more newb questions

axiomflash said:

The first question is: I have had some problem adjusting my brakes with precision,

It can be tricky to get the return spring to pull equally on both sides. But unless brake pads are dragging its more of a cosmetic issue.

Quoted post said:

..the entire wheel is slightly off center. ..Is this common / intentional / fixable?

Depends on price range and level of care - it happens.
No, but rear wheels are built assymmetrical - rim should remain centered in the frame though.
Yes.
The principle of fixing it is easy. Loosen spokes on one side and tighten on the other with a similar amount. Actually performing the fix is somewhat more complicated, since the wheel most likely will need trueing to some degree afterwards.

Quoted post said:

the front wheel is very sticky. I am guessing there is something wrong with the ball bearings. It will spin, and I never noticed it while riding my bike, but there is quite a bit of resistance and a grinding texture. importance / cause / remedy / replacement? Any advice on this?

Important? sticky bearings will cause unnecessary friction, eventually develop into play and reduce the life length of the hub and bearings.
Cause? either you tightened the cones too much at reassembly, or you have some serious contaminants in the grease used, or you tightened the nuts holding the wheel in place too hard, or you had pitting of the bearing surfaces from before that wasn't noticeable until you tightened the hub, or you didnt manage to tighten the locknuts sufficiently which forced the cone inwards when the wheel was mounted.
Remedy? disassemble, clean, check for damage, reassemble with clean grease and pay more attention to locknut tightening and play prior to mounting the wheel in the fork.
Replacement? worst case you need a new hub, which means you might as well pick up a new wheel. Cones and balls are replaceable, cups are generally not. Best case is where you back off the cones a bit and all runs smoothly.

dabac covered it, just check that the wheel is centered on the frame if it isnt the wheel dish is off and you need to pull it one way or the other the way hed described. If you have newish brakes they should be dual pivot and they have a centering screw that makes adjustment easier.

axiomflash said:

hi again,
have been disassembling, cleaning, examining and reassembling my bike all day. it has some wear and needed repairs (see rear derailluer thread) so i thought id take this chance to learn more precisely how the mechanics of bikes work. I have run into two things however which I can't find information on either in articles or on a forum search.

The first question is: I have had some problem adjusting my brakes with precision, and I noticed now that the entire wheel is slightly off center. I notice no wobble either laterally or radially so I assume the wheel is true, however it seems the entire thing is about 3 millimeters off center. Is this common / intentional / fixable?

And second: My rear wheel runs smoothly, but I have noticed only after disassembly that the front wheel is very sticky. I am guessing there is something wrong with the ball bearings. It will spin, and I never noticed it while riding my bike, but there is quite a bit of resistance and a grinding texture. importance / cause / remedy / replacement? Any advice on this?

THANKS!

I suspect that the off-center wheel is misaligned in the frame or fork dropouts. If it looks true, it probably is and I doubt that it is dished incorrectly. Try re-installing it in to the frame/fork. Your older bike may have what are called horizontal dropouts and this requires you to manually center the wheel before tightening the bolts/quick-release. Most newer bikes have vertical dropouts which, like the front fork, require you to push the wheel all the way in to center. It is possible that your frame is bent though. See the manual below to see how to check this.

Agree that front bearings may need regreasing and adjustment.

My suggestion is to try going to the Seattle public library and get this book or a similar one:

Sloane's new bicycle maintenance manual / Eugene A. Sloane.

https://catalog.spl.org/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=113I21D347624.262099&menu=search&aspect=subtab14&npp=10&ipp=20&spp=20&profile=dial&ri=1&source=%7E%21horizon&index=.GW&term=sloane+bicycle&x=0&y=0&aspect=subtab14

You have an older bike, and Sloane's book, published in 1991, has the details for fixing older stuff.

Good luck.

thanks all.
dabac, you nailed it with the hub. i just needed to loosen it up and it rolls fine now. i had tried loosening it before posting but it wouldn't budge a bit. not knowing much about hubs I thought that perhaps it wasn't supposed to be loosened post-factory. took all the strength i had with two HUGE monkey wrenches to get it moving.

im not sure if you understood about the wheel though. the wheel itself appears to be entirely in shape--it spins in perfect circle when attached, but is just slightly off to the side. but i bet you're right that its just a cosmetic issue.

great thanks! hopefully after my new brakes and rear derailluer arrive i'll have this thing working properly! very excited, and couldnt do it well, or on my own, without your generous help!