I was on my way home from work last week and decided to go off-roading for a couple seconds in this gravel section on the side of the road. I think it might be construction soon idk its been like this for a couple years and I rode through it before. Anywho I guess some jag didn't want people riding there and tied a rope across the trail where it meets back up with the road. I didn't see it until it was too late.

I rode home thinking my bars were bent but later realized my triple clamps are misaligned so wheel points a different direction than my handlebars. I loosened the bottom clamp, front axle, and axle pinch bolts and tried to straighten it back out. I had moderate success, but the bike still doesn't feel perfect like before.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

Btw, I looked up stuff online but all I could find was how to make sure the front axle is aligned not the actual triple clamps.

 

Should just be able to grip the front tire with your legs and pull the handlebars...

 

There's an approved, proper method involving getting your front end off the ground...loosening the triple clamp bolts and axle bolts...rock everything back into line by hand...retighten. Most of us just find a telephone pole or solid tree trunk and just bang everything back into alignment with the handlebar.

 

I tried holding it in between my legs and it was really budging. So Ii did the whole loosen everything and compress suspension a few times to everything to align itself. Like I said its pretty good and if it was for off-road I'd say its good enough, but since I have the sf I'm on the road most of the time and therefore I can notice the small amount of misalignment a lot more.

I was just wondering if anybody knows how the shop does it. When I had everything loose I could twist it and it would keep going back to one spot, but that spot isn't exactly straight. I don't think my forks are bent or anything because they work fine with no binding.

 

You don't have everything loose if it returns to one spot...

 

+1 to whacking the tire against a tree while sitting on the bike.

 

Just loosen up the bolts and then twist it then re-tighten.

 

I loosen all the axle nuts sit on the bike and compress the front forks 3 or 4 times. Then I get off the bike and put the front tire between my legs and straighten the bars if the fork compressing didn't do the trick. Tighten everything up and ride on.

 

If after a proper loosening and realignment the forks twist back to another position, you may actually have something bent that will need more serious attention.