk-rock fashionchick! Can you post a picture of the bike and wheel? Maybe that will help us to picture it better.

Crazy about that hostess job!

As for the man, just remember...A Man Is Not A Financial Plan! Take care of your own jellybeans no matter what!

[DebW]

You can take the frame to a good bike shop or framebuilder and ask them to check the alignment. They should check that the dropout faces are parallel and in line, and that the stays are properly centered on the bottom bracket. There are standard tools to check this.

One thing you can check on your wheel. Take out the quick release skewer with the wheel in the bike and see how much axle protrudes into the dropout. The axle end should not be flush with or protrucing past the outer face of the dropout, but recessed inside it, yet long enough to be supported by the frame. If the axle were too long, then the quick release would not hold it in place and the wheel would slip as you ride and apply pressure to the pedals. Different frames can have different dropout thicknesses, and 70s bikes sometimes had a thick derailleur hanger on the derailleur that effectively made the dropout much thicker. If the wheel you just put on originally came from such a bike and the new bike has the derailleur hanger on the frame, or just has thinner dropouts, this could explain the problem, and the fix is easy. You'd either have to move both cones to change the axle spacing outside the lock nuts, or cut the axle shorter with a hacksaw.

[IvonaDestroi]

One thing you can check on your wheel. Take out the quick release skewer with the wheel in the bike and see how much axle protrudes into the dropout. The axle end should not be flush with or protrucing past the outer face of the dropout, but recessed inside it, yet long enough to be supported by the frame. If the axle were too long, then the quick release would not hold it in place and the wheel would slip as you ride and apply pressure to the pedals. Different frames can have different dropout thicknesses, and 70s bikes sometimes had a thick derailleur hanger on the derailleur that effectively made the dropout much thicker. If the wheel you just put on originally came from such a bike and the new bike has the derailleur hanger on the frame, or just has thinner dropouts, this could explain the problem, and the fix is easy. You'd either have to move both cones to change the axle spacing outside the lock nuts, or cut the axle shorter with a hacksaw.

Ok, so I took out the skewer and took some photos. Also both the schwinn that the wheel came off of and this bike have a 1/8" derailleur hanger.

Also, I measured the length from dropout to dropout straight line from derailleur hanger on both bikes, and for the schwinn I got 5 1/4" and on the Gitane 5.0". Of course I'm using a ruler and eyeballing whats straight... but i measured again counting the derailleur hangers which should each add 1/8 and they did so the numbers matched both times.

so the schwinn dropouts are 1/4" wider then the gitane ones from what I can tell.

I'm trying to picture what you meant by flush or portruding past the outer face, I'm not sure if this is looking right:

Left Side:






Right Side:



Is 1/4" difference enough to cause this problem? Do they look right on the pictures?