How important is "correct" spacing in the dropouts?

Hello,

I have a 1978 Raleigh Super Course that I've recently installed a "new" drivetrain on. The
drivetrain now includes a 1950 model Sturmey Archer alloy AM hub (medium ratio 3 speed). The Super
Course frame was originally spaced to 126 mm in the rear. When I built up the wheel with the AM hub
I spaced the axle to 120 mm and had my LBS respace the frame to 120 as well. I didn't realize it at
the time, but this resulted in only being able to engage about 4 threads of each end of the axle
with the axle nuts. So, after a few test rides, I respaced the AW hub to about 114 mm to get better
thread engagement when mounted in the dropouts.

My question is, how important is it to now respace the frame dropouts to the same 114 mm as the AW
hub? I can mount the wheel easily, tightening the axle nuts simply squeezes the dropouts together.
But, am I risking damage to my frame or anything else by doing this?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Brad Upton

 

> My question is, how important is it to now respace the frame dropouts to the same 114 mm as the AW
