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Tire rubbing the chainstay

2K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  motopail 
#1 ·
I have an old 2001 Giant NRS 2 (with upgrades) that I'm having an issue with. The rear tire rubs the left chainstay whenever I pedal hard and put a lot of tension on the chain. When I'm just cruising, the tire is still within a few millimeters of that left chainstay. I flipped the bike over and looked down the tread of the tire towards the frame and discovered that the wheel is no longer in line with the down tube. Is this likely a problem with the hanger or skewer? I'm running a 2.1" Small Block Eight UST on the back and I'm tempted to just buy a smaller tire but I like what I already have. Also I'm broke. Does anybody have any advice?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
I have a 2002 NRS1 that was giving me the rubs too. I even had a couple of times under hard effort that it would skip gears. Looked at a couple of things before I pulled the wheel and looked at it. Some of the nipples looked like they were pulling through and the rim was just flexy from being 9 years old. Replaced the wheel and no rubbing. Not sure about the wheel lining up with the down tube...could be the way the wheel is dished?
Maybe check to see if the rear suspension has any lateral play. The pivot in the rear of the chainstay is just a bushing. I found a kit online to put a bearing in there and that helped get rid of any side play.
Good luck.
 
#5 ·
I should clarify that by "no longer in line with the down tube" I don't mean that the wheel is slightly off center, I mean the wheel is at a very slight but visible angle. So with the bike upside-down, if I kneel directly behind the rear wheel looking down the length of the bike and picture an imaginary line following the center treads of the tire, the line is not parallel to the down tube. If I spin the wheel while doing this, the imaginary line does not change its angle.
 
#9 ·
Do you have a really big tire on the wheel? Unfortunately some frames flex when you pedal hard. See if you can get the rear triangle or wheel to move to the side by flexing it with your hand. Sometimes it's old pivots or bushings that need to be replaced.
 
#10 ·
I flipped the wheel around and it was still skewed to the same side. That means the wheel is not the problem right?

Guru: The tire is a bit fat but should not be problematic. The frame does flex when I pedal hard and that's when it rubs, however the wheel is not lined up correctly when there is no stress at all.
 
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