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Bicycle : Fixie, it came with fixed gear and freewheel, I use the freewheel cog.

Today, after a tire and tube replacement it now rubs on the frame. The new tire is a little bit bigger but this problem existed even with the old smaller tire, just that I managed to keep it clear. It rubs onto either one side, no matter what I do. (Refer to pictures 3, 3a and 4)

Also, I have been told that the frame is bent, which I actually don't buy since I have never got into an accident, unless it's a factory defect. (Refer to pictures 1 and 1a)

My brother decided to tinker around with the screws between the frame and rim housing, they now both spin whenever one side is being screwed, what do these screws do anyway? (Refer to picture 2 and 2a)

What are your suggestions or options that I have?

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    I would look at taking your bike into a shop. You brother has loosened the nuts on you axle. Which likely will lead to your hub becoming unadjusted and may destroy the hub. Your original problem was likely that you had the wheel jammed all the way forward into dropouts, rather than slightly back and properly adjusted. You have a much more serious and different problem now.
    – Deleted User
    Commented Feb 15, 2016 at 15:24
  • Also, using a cone spanner to turn locked nuts is bad, it'll often damage the spammer (photo 2). You should use it to hold the inner nut in place while loosening or tightening the outer nut.
    – Móż
    Commented Feb 15, 2016 at 21:31
  • I agree -- take it to a bike shop and get them to set it up correctly. When properly installed the wheel should be as far to the rear as the chain will permit, making the chain taut. And with the chain taut the wheel should be angled left or right (before tightening the nuts) to make the tire be centered between the stays.
    – Daniel R Hicks
    Commented Feb 15, 2016 at 23:18
  • Okay, firstly thank you all for replying. 1. > Suspended user : It wasnt jammed all the way. 2. > Moz : I will keep that in mind. 3. > Daniel R Hicks : Funny thing is that it was actually done by the shop.
    – Vincent Soon
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 4:32
  • Is the wheel true? If the rim wobble from side to side was the wheel rotates it will only hit the frame during part of each revolution, and with enough wobble it will not be possible to adjust the wheel to not hit. The solution is to have someone true the wheel (or learn to do that yourself)
    – Móż
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 11:13

4 Answers 4

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What you call screws are really axle nuts. Fortunately your hub appears to contain sealed cartridge bearings, so there are no cups or cones to tweak up. The axle nuts should be done up close to the bearings and then locked in place against each other.

Your frame has horizontal dropouts so try sliding the axle back a bit to see if that provides enough space for the tyre between the chainstays. I can't comment on the chain length, never owned or worked on a single-speed bike.

Otherwise, the tyre/tire is too wide for the frame. Its possible the rims are not original either and the current ones are a bit larger in circumference than the frame was built for. Sell off your trendy red tyre and go for a rear tyre that is smaller in width by 5 mm. Or store it away as a replacement for the front tyre.

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    Hmm, most fixie bikes come like this, colorful and trendy. The rims are the original as far as i can tell because that was what it came with originally. If it doesnt work out, I shall get it changed.
    – Vincent Soon
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 4:40
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I can think of three things to cause your problem. The tire is to large for the frame, the chain is too short. Can you post a side view photo of the rear axle with the wheel installed on the bike? The third option is that you didn't slide the axle far enough back. The additional photo will help narrow the option.

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  • If and when we slide it back enough it still rubs, the chain has never been changed. I will see what i can do about the picture later.
    – Vincent Soon
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 4:41
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There could be a multitude of reasons, Does it rub consistently or does the wheel appear to have a wobble to it when spun where it makes contact once every turn in the same spot.

You really should take it to a shop to have it looked at. The inner nut on the axle closest to the hub bearing should not have been loosened with the other one and could cause serious and dangerous issues if left loose.

Another issue could be how the axle sat in the drop outs, you have to make sure the wheel is completely straight which is often done by drop out tensioner screws. It can be done by hand but is a lot harder to get perfectly straight.

One other thing to look at is the brakes, if the caliper is not set up right it can pull the wheel to one side putting constant pressure on the brake surface, Look at picture 1a and you can see the difference with each pads location to that of the frame. Their not centered.

Being that there are so many factors I would highly recommend having a shop fix it up for you, they can also rule out a bent frame using a frame alignment gauge.

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  • Hmm after the change / modification done at the bike shop, it was still a little off, then when i started cycling, it started rubbing against the lower part, near the pedals. It however seems to make more noise when i pedal harder. About the brakes, it was also "fixed" or aligned by the shop owner to give space to the tire. Doubt any of the shops here have a frame alignment gauge.
    – Vincent Soon
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 4:38
  • And when you hold the axle in your hands and spin the wheel does it wobble side to side? It seems like your wheel could be bent or out of true. Per a different comment on here, I highly doubt those are the original wheels based off of the spokes. I've never seen any non-custom laced wheels with 4 different spoke colors. Take your thumb and index finger and where 2 spokes cross squeeze them together. They should all feel similar, if 2 move super easy compared to others your spoke tension and wheel true are probably off. The tire appears to fit in the frame fine.
    – Nate W
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 23:24
  • Also you would be surprised with the amount of bent or improperly welded frames I see come straight from the factory. Not saying that is what it is but you may look at all the welds and how they line up when compared to the seat tube.
    – Nate W
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 23:26
  • One more thing, does it stop rubbing when you apply the brake?
    – Nate W
    Commented Feb 16, 2016 at 23:29
  • > Nate Wengert , ahh, I'll try it out when my sister returns from school with it. Perhaps the shop did make a change, cant tell for sure though as I won it in a competition here. If it is bent, my chances of any kind of compensation or exchange is probably close to nill. The shop owner just shrugged it off as oh, cheap bikes are like that. It doesnt rub as badly as compared to when I paddle but slightly id say. Here are some new pictures and a video. 1drv.ms/1WuOB6O
    – Vincent Soon
    Commented Feb 19, 2016 at 2:06
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The two nuts on each side need to be tightened with flat wrenches: first, screw them back down towards the middle of the wheel.

When one side is snug, put one wrench on each nut and tighten the nits against each other (turn the wrenches in opposite directions).

Do the other side and you can put the wheel back on the bike. Put the chain on the cog and the chainring before you tighten the wheel nuts. The chain should be taut but not tight - everything should move smoothly when you turn the cranks.

Make sure to tighten the wheel nuts well, especially drive side (rider's right). Part of the reason it rubs harder when you pedal is that every time you push on the pedals, the chain pulls the wheel forward.

Most likely the tire you got is too big for your frame/wheel combo. These fixies are shiny and tight, but the tolerances are narrow and can be annoying to work with.

Some notes:

  • make sure your brakes don't rub on the tire, if they do they'll eventually cut thru it
  • it's a fixie, so don't let the chain cut your fingers off. Careful when the back wheel is spinning.
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  • I see. Well, as per the pictures here, this is what it looked like when i got it. Basically its back to the way it way pre tire change. 1drv.ms/1WuOB6O . Side note : its a fixie but i use the freewheel cog , offers more control in my opinion.
    – Vincent Soon
    Commented Feb 19, 2016 at 2:09

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