Spacers For Rear Wheel

[Orgasmatron]

After spending an inordinate amount of time attempting to align my new rear mudguard correctly on the bike, I came to the conclusion that the rear wheel was not fitting centrally within the frame.
So, in a moment of blinding inspiration, I turned the wheel round 180 degrees and it fitted perfectly ; unfortunately, with the sprocket on the RHS and the brake drum on the LHS.
There are two threaded spacer nuts on the wheel spindle (one 7/16″ thick and the other 3/4″ thick with a 1/16″ dome to locate the brake plate centrally over the drum), which could simply be swapped over to align the wheel correctly. However, the brake plate locating dome is the problem.
So, does anyone have two spacers with the locating dome on the thinner spacer rather than on the thicker spacer (which should be flat on both faces)?
Alternatively, does anyone know where these can be purchased?
Chris.

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

I think that you ought to put a chain onto your bike, and make absolutely sure that your rear sprocket and outrigger sprocket are perfectly in line, before lining up the front and rear wheels, again perfectly in line. In theory the rear tyre and rim should then be central in the frame, and this can be checked with calipers. If all is OK you can then easily measure the gaps each side that the spacers are supposed to fit into. With an Enfield type rear hub assembly the rim should be equidistant between the spoke flanges, ie. there is no offset. The spacer on the brake plate side is a standard thing, dished to centralise the brakeplate, however on the sprocket side the arrangement varied quite a bit over the years, sometimes with a dished cover to keep muck out of the wheel bearings and a separate retaining nut. Then there is a version with the nut integral with the dished cover, and both types should have a slim locknut, with the complete assembly being a nice sliding fit into the fork ends on the rear of the frame.
As I have described previously, Enfield also supplied their heavyweight rear hub to Norton (vintage CS1 and Model 18), Brough Superior, Panther, Coventry-Eagle, and on their own bikes too. All varied slightly in width, position and shape of spoke holes, bearings, axle details, brake plate, etc.. Over the years many ‘rogue’ Enfield hubs have been cobbled-up to fit a Scott, so you never know for certain quite what you have got. Adjacent to the grease nipple hole in the hub there should be a letter stamped into the metal, S for Scott, B for Brough, N for Norton, P for Panther, and so on. Do check that you have got a genuine Scott version ! Once you have established that it should be an easy matter to sort out.
Brian

[Orgasmatron]

Brian,
Many thanks for the information.
Chris.

[James]

While replacing the completely worn out rear “restored” chain then adjusting the new chain, the swingarm forks sprung opened quite a bit, So I had to machine spacers to fill up the gaps and to align the wheel and sprockets. They were not the same thickness ,left to right.

[Orgasmatron]

James,
Thanks for the observation.
My frame is a rigid 1930’s type (not swinging arm) and setting up the wheel properly, it seems that the spacers are equal, as Brian suggests.
They appear to be 5/8″ each, with the dome on one included in this measurement. I suppose that the measurement could be plus or minus a very small amount.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t read the stamp on the hub (new paint has obscured this almost completely) but the rim is not offset and it does have the TT ribs around the drum, so, hopefully it is original.
So, does anyone have a set of the equal spacers that they could sell me? Mr Marshall? Mr Moss? Anyone?
Chris.

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

The one on the brake drum side is bigger than 5/8″, and when I get into the workshop tomorrow I will measure them up. In the meantime look at my article in the May issue of Yowl, as the brake drum side spacer appears in one of my photographs !
Brian

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

So difficult to measure in-situ ! I didn’t want to pull a wheel out to check things, but I have some bits set aside for the next rebuild, and a bare frame. The brake plate retaining/centralising nut is 0.792″ overall length, including the rounded end that goes into the dish around the hole in the brake plate. The bare frame is 7.75″ between the axle slots. I wasn’t able to measure the components on the sprocket side of the wheel as I don’t have any floating around in the workshop. I hope this helps !
Brian

[Orgasmatron]

Thanks Brian.
So, the spacers that I have seem to be correct ; the 3/4″ with the aligning dome on the brake plate and the other (smaller) spacer on the sprocket side.
Everything on the frame seems to be square and the wheel certainly aligns vertically. However, various spacer alternatives (using multiple washers) does not get it correct. The best central alignment of the rim means that the brake plate will not fit (simply too far to the right).
Perhaps a visit to a wheel builder is in order, before I go any further.
I assume that, with the spacers fitted (which are the same as the drawing on Page 69 of The Book of the Scott – I assume that the TT Rep brake is the same as the De Luxe and Squirrel, except it has the fins on the drum ), the rim should simply be set centrally to the ‘spacer/hub/drum/spacer’ unit.
Frustrating!
Chris.

[BRIAN MARSHALL]

The rim should be central to the spoke flanges on the hub only…
Also check that your brake plate outer flange is very nearly touching the drum, as if you have overdone the washers INSIDE the brake plate, the plate will be too far to the right. Does the torque arm on the brake plate line up nicely with the lug on the frame that it bolts onto ?
Brian

[Orgasmatron]

Brian,
The brake plate is almost touching the drum (any on the arm and it scrapes). The arm fits correctly if the 3/4″ domed spacer against the brake plate, with the smaller spacer on the LHS. However, the rim is then not located centrally.
Although the rim appears to be central on the hub, I assume that either it is not, or that it needs off setting slightly.
Chris.

[Orgasmatron]

Took the wheel to Wheel Wise Engineering in Horsham (actually Cowfold in East Sussex), where Steve Rolfe has been building wheels for more than 40 years.
Evidently, the rim for my wheel should be set at 22.2 mm from the LHS of the hub (with the final drive sprocket removed) ; my wheel was out by about 6.5 to 7.00 mm. Hopefully, resetting the rim (with new spokes, because the whole wheel had been powder coated and the adjustment nipples therefore unusable) should centralize it – measurement suggests that it should.
Has anyone been able to locate black adjustment nipples to go with black spokes?
Chris.

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