*UPDATE* Please Help! cannot remove rear wheel *UPDATE*

L

Lumumba

10 mW
Joined
May 23, 2011
Messages
27
Hello ESers,
I've been riding my 500W MAC w. A 123's very successfully these past weeks, commuting to work 17 miles each way. However recently on a trip to the grocery store I had to lock up the bike and somehow managed to tilt the wheel (no actual damage to it, but it is unridable as is. Does anyone know I can get the right bolt out of the frame? I have tried everything from hitting it with a hammer to pulling with all the strength of Thor himself to no avail. :cry:

http://i.imgur.com/goTc3.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/lo1xo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pySfY.jpg
 
I think we need a little more description plus some pictures that were not taken underwater? What do the second and third picture show?
 
I think what we need to see got cropped out. If you haven't completey removed the nuts and washers from the axle, it can be hard to slide the axle out of the dropout. If it has spun out, the axle could be jammed into the dropout crooked now.
 
So you have the nuts off but the axle won't come out of the dropout right? If that's the case what probably happened is the axle has rotated a small amount and the threads are digging into the dropout. To get it loose you can put a crescent wrench on the axle flats and wiggle it gently until it's free.

You need torque arms if that is what has happened so you don't break your dropouts.

Gary
 
sorry about that guys fixed the pictures to links since they were too large

this is exactly what happened

So you have the nuts off but the axle won't come out of the dropout right? If that's the case what probably happened is the axle has rotated a small amount and the threads are digging into the dropout. To get it loose you can put a crescent wrench on the axle flats and wiggle it gently until it's free.
Click to expand...

however the axle is in there so tough... Iwill try to wiggle it with a crescent wrench but am not hopeful...
 
:( here is another picture.... I cannot get a crescent wrench in there and cannot figure out any way to pount the axle out of the dropout, it is just in there so tight. My bike is my only means of commute to work and am worried about what I am going to do come wednesday. Here is another picture that does not look as if it was taken underwater

mRaKr.jpg


14526310fe3e89ddec45fe76ab867011ca5d1719.jpg
 
Lumumba said:
:( here is another picture.... I cannot get a crescent wrench in there and cannot figure out any way to pount the axle out of the dropout, it is just in there so tight. My bike is my only means of commute to work and am worried about what I am going to do come wednesday. Here is another picture that does not look as if it was taken underwater
Click to expand...

You put the crescent on the part of the axle that sticks outside the dropout, or even on the other side of the motor where it's already out of the dropout. Should work as you can put as much or more torque than the motor that jammed it in.

Gary
 
You need to put torque arms, it looks already damage on the frame by not using them. it will only get worse untill you get axle rotation, then damage to your wiring will result. Last thing you want is to break down while on the road to work.
 
THANK YOU ES MEMBERS! I LOVE THIS FORUM!

I could not have figured it out without you all. I was finally able to remove the axle attaching a crescent wrench to the flat ends (Thank you Gary and Tyler) and hammering the handle of the wrench until it rotated out. I then took my time to readjust the wheel perfectly and screw it back into place - I will be getting torque arms ASAP to make sure my dropouts do not fail on me again - THANK YOU ALL for the responses.


-Liam :mrgreen:
 
Lumumba said:
THANK YOU ES MEMBERS! I LOVE THIS FORUM!

I could not have figured it out without you all. I was finally able to remove the axle attaching a crescent wrench to the flat ends (Thank you Gary and Tyler) and hammering the handle of the wrench until it rotated out. I then took my time to readjust the wheel perfectly and screw it back into place - I will be getting torque arms ASAP to make sure my dropouts do not fail on me again - THANK YOU ALL for the responses.


-Liam :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Go easy on the throttle until you get torque arms and I would make sure to have inside washers on both sides as well.
 
Ykick said:
Go easy on the throttle until you get torque arms and I would make sure to have inside washers on both sides as well.
Click to expand...
Yep it won't do it like that, and likely will turn in the dropouts even worse in no time. You need to install some form of torque arm or make torque plates from scratch. What U can do quickly is leaving a 10mm key wrench on the axle flats, and tie it to the frame so it can act as a torque arm. Then you can ride for a while, the time to order or make something more appropriate.
 
great idea madRhino - Lumumba I am sure most members here would highly recommend you to NOT ride that until doing Something as you look very close to a full twist of that axle.
GL
 
+1 on all that has been said, also, remember that when (not if, but when) that drop-out does fail, being aluminum, it will be catastrophic, not gradual bending like with steel, it will most likely break with out warning! :shock:

Most likely the next time the axle twists, it will crack at the drop-out, and causing a crash! If at all possible do not ride it like that, even with a set of wrenches pipe clamped to the frame, it will still allow some movement, and the next time it will not just get stuck, most likely it will cause a serious accident! :!: :!: :!:
 
I'd be a tossing that frame in the recycle bin now if I had trashed the dropouts that bad. Gotta be having micro cracks now. Don't trust it.
 
I tried everything to save her... attached torque arms and clamps as best I could... but it was all for naught. My dropouts have failed and there is no way I can salvage the frame (for an ebike at least). I feel as though I've lost a good friend, having ridden the bike over 7 years and putting thousands (at least 6 thousand) miles on it - I commute by bike everywhere.

However I am *very* lucky the frame did not crap out on me going 35+ mph on my 17 mile commute to work (often times I am riding alongside cars going 40+ mph).

Next on the list is a cheapo Wall-e-mart steel frame bike with LARGE dropouts and disk breaks, does anyone have a good recommendation for such a bike that can handle the power of cell_man's high power MAC motor with A 123 setup?


Thank you all for the help, you quite possibly could have saved my life :?:
 
I saw another post where you can get new frames for $24. Some made for ebikes. The NEXT Avalon at Walmart is aluminum frame with steel forks and dropouts. It'll take a rear motor without torque arms nicely. Got over 2000 miles on them without a problem. But the frame only for $24 sounds hard to beat.
 
Depending on where the rack/accessory bolt holes are relative to the dropouts, it's possible that you could make thick (1/4" or greater) steel torque plates that bolt to those, plus have long extensions that clamp to the seatstay and chainstay, and still use the frame safely. If the torque plates do not have "dropouts" but instead only a tight-fitting axle-shaped hole, they should be able to prevent any rotation of the axle and thus any further damage to the dropouts. Plus they will hold the wheel on even if a dropout cracked thru for some reason.
 
True enough, the right bolt on dropouts could save that frame.

My favorite cheap bike frame is the mongoose blackcomb. Find it used, or if you must buy it new from wallmart. You have to order it online, and have it shipped to your nearest wally world.

Cheap, but disk brakes, a steel rear swing arm that weighs a ton, but is super easy to make a pinch dropout for, or bolt on a simple torque plate you hack out of 1/4" steel. Tolerable suspension compared to other wallbikes with totally crap rear swingarms. The 4 bar link really improves a pogo stick shock.
 
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