My friend is having this issue where the axle keeps slipping in the rear dropouts and hit the chain stay on the non-drive side.
This usually happens when a lot of force (climbing on a high gear or standing to sprint) is applied. It’s worse when the bicycle is loaded up with camping gear on the rear rack.
Things tried this far:
Clean the drop outs to ensure they’re free of debris or grease,
and
tighten the skewers more.
The skewers are stock and came with the bike, so my friend plans to try using new skewers with an internal cam (the problematic one's are external)
(04-28-2026, 10:57 AM)GirishH Wrote: My friend is having this issue where the axle keeps slipping in the rear dropouts and hit the chain stay on the non-drive side.
This usually happens when a lot of force (climbing on a high gear or standing to sprint) is applied. It’s worse when the bicycle is loaded up with camping gear on the rear rack.
Things tried this far:
Clean the drop outs to ensure they’re free of debris or grease,
and
tighten the skewers more.
The skewers are stock and came with the bike, so my friend plans to try using new skewers with an internal cam (the problematic one's are external)
Any thoughts, similar issues or ideas..
beautiful All City bike, I'd love to chime in on the repair problem but I can't clearly see the actual drop out, it looks weird from the angle of the photo itself, can you take more pictures on how the wheel is set against the frame?
Thanks, @meamoantonio. I have asked my friend to share more photos. once I have them, I will share them here..
(04-29-2026, 08:58 AM)meamoantonio Wrote:
(04-28-2026, 10:57 AM)GirishH Wrote: My friend is having this issue where the axle keeps slipping in the rear dropouts and hit the chain stay on the non-drive side.
This usually happens when a lot of force (climbing on a high gear or standing to sprint) is applied. It’s worse when the bicycle is loaded up with camping gear on the rear rack.
Things tried this far:
Clean the drop outs to ensure they’re free of debris or grease,
and
tighten the skewers more.
The skewers are stock and came with the bike, so my friend plans to try using new skewers with an internal cam (the problematic one's are external)
Any thoughts, similar issues or ideas..
beautiful All City bike, I'd love to chime in on the repair problem but I can't clearly see the actual drop out, it looks weird from the angle of the photo itself, can you take more pictures on how the wheel is set against the frame?
Possibly, the hub OLD doesn't match the frame. You need to check the dishing on the hub spacing.
For example, you might have a 130mm hub in a 135mm frame.
If that's a steel frame, it shouldn't have trouble with cold setting, but if there's that kind of slip, it would mean something like there's a spacer missing on the hub axle assembly so that the skewer isn't able to engage properly and lock the wheel down into the frame.
@GirishH
It is a very simple answer: bad quick release mechanism.
That style QR generally does not hold as well as the "internal" cam version like Campagnolo style QRs. The internal style is a heavier component, but if you are using a lower quality lighter weight QR that does not work then an added ounce or two will not matter.
Those cheap QRs are fine on the front, but not the rear! Weaker legged or more casual riders will not experience that same problem as those pounding the pedals during climbing and sprinting since they are not often using the smaller cogs (causing more force on the outward end of the axle) or exerting enough force in general regardless of gear choice.
Less simple answer is misalignment of one or both dropouts, but even when aligned those QRs should not be used IMO. It could be a combination of both issues.
If the dropouts are good I can pretty much guarantee that replacing the QR with previously mentioned type will stop the problem and the QR will not need to be tightened as much as is presently being done.
I'm not understanding the issue too well. 🤔 How is anything hitting the non - drive side? If your feeling a slip, I don't think it's the axle. The hub locks and skewers are tight. If it happens when you stomp on it, hammering it, I would suspect worn out teeth on the chainring or on the rear cogs, or the chain is worn and stretched. Hitting it hard would make that slipping feeling. Start small with a new chain or remove one link (measure first) check the teeth wear-get a new front ring. Let me know what you find. I had to replace my entire drive train once for neglecting all these issues until it was too late. Any chance your hanger bracket is loose causing the derailer to wobble?
(05-05-2026, 04:06 PM)SPINMAN Wrote: I'm not understanding the issue too well. 🤔 How is anything hitting the non - drive side? If your feeling a slip, I don't think it's the axle. The hub locks and skewers are tight. If it happens when you stomp on it, hammering it, I would suspect worn out teeth on the chainring or on the rear cogs, or the chain is worn and stretched. Hitting it hard would make that slipping feeling. Start small with a new chain or remove one link (measure first) check the teeth wear-get a new front ring. Let me know what you find. I had to replace my entire drive train once for neglecting all these issues until it was too late. Any chance your hanger bracket is loose causing the derailer to wobble?
