I thought it would be nice to start a thread or even a heading for listing Handy Tip.
I'm sure the technical wizards on the site can decide which would be best.anyway here's my starter for 10. (Perhaps assuming wrongly that there isn't a tips page out there already!)
Like lots of people on this forum I have had to splay open my drop outs to take a motor. I have fitted a xiongda which is meant to require a 135mm rear. I measured mine today after deciding to centralise the wheel in the forks and mine is 160mm !
Various methods are suggested such as large wedges of wood and car jacks these are fine if the hope is to take them past their point of elasticity without breaking,however I have never managed this and find that if I am unlucky enough to have a puncture, skint knuckles are the order of the day.
Solution : Lets call it the Crofty Method --- A turnbuckle
For those not au fait with the word it is used on yachts for tightening the rigging. The benefit is that by turning the centre the outers one with a left hand thread and one with a right tighten together or for the benefit of us force apart.
On the turnbuckle you will see that I have removed the two pins and splayed open the ends
The Turnbuckle obviously has to be small enough to fit and the benefit of this method is that you can rest the wheel on the drop outs and place the turnbuckle between the spokes and by twisting the turnbuckle spread the chainstays until the wheel drops in.
I'm sure the technical wizards on the site can decide which would be best.anyway here's my starter for 10. (Perhaps assuming wrongly that there isn't a tips page out there already!)
Like lots of people on this forum I have had to splay open my drop outs to take a motor. I have fitted a xiongda which is meant to require a 135mm rear. I measured mine today after deciding to centralise the wheel in the forks and mine is 160mm !
Various methods are suggested such as large wedges of wood and car jacks these are fine if the hope is to take them past their point of elasticity without breaking,however I have never managed this and find that if I am unlucky enough to have a puncture, skint knuckles are the order of the day.
Solution : Lets call it the Crofty Method --- A turnbuckle
For those not au fait with the word it is used on yachts for tightening the rigging. The benefit is that by turning the centre the outers one with a left hand thread and one with a right tighten together or for the benefit of us force apart.
On the turnbuckle you will see that I have removed the two pins and splayed open the ends
The Turnbuckle obviously has to be small enough to fit and the benefit of this method is that you can rest the wheel on the drop outs and place the turnbuckle between the spokes and by twisting the turnbuckle spread the chainstays until the wheel drops in.
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