Re-dish a wheel to account for misaligned frame?

OK, a little bit of background. I've recently built up my STS frame, only to discover that the rear wheel sits a few mm off centre. Usually this wouldn't bother me, but the tyre clearance isn't the best even when the rear wheel is dead centre, so I'd like to get it sorted!

As was suggested in a previous post I made, I have put the back wheel in the other way around, to try to determine whether it is the frame or the wheel which is causing the misalignment. Turns out that it's the frame

So, the frame is slightly out of line. This doesn't overly concern me, as the bike is not going to be a regular rider and the misalignment isn't causing any problems with regard to the rear bushes/shock/gears/brake etc.

I think I might get the wheel re-dished to compensate for the misaligned frame. If the rim could be pulled over by a couple of mm towards the drive side, then that would bring the rear wheel back into the centre.

What do you (more knowledgeable people than me!) reckon?

I can take a photo later to illustrate what I'm talking about.

I'd redish it - I doubt that it will be an issue. There's quite a few frames that either do or used to run a slightly offset dish for the rear wheels.

If it is only a few mm, it won't affect the strength and you're not going to hucking that bike.

Mindmap3":146stxjk said:

I'd redish it - I doubt that it will be an issue. There's quite a few frames that either do or used to run a slightly offset dish for the rear wheels.

If it is only a few mm, it won't affect the strength and you're not going to hucking that bike.

Click to expand...

It's literally 2-3mm. I gave the frame a thorough inspection last night and there are no cracks or stress marks on the rear end anywhere. It's still on the original bushes too which are still perfect, so the misalignment clearly isn't affecting the life of the rear end at all!

I just wish I could re-dish it myself - Looks like the wheel will be taking a trip to the LBS...

I wouldn't worry about a few mm of dishing. My Laïti's wheels have more than an inch of dish on both wheels, and after 23 years they are still coping with my 200lbs.

EDIT : picture of the amount of dish

Thanks for the replies.

How difficult is it to re-dish a wheel? Bearing in mind that I don't have access to a truing stand so would probably to the work with the bike flipped upside down and the wheel in place.

Is it worth me buying a decent spoke key (I only have a couple of cheap nasty ones) and giving it a crack with the aid of an online guide of some description?

I doubt you'll be able to dish it with the current spokes. You'll probably need slightly shorter spokes on one side and slightly longer ones on the other. But then again I might be wrong.

It's possible to re-dish it with the frame as a truing stand. Some carefully placed tie-wraps should do the trick.
Any half-decent mechanic should be able to do a reasonably good job just as fast on the bike as in the truing stand. However for very precise alignment (less than 0.2mm tolerance) the truing stand is the better option.

A cheap spoke key is good for cheap and relatively new wheels. However if things have started to corrode together, you'll need a good one so you can apply a little more force without bending or breaking the spoke key.
A good spoke key always is a good investment that'll last for decades. Whenever you need it, you'll be happy that you have a good one.

I've learned the lesson not to fix a bad frame by making another problem of having a wheel not dished properly ie. off center.

Once you dish that wheel it is effectively tied to that frame, and if you decide to change wheel you have the same problem all over again. If you eventually change frame, you have the problem of re-dishing the wheel back.

For a couple of mm out, simply try filing an appropriate part of the rear drop-out so you can pull the wheel center. You only need a very small fraction from the drop-out so go very slowly with a fine file. You will probably not notice any ill effects when riding although the wheel will be slightly out of plane - which in all likelihood it is already! The bottom line is the frame will never be perfect, so butchering it a little more to get riding use out of it rather than butchering perfectly good wheels is more logical.

you may as well true it in the frame as that is what you are centering it in. is it both stays you are it in?

WD40 the nipples to get a bit of lube in them and get a good spokey
have fun.

should be plenty of room in the spokes. back wheels have the fun of not being symmetrical on spoke tension.

but just loosen the wrong side quarter turn and tighten the other the same and see how far it moves.....

How are you checking the rear wheel alignment? Are you relying on the wheel being central between the stays? Are you sure they're not assymetric?
Have you checked alignment with string? Run a length from one rear dropout up and around the headtube and back to the other dropout. Is the distance twixt seat tube and string even on both sides?
Raise the seat poost as high as it will go. Standing at the front of the bike look down the top tube at the rear tyre. Is it equal either side? Does it appear to be skewed at all or is it out of whack but parallel to proper alignment?
If it's skewed- not parallel to correct alignment- there is no point in re-dishing the wheel until it is parallel. You may have to file the dropouts to achieve this.
Don't do anything in haste!

sell me the frame!!!!