The chain is not skipping; the hub axle is actually sliding forward in the dropout. Under a high strain those crappy QRs pull the drive side of the hub forward causing the wheel to skew to the left and rub on the NDS stay. I have seen it many times. Everything else can be set up perfectly and no play in any drive train part. It only needs to slip a tiny bit, especially if you already have minimal tire clearance. I think the plastic/rubber "pad" that the lever cam engages starts to loose effectiveness (I assume they work okay when new). I had a friend who knew his stuff, bought a top end 80s racing bike that had some cheaper wheels on it when purchased. It had those cheap QRs front and rear. He took it out for a ride after fully servicing it whilst retaining the same wheelset and suffered that exact issue as previously mentioned. It pissed him off because the frame was in near perfect original condition, but in one ride he now had a frame missing paint on the that NDS stay from tire rub. He reset the wheel in the frame and tightened the QR as much as he dared to (he said much more than he ever tightened a QR before) and the wheel still slid forward on the drive side under high load upon continuing his ride. He bought a used no name proper QR for a couple dollars and never had the problem again. He was used to riding bikes before those cheap QRs had been used so they were new to him. The bike was purchased from the original owner who was a small woman (frame size was around 50cm) and who never rode it as intended (never raced, just light commuting) so she never have experienced the same issue. He ended up replacing front QR also even though it was not an issue. He even tried to give me those trash QRs; no thank you!
Hello All, here are some photos of the dropout from the drive and non-drive side..
(05-05-2026, 05:33 PM)Criminal Wrote:
(05-05-2026, 04:06 PM)SPINMAN Wrote: I'm not understanding the issue too well. 🤔 How is anything hitting the non - drive side? If your feeling a slip, I don't think it's the axle. The hub locks and skewers are tight. If it happens when you stomp on it, hammering it, I would suspect worn out teeth on the chainring or on the rear cogs, or the chain is worn and stretched. Hitting it hard would make that slipping feeling. Start small with a new chain or remove one link (measure first) check the teeth wear-get a new front ring. Let me know what you find. I had to replace my entire drive train once for neglecting all these issues until it was too late. Any chance your hanger bracket is loose causing the derailer to wobble?
The chain is not skipping; the hub axle is actually sliding forward in the dropout. Under a high strain those crappy QRs pull the drive side of the hub forward causing the wheel to skew to the left and rub on the NDS stay. I have seen it many times. Everything else can be set up perfectly and no play in any drive train part. It only needs to slip a tiny bit, especially if you already have minimal tire clearance. I think the plastic/rubber "pad" that the lever cam engages starts to loose effectiveness (I assume they work okay when new). I had a friend who knew his stuff, bought a top end 80s racing bike that had some cheaper wheels on it when purchased. It had those cheap QRs front and rear. He took it out for a ride after fully servicing it whilst retaining the same wheelset and suffered that exact issue as previously mentioned. It pissed him off because the frame was in near perfect original condition, but in one ride he now had a frame missing paint on the that NDS stay from tire rub. He reset the wheel in the frame and tightened the QR as much as he dared to (he said much more than he ever tightened a QR before) and the wheel still slid forward on the drive side under high load upon continuing his ride. He bought a used no name proper QR for a couple dollars and never had the problem again. He was used to riding bikes before those cheap QRs had been used so they were new to him. The bike was purchased from the original owner who was a small woman (frame size was around 50cm) and who never rode it as intended (never raced, just light commuting) so she never have experienced the same issue. He ended up replacing front QR also even though it was not an issue. He even tried to give me those trash QRs; no thank you!
@ReapThaWhirlwind, this is the original hub. The issue is recent and wasn't happening previously.
A missing spacer could be a probable cause or not; I'll check that..
(05-03-2026, 08:27 PM)ReapThaWhirlwind Wrote: Possibly, the hub OLD doesn't match the frame. You need to check the dishing on the hub spacing.
For example, you might have a 130mm hub in a 135mm frame.
If that's a steel frame, it shouldn't have trouble with cold setting, but if there's that kind of slip, it would mean something like there's a spacer missing on the hub axle assembly so that the skewer isn't able to engage properly and lock the wheel down into the frame.
(05-07-2026, 10:29 AM)GirishH Wrote: @ReapThaWhirlwind, this is the original hub. The issue is recent and wasn't happening previously.
A missing spacer could be a probable cause or not; I'll check that..
(05-03-2026, 08:27 PM)ReapThaWhirlwind Wrote: Possibly, the hub OLD doesn't match the frame. You need to check the dishing on the hub spacing.
For example, you might have a 130mm hub in a 135mm frame.
If that's a steel frame, it shouldn't have trouble with cold setting, but if there's that kind of slip, it would mean something like there's a spacer missing on the hub axle assembly so that the skewer isn't able to engage properly and lock the wheel down into the frame.
Inquire if the hub has ever been dismantled. Removing the wheel or QR would not result in the loss of any hardware that would cause the issue. If it is a recent occurrence andcthe hub had not been serviced just before this happened then it is not hub related.
Those QRs get progressively worse over time. Without knowing the history of the bike (bought new or used, servicing, modifications, accidents, etc.) it is guesswork trying to determine the cause of a malfunction. A bent dropout will not allow hub nuts, QR nut and cam end to seat flat against the dropout amd thus not allow for proper contact to secure the axle under higher loads.
Ask the owner to simply borrow a long skewer with internal cam and test under the same conditions. Process of elimination usually starts with potentially worn or damaged parts unless you know that something was recently worked on and the problem arose immediately after that work (whether missing parts, incompatible parts, or improper assembly). Simple troubleshooting methodology needs to be applied in a logical manner.
Okay, now that I can see that this is a reverse drop, that gives me some good insight.
This is an extremely common issue for this type of drop out. Some people will suggest an absurd amount of tension on the quick release to prevent it from slipping. You might be able to get a chain tensioner for a straight drops and fit it to the reverse drops to keep the wheel in place also. Because it's a quick release, you might have to position them from the inside of the wheel, because the axle needs to go through the hole. I'm not even sure you'll have the space for all that either to also get the axle into the drops.
Yet another option would be to replace the quick release axle with a solid nutted axle. This option requires you dismantle the entire hub and rebuild it, with the proper dishing and spacers equal to before. So you have to measure and track all of those things first. And also pray that the axle you have isn't "undersized" or "pitch screwed" which will not allow the solid axle to fit the cones or locknuts.
You can also combine this option with the tensioners above (placing them on the outside instead) and you will have maximum security.
Hello All, Thanks a lot for all your tips! @ReapThaWhirlwind may have been spot-on..
My friend switched to a hex skewer for security (crucial there in NYC) and to hopefully fix the slipping. It worked perfectly! The issue is resolved, and he even did a weekend bikepacking trip with that. :-)
Thanks again! Here is his update on how it went:
"An enclosed-cam QR skewer or new toothed metal washers probably would have worked, but I just couldn’t get the old skewer tight enough (Sheldon Brown explains why here: https://sheldonbrown.com/skewers). I ultimately chose the hex skewer for the added security; now a thief needs a tool to steal my wheel when I lock it up around town."
(05-13-2026, 06:10 PM)ReapThaWhirlwind Wrote: Okay, now that I can see that this is a reverse drop, that gives me some good insight.
This is an extremely common issue for this type of drop out. Some people will suggest an absurd amount of tension on the quick release to prevent it from slipping. You might be able to get a chain tensioner for a straight drops and fit it to the reverse drops to keep the wheel in place also. Because it's a quick release, you might have to position them from the inside of the wheel, because the axle needs to go through the hole. I'm not even sure you'll have the space for all that either to also get the axle into the drops.
Yet another option would be to replace the quick release axle with a solid nutted axle. This option requires you dismantle the entire hub and rebuild it, with the proper dishing and spacers equal to before. So you have to measure and track all of those things first. And also pray that the axle you have isn't "undersized" or "pitch screwed" which will not allow the solid axle to fit the cones or locknuts.
You can also combine this option with the tensioners above (placing them on the outside instead) and you will have maximum security.
Sometimes a fast, effective solution might be ok. But, other times I might keep seeking an understanding or an answer to the issue at hand..:-)
Anyways, my friend did his bikepacking trip and has been riding the bike hard with no issues. So with the new QR skewer the issue seems to be resolved for the time being..:-)
(06-16-2026, 06:03 PM)ReapThaWhirlwind Wrote: I'm glad to have helped, even if the solution you sought wasn't exactly the one I offered.
I think you found a fast, effective solution to the problem, which is what I'd prefer honestly over all that hassle.
Wrenching is just a big hassle sometimes and there's no way around it.
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