Need a little guidance on some front wheel problems

Uncleslam23 · Post by **Uncleslam23** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:13 am

So someone tried stealing my friends buddy from outside of her apartment. They stuck a bar or something through the wheel and tried to break the steering lock. Luckily, they were unsuccessful, but the wheel was bent pretty bad. My friend bought a new wheel and I put it on for her. Everything went very smoothly, but now there is a grinding noise coming from around the caliper whenever she rides, even if the brakes aren't engaged. If anyone has any tips or suggestions, I would be extremely grateful

easy · Post by **easy** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:46 am

Brake pads slightly contacting rotor is normal. What happens when you spin the tire by hand?

Uncleslam23 · Post by **Uncleslam23** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:54 am

Still the same grinding noise. It's consistent all the way around, so I don't think the disc was bent when the guy tried to steal it. I'm pretty comfortable working on cars, but I'm pretty clueless when it comes to brakes. Is there something I need to adjust?

Throwback7R · Post by **Throwback7R** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:45 am

i wonder if they bent something that holds the brake caliper they are really the same as a car just a lot smaller.

Did the new rim come with a new rotor?

Uncleslam23 · Post by **Uncleslam23** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 3:47 am

Nope, still the same one

lovemysan · Post by **lovemysan** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:11 pm

Take the brake caliper off and see if the problem goes away. Did you reuse the old bearings?

Throwback7R · Post by **Throwback7R** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:41 pm

i wonder if they bend the rotor, just slightly

PeteH · Post by **PeteH** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 2:24 pm

If they jammed a bar between the forks and twisted in an attempt to break the column lock, I think it's likely that the forks are no longer true. Picturing the theft attempt in my head, they would have had to twist to the 'right', which would bend your left fork out ahead of the right, which might change the angle at which the caliper sits relative to the rotor, leading to rubbing. Or they might have bent the top of the 'tree' where the forks attach.

Does the bike ride 'straight'? In other words, is the headset cocked at an angle when the bike rolls in a straight line?

Like LoveMySan suggested, pull off the caliper (don't unhook the plumbing) and see if it goes away. If so, the forks _might_ be able to be re-aligned (trial & error), but you might be looking at new forks.

lovemysan · Post by **lovemysan** » Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:17 pm

I'm thinking the bearings might have been reused and damaged. I heated my rim and froze the new bearings. Even so I still had to drive them in with a socket and a hammer. I'd also check the axle for true while I had it apart.