Cannondaleriders

Hey guys,

A little background first. I am installing new a-arms and shocks this weekend and finishing up the axle work. Before I put it on the lift I had to ride it one last time and I noticed an extremely hard pull to the right when accelerating.

So, I get back to my garage and front end looks jacked up right side camber and toe all out of whack. I lift it and try to spin the front wheels and the left wheel that was out of whack does not free spin and sounds like the pads are whackin the rotor in certain spots. Anyway, it wont even make a full revolution with a good hard spin.

Question is what should I look at when I get it apart? Bent rotor? Can a wheel cause that? Spindle?

Thanks,
Mike

... a bent hub could cause that, but can be difficult to detect.
But a grabbing front left should pull to the left?? also check the right, and right front bearings for drag.

Clarification, the left and right both do it but the left is much worse. Weird yeah? I guess I will just inspect as much as I can when I get it apart.

mike

Does it go straight when the front wheels are not on the ground ? Texasdale's FX400 had a defective tire which was smaller than the other, under/overinflation can also cause this as can a stripped hub on the rear. I have seen several Cannondales that have more camber on one side of the front end than the other, I believe due to errors in the frame and or a-arms. I modified my upper a-arms with adjustable ball joints to cure this.

Actually I dont remember for sure but I think it did go straight with steady speed. When I nailed it it torqued hard to the right.

The part that really worries me though is the drag an the wheel when spun. Its like the rotor is rubbing the pads or something.

I have some fully adjustable arms going on next weekend maybe this weekend if I get paroled.
:hammer:

Mike

Check your rear tire pressure , it wouldnt explain the rubbing up front but they may be 2 separate issues. Try airing the backs up a little past specs and riding it see if the pull goes away the you can address your rotors/hubs/wheel bearings individually

So I pulled my front wheels off today and basically cleaned up the rotors. The left is fine now. The right side has major drag.
This explains the pull to the right for sure.

Whats still bothering me is that the right caliper does not appear to be seized. Only reason I say that is that when I engage the brake it brakes real good. And still there is ZERO clearance to allow any spin when the brake is not applied. Its almost like the pads are just to big. Does that make any sense at all?

Also from an eyeball it doesnt appear that the rotor is bent or anything either.

Im stumped.

~mike

If your caliper piston is sticking you may just need to disassemble it and polish it our and reassemble it this would let it release its pressure again and be like the other side

The nut was so darn tight it could not move.

Now what i found when I removed the hub is that the inner seal is half shredded from being too tight. SHould it be replaced now?
~mike

I'm betting its not in the front end. If it only happens under acceleration then its in the rear. Check on the swing arm bolt tightness and the bearings in the swing arm. I have had this happen to me, I forgot to tighten the rear swing arm bolt to spec and it pulled really hard to the right under acceleration. It was due to the chain pulling tight and actually pulling the swingarm forward. The front might contribute to the pull, but the real prob is in the rear I'm almost positive.