A Slipping Rear Wheel

David McLaughlan has a hub geared Giant Escape, but he is having the problem that the wheel slips forward in the frame when he puts some effort into his pedaling, any acceleration will pull the wheel across. This can happen to any rear wheel that is held on with nuts

Question:
I’ve got a giant escape n7 (a hub geared bike) and on a couple of occasions when I’ve pedal particularly hard, like up a hill or accelerating in traffic, my back wheel has shifted in the drop outs pulling it out of line. Is there any way of stopping this happening and keeping it in place? I’ve tightened it as much as I can without stripping the nut. Many thanks! David.

Hi David,

This problem is quite prevalent with nut held rear wheels; it’s difficult to get the nut tight enough to hold the wheel secure. You are right to be careful not to over tighten the nuts because if you do strip them you’re going to be in big trouble.

What I would suggest would be to either buy some washers with sharp teeth either side so they will grip both the nuts and the wheel ends of the frame. There are also available nuts with the gripping washers built in; these will grip without slipping or turning as you tighten them. These should sort out your problem.

Giant Escape N7