What did I do to this wheel?

[tumbler]

I'm building up a new bike and tried mounting my backup wheelset on it as a placeholder today. I noticed that the rear wheel wouldn't slide in all the way and sit squarely in the dropouts, specifically the non-drive side. It doesn't matter if I flip the wheel around, the non-drive side gets stuck about halfway in and won't slide all the way up. If I put my weight on the dropout/bottom of seatstay and give it a hard push, I can get it to go about 90% of the way in, but then I have to really pound it to get it out again so something is messed up.

At first I was worried that the frame was out of alignment or the ND-side dropout was pinched, since it was only seemed to affect that side. To check this, I grabbed another rear wheel and slid it right onto the frame with no issue. I then put this wheel on another frame and had the same issue there, so it's definitely the wheel. It's been knocked a few times in the garage and fell off a wall hook once so it must have been damaged at some point, although I can't see anything obviously wrong with it. The skewer slides in/out easily and it spins ok. So my question is, what is wrong with this wheel? It's just a backup at this point so I'm not too worried and won't pay to have it fixed, but I'm just curious about what I messed up and if there are any simple remedies.

Pics:
Drive-side is fine...


Non-drive side is not fine...


Wheel flipped around, drive side is still fine...


Wheel flipped around, non-drive side is not fine...

[weisan]

Have you tried the wheel on another bike?

[Black Dog]

Get the calipers out and measure the diameter of the axle ends.

[thegunner]

alternatively, if it's something like a dt240 hub, maybe the endcap popped loose a bit? maybe try tapping it back in with a rubber mallet if it's > 130...

[eddief]

would be interesting to know if tightening a few spokes could pull it into axle true.

[tumbler]

Originally Posted by weisan

Have you tried the wheel on another bike?

Yep pal, I tried it on my other bike that ran this wheelset for a few thousand miles. It looked exactly the same on that bike as the new frame (ie. not correct), so I know something changed on the wheel between then and now. Also tried a good wheelset on the new frame and it went in as expected.

Originally Posted by Black Dog

Get the calipers out and measure the diameter of the axle ends.

Don't have calipers, unfortunately, but I may pick some up on Amazon since this isn't the first time I've needed a pair.

Originally Posted by thegunner

alternatively, if it's something like a dt240 hub, maybe the endcap popped loose a bit? maybe try tapping it back in with a rubber mallet if it's > 130...

Interesting idea. I'll give this a shot and see if anything loosened up. Maybe it's catching on something that it isn't supposed to.

[radsmd]

Can't see the pics, but sounds like a bent axle.

[oldpotatoe]

I'd say either a bent axle of the axle end is ovalized somehow..what wheel/hub?

BTW-couldn't view pictures(?)

[tumbler]

Thanks for letting me know about the pictures. Hopefully fixed now. Let me know if you still don't see them.

[Dude]

swap the axle for a new one (test that the new one fits into the dropouts before taking apart/rebuilding your hub).

This issue has nothing to do with spoke tension. spokes pull on hubs/rims.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Dude

swap the axle for a new one (test that the new one fits into the dropouts before taking apart/rebuilding your hub).

This issue has nothing to do with spoke tension. spokes pull on hubs/rims.

I think it's just that hub and non drive side dropout. I think a file at the little high point on the forward side of the dropout will allow it to fall in.

[lhuerta]

U still have not told us what type of hub (appears to be DT240)....which means the loose endcap is most logical issue

[m_sasso]

Repeated tightening/closing your QR likely caused a small change in dimension of your drop out, follow what the spud said.