Hub motor not centered

[butters149]

Hi guys, I just got a hub motor laced onto my far bike rim, but when I mounted it onto my front fork the wheel is not centered. I know it's meant for the rear but is it normal to have it off-centered and use spacers to center it again? Thanks,

[2old]

Won't occur if the wheel is symmetric unless the fork is tweaked. Did you check the wheel dish?

[butters149]

I'm new to this, but it's basically this motor here at the bottom. https://accelerated-systems.com/home/products/ebikes/

not sure what you mean wheel dish? Maybe it needs to be re-laced and offset the hub a little?

[docw009]

Is this a motor intended to work with a cassette or freewheel (in which case it will be offset by whatever is needed to attach the gearset)? Or is it a true front wheel motor, which is symmetrical?

Either way, the spokes can be made longer on one side and shorter on the other (by adjusting the nipples) to move the motor across the rim. This is called dishing, but it is not so easy with a fatbike rim. Sometimes they use spokes that are actually longer on one side to facilitate dishing.

[Stu Summer]

I take it it came this way from the online vendor. Take it to a local bike shop, they can dish it which means to center it. This can happen on a front wheel hubmotor too. It did to me and I took it to the LBS to fix/dish. It is now centered.

[butters149]

The bike shop won’t do it since it’s electric. Know any in the Los Angeles area that can dish it?

[2old]

I'm in Orange County and any of at least five bike shops will work on an ebike (some with multiple locations, so lots more than five). There are ebike shops in the LA area; look for one.You can also check dish by placing the wheel in the forks, then reversing it and noting the differences in distances of the rim from the fork legs, but won't help if you haven't built wheels.

[butters149]

Any recommendations in the oc? Wheel is already built

[amberwolf]

I know it's meant for the rear but is it normal to have it off-centered and use spacers to center it again?

A wheel built for the rear is usually dished to the left so it will clear the gear cluster. The spokes on the right side will be much closer to straight up and down than the ones on the left, which will be much more angled.

The spokes are usually different lengths, so if you want the wheel undished, you would likely need new spokes, and rebuild the wheel with them instead of the original different-length ones.


It axle is also usually a lot wider than the front wheel would be.

[MadRhino]

Reasons are few already to build on the front...
But, if you feel that a front build is suitable for you, there are no good reasons to use a rear motor on the front.

[2old]

B149 - The Path in Tustin or Trabuco Canyon; second choice any of the five Rock n Road shops.

[butters149]

B149 - The Path in Tustin or Trabuco Canyon; second choice any of the five Rock n Road shops.

Thank-you! They would do fat tire electric rims?

[2old]

They built a fat wheel for me, so yes. Yours should be a relatively simple dishing. OTOH, you could invert the bike with the wheel installed and if the wheel is true (put a zip tie against the rim and spin the wheel), you could try to move it in the appropriate direction by tightening the spokes on one side and loosening the other (look at a Sheldon Brown tutorial). Begin at the stem in order to ensure you go completely around the wheel.