trike pulling to right

[ratcycle]

Help is need on my recent project the Rat Trike. How do you fix a trike that pulls to the right? What could cause it to pull? Is it the forks or the wheels not being true? I don't know. Help. I can go half way down the road and then it will pull me to the right. It happens so quick to. The rear wheels could be trued but they are press fitted on the axle and not sure if a bike shop could true them. I think it has to do with the forks and the right wheel bearing. I dent it by accident. Any help. Sorry if its hard to understand what I am asking.

 

[Flame Jigger]

If I understand you correctly it goes straight without pulling for aways then suddenly pulls to the right. If so then I would check to see if the right rear wheel is trying to lock up. The bearings could need greased but don't know if that is doable with the press fitted wheels unless it has a nipple for a grease gun. Do you have a pic of how the wheels attach?

If it pulls to the right all the time it could be a problem with the frame allignment.

 

[Wildcat]

Is it one wheel drive? A few trikes I've ridden that were one wheel drive always seemed to pull to one side, but that was only when I pedaled. That's probably not the problem, but you can turn and watch the right wheel and axle and see if something looks out of place while you are riding.

 

[ratcycle]

How could I check for frame misaligment? The right bearing is caved in a little. It is not one way axle. The wheels turn oppasite directons. The one wheel will move while the other stays put, say it pivots. The axle is a slip-diff. If I could take it to a bike shop you think they would know how to get the wheels off? Could I unlace the wheels then try removing the hub?

 

[Anonymous]

posted this on the wrong topic :lol:

i guess air pressure difference between back tires, bearing on one side hangin up a little or neck is a little bent.

hope this helps

 

[Anonymous]

How could I check for frame misaligment? The right bearing is caved in a little. It is not one way axle. The wheels turn oppasite directons. The one wheel will move while the other stays put, say it pivots. The axle is a slip-diff. If I could take it to a bike shop you think they would know how to get the wheels off? Could I unlace the wheels then try removing the hub?

if it is the pictured rear end in your other post it's like mine, the hole in the wheel hub is for a nut and bolt to keep it fixed on the axle.

i got one side of mine off but the other side didn't wanna come off so i just re-spoked it and trued it on the axle so i didn't mess anything else up

 

[Flame Jigger]

I'd say it is probably the caved in right bearing. You never said if it pulls to the right all the time or just sometimes. If it is only sometimes it probably isn't a frame allignment problem but rather the bad bearing. A bike shop should be able to remove the wheel or atleast tell you how it comes off. The wheel might be pressed on and you might need a gear puller to get it off.

To check for frame allignment you will need a level and a tape measure. First find a level surface or as close as you can get. Place the level across the back wheels then use boards or whatever as shims under the back wheels to get it level. You want it level side to side. Now take the level and stand it up next to the frame and see if everything is plumb. This will tell you if the frame is twisted or not. Now find some point on both sides of the rear end that is the same (a bolt hole or bracket) and a point near the head tube that will be the same on both sides (where the top or bottom bar attaches) measure from the point on the rear end to the point on the front of the frame, repeat the process for the other side and see if they are the same. If they are different measurements the frame is out of allignment. Hope that helps. I have seen others on this site use a string ran from the front to back of a bike to check allignment.

 

[ratcycle]

I tried a gear puller, and all it did was bend the spoke flanges and two spokes.

 

[mikesbikes36]

u may have 2 chop the axels off and get new ones cut ,,,,on my trike i have 2 get new ones cause i used stingray wheels ...dad had a peice of stainless rod that fit perfect ...got flat spots milled in em and went 2 town ...i know its alot but ...i guess it all depends on what look u want ...still wanna see more pics !!!! mike