🙁

Had a specialized allez elite for a couple of years now. I stacked it on some loose gravel over the summer, and because the QR got scuffed up, it was always a little tricky to do up. Always felt like I’d done it tight, but I noticed that the wheel did not appear to be in the dropout straight recently – while I was putting some new brake pads on last night I noticed that the tyre was very close to the drive side chainstay. Had a look at the dropout and it has definitely worn so that it is a wider circle than normal. So, basically I can put the wheel on straight, do up the QR, but when I pedal, the wheel shifts towards the chainstay.

I’m going to take it into my local specialized store in lunch tomorrow to get their thoughts, but I can’t really see it being repairable. The bike is in warranty, but obviously this wouldn’t be a warranty repair as it is my fault. Does anyone have an opinion on whether specialized might offer me a replacement frame, and if so, how much that might be?

could you fabricate a shim around the drive side QR to fill the expanded dropout?

I don’t thinks so, but it might be worth considering if tomorrow doesn’t go well…

yes – my local LBS would be good with Specialized to get a result, but depends on the Store I guess.

good luck… As owner of a third hand Allez from about 2003, really like it .. 🙂

Love mine – done thousands of miles on it. Would be gutted if its dead. 2nd hand frames do come up on ebay if the worst comes to the worst, or the missus cycle to work scheme might come in handy.

or the missus cycle to work scheme might come in handy.

after that comment almost tempted not to offer any helpful suggestions!

First thought is get someone who can weld aluminium to fill the drop out and then re-drill it in the right place. edit: file the new slot not drill.

You could try and ghetto it with metal filled epoxy putty but it will probably fall out.

Or make a bush to fit around the hub axle where it sits in the frame or convert to a 10mm QR and fit the bush to the QR axle. My worry with this is that the flat part wont have much frame to actually clamp to.

So, in order to remedy your self inflicted problem, you’ve decided to commit fraud. Classy.

So, in order to remedy your self inflicted problem, you’ve decided to commit fraud. Classy.

I hope that you didn’t buy that enormously high horse on which you ride around on someone else’s ride to work scheme.

Specialized stopped doing crash replacement a few seasons back and replace with “assisted purchase” which was typically 25% discount off retail price of a new bike

probably not a bad deal for an Allez, not such a good deal if you bought an S-Works bike, stacked it and are looking at £4,500 when all you want is a new frame!

If you are lanky I’ve just stripped my RT57 down (unused for the last year and a bit).
PX have got them for £500 now.It’d be a hell of lot less than that 🙂

How has the hub axle worn through the solid alu dropout?

Cos the QR wasn’t done up tight?
Steel axle (possibly threaded) rubbing against an aluminium drop out = wear.

do they have replaceable drop outs? front or rear wheel – if front, just some new forks would be cheaper than a whole frame – unless you’re looking for a new bike 🙂

front or rear wheel – if front, just some new forks would be cheaper than a whole frame

tyre was very close to the drive side chainstay….So, basically I can put the wheel on straight, do up the QR, but when I pedal, the wheel shifts towards the chainstay

nothing quite like reading the threadopening post to get all the info 😉

FWIW OP this doesn’t have to be terminal, insert/make shim either removable or with metal filler, and use a decent internal cam QR skewer Shimano should hold tight enough even with a knackered dropout, You could possibly also bodge something with a locating washer with a lip on it to stop the movement, absolute worst case scenario convert to a nutted rear axle.

A shimano skewer will (almost) hold a track wheel in place on rearward facing drop outs. If you give it some grunt when you tighten it up. Big starting loads will pull it over, but other than that it’ll usually be fine.

And i ran horizontal drop outs for years on the road with the wheel centred in the frame (and not the drop outs) with no issues. Never pulled out, or over.

Get some 105 skewers and go from there.

lol –

nothing quite like reading the threadopening post to get all the info

Front wheel would have to be really out of alignment to be near the chainstay 😯

If you cannot get a normal QR skewer tight, it might be worth having a look at the DT Swiss ratchet skewer, not cheap but they are much tighter than a normal QR

https://www.bike24.com/1.php?content=8;product=35964;menu=1000,4,171;mid%5B69%5D=1

Thanks for all the replies.

Took it down to Specialized and my panic was unnecessary – a loose cone meant that the axle couldn’t grip the frame properly, and although there is wear, the wheel stayed in place once the cone was tightened. I probably should have checked that properly before panicking! 😳

No need to commit grand larceny with the cycle to work scheme after all, and many more happy miles ahead on my allez elite (although I did see the raw finish allez comp while I was in there, which made me go all moist).

May well get a DT Swiss skewer for peace of mind as well, so thanks for that.

lol and result 🙂

ummm, you’ve missed two obvious points

Time to invoke – N+1

This wouldn’t have happened if you’d had a gravel bike (N+2)

Also doesn’t the cycle to work scheme allow you to get two cycles? 😆

ps thats a joke I’m not suggesting the OP commits fraud.

but it does allow you to get bits, clothing etc so probably a new frame 😀 especially a bargain if you’re a lucky employee who earns enough to be in the 40% tax bracket