My bike is messed up. It is the type of bike where you can not pedal backwards, like the old bikes that would brake when you pedal backwards not forwards.. However, it has 3 gears. I was riding it and accidentally pedaled backwards very hard and it came to an abrupt stop.. Now when I try to pedal the back tire is rubbing up against the frame of the bike.. What did I do? Did I knock it off alignment somehow?
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You're talking there about a coaster brake. Have a read of the following article to get an understanding of how they're meant to work, and what you might have done - http://www.sheldonbrown.com/coaster-brakes.html– PeteHNov 15, 2015 at 13:07
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2There are two nuts, one on each side of the axle, that hold the rear wheel in place. On one side the axle slipped in its slot, in spite of the nuts. What needs to be done is to loosen the nuts, slide the axle all the way into its slots, and then retighten the nuts.– Daniel R HicksNov 15, 2015 at 14:35
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@andrewGee - this question is now 20 months old. Did you fix it? What was the underlying problem? How did it work out for you? You're okay to provide and accept your own answer.– Criggie ♦Aug 6, 2017 at 18:32
1 Answer
It sounds like the rear wheel shifted in the frame. Look closely at the axle where it connects to the frame at the dropouts, you may be able to see that it shifted.
If you have the tools, loosen the nuts holding the rear wheel in place and you'll be able to recenter the wheel in the frame. As you recenter the wheel also pull back on it to keep tension on the chain. You want the chain to be taut, but not so tight that it binds as you pedal – the drive train won't be perfect and there will be spots that are slightly tighter than others, if they chain is too tight they will bind. Finally, tighten the nuts up again and you should be good to go.