130mm hubs into a 126mm space?



JesusGarcia

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Oct 19, 2006
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Hello... greetings! I have a vintage late 80's Vitus 979 and I want to upgrade the wheelset. Currently, it has a 36-spoke, 6-speed Shimano 600 hubs, Ukai rims (?), 126mm... Can I relace the rear wheels with a 130mm hubs (Mavic CXP 33, 32 holes, DA hubs w/ 7, 8-speed cassette)? I know it's only 4mm expansion (2mm on each sides); but will it damage the aluminum chainstays/seatstays of the Vitus? Thank you in advance.
 
JesusGarcia said:
Hello... greetings! I have a vintage late 80's Vitus 979 and I want to upgrade the wheelset. Currently, it has a 36-spoke, 6-speed Shimano 600 hubs, Ukai rims (?), 126mm... Can I relace the rear wheels with a 130mm hubs (Mavic CXP 33, 32 holes, DA hubs w/ 7, 8-speed cassette)? I know it's only 4mm expansion (2mm on each sides); but will it damage the aluminum chainstays/seatstays of the Vitus? Thank you in advance.

Hmm, that's a tough one. I've had no problem putting such a hub into my 126mm Cilo dropouts, but that is a steel bike. It's so flexible, I just spread the stays apart to get the hub in there (rather than permanently bending the stays apart to a 130mm width).

At most, you would just want to do as I do: spread the stays each time you put the hub in. Permanently bending the aluminum would be a recipe for disaster. I'm not sure how much stress the extra 4mm will put on the frame even if temporarily spread, though. Perhaps some of the metallurgical experts who hang out here can chime in...
 
If they were steel chainstays then you could do what typ993 says and just spread them apart with your hands to insert the new hub, you don't even need to cold set it.

Aluminium is a little different - I'm not an expert by any means, but I think it needs some form of heat treatment to do the same thing. You need a metallurgist to tell you if it can be done.
 
The common wisdom is that you shouldn't do this with an Al frame. If you keep bumping this post to the top of the forum, you might provoke one of the resident engineers/ metallurgists to chime in.
 
Why not re-space the axle. I have fitted 130 hubs into 126 drop outs by using thinner lock nuts and removing one of the washers. :) Check the Chain Stay won't foul the sprocket and If you are using 6.6mm super narrow chain it should be OK.
 
gclark8 said:
Why not re-space the axle. I have fitted 130 hubs into 126 drop outs by using thinner lock nuts and removing one of the washers. :) Check the Chain Stay won't foul the sprocket and If you are using 6.6mm super narrow chain it should be OK.

+1. There's a wheel builder in New Mexico who routinely does this with hubs, anyway. He respaces axles in order to move the rear hub body so that he can optimize lateral stiffness in the wheel (He also has a test fixture construncted in which he tests before and after lateral deflection of the wheel.).

If you PM me, I can give you his email addy. He has data on a ton of hubs. Granted, you want to remove the same amount of spacing from both sides of the hub.....but he can tell you how much and how to go about it.
 
gclark8 said:
Why not re-space the axle. I have fitted 130 hubs into 126 drop outs by using thinner lock nuts and removing one of the washers. :) Check the Chain Stay won't foul the sprocket and If you are using 6.6mm super narrow chain it should be OK.
+2 :) I've done this to 3 of my old steel bikes.

I narrow the spacing, which, depending how you do it, may require the wheel to be dished over a little to the right. I also once had to trim 2mm off an axle.
 
gclark8 said:
Why not re-space the axle. I have fitted 130 hubs into 126 drop outs by using thinner lock nuts and removing one of the washers. :) Check the Chain Stay won't foul the sprocket and If you are using 6.6mm super narrow chain it should be OK.
Not an idea that I'd recommend, at least not with an 8/9/10 speed freehub wheel. To get the shifting right you'll have to take the whole 4mm off the non-drive side and redish the wheel. 8/9/10 speed wheels are already dished to the max.
 
alienator said:
+1. There's a wheel builder in New Mexico who routinely does this with hubs, anyway. He respaces axles in order to move the rear hub body so that he can optimize lateral stiffness in the wheel (He also has a test fixture construncted in which he tests before and after lateral deflection of the wheel.).

If you PM me, I can give you his email addy. He has data on a ton of hubs. Granted, you want to remove the same amount of spacing from both sides of the hub.....but he can tell you how much and how to go about it.
I would like his address....thanks.