Author Topic: skyway axles, how tight? (Read 959 times)

stevepeanut · « **on:** February 27, 2013, 03:46 PM »

I am just putting my axles back into my skyways, I have never done this before. I have put the bearings in each side, put the metal cups on, how tight to I screw on the first nut*?

*not a nut but the circular bit of metal with the flats on the side

Sid1972 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 27, 2013, 04:22 PM »

its a fine line - the wheel should spin free but have no sideways movement. Just keep adjusting it and then spin the wheel, you will get it right it may just take a couple of goes.

stevepeanut · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2013, 06:13 PM »

cheers Sid,

Sorted now but had a struggle, managed to play around and too slack I could feel movement, too right and the wheel was not spinning freely. As soon as I started tighetening the outer nuts on the forks, it was turning the inside axle nuts and putting pressure on the bearings and making the wheel tight. I got an angle grinder on an old spanner and halved the thickness of the spanner head making a thin spanner so I could stop the inner nuts moving, while tightening the outer ones. Sorted

not johndub71 · « **Reply #3 on:** February 27, 2013, 08:20 PM »

Circle bit with flats = cones.

stevepeanut · « **Reply #4 on:** February 27, 2013, 08:27 PM »

Quote from: johndub71 on February 27, 2013, 08:20 PM

Circle bit with flats = cones.

cheers, now I remember I have heard the term cone spanner

must be the same as what I made

pickle · « **Reply #5 on:** February 27, 2013, 08:55 PM »

Cones should really just be finger tight and the bearings should run smoothly, then the hex locking nut gets tightened up against the cone nut

stevepeanut · « **Reply #6 on:** February 27, 2013, 09:18 PM »

Quote from: pickle on February 27, 2013, 08:55 PM

Cones should really just be finger tight and the bearings should run smoothly, then the hex locking nut gets tightened up against the cone nut

Thats pretty much how I did it through trial and error

not johndub71 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 28, 2013, 10:37 AM »

Yup, cone spanners are thin steel spanners. Best ones are the really old bike spanner combos you could get on 70s/80s bikes. I used to feck no end up when I worked at Raynes. Another skiving method is lock one side up, fit wheel in frame or forks, tighten that side up on the frame and adjust. Sometimes a slight bit of play can't be picked up by spinning by hand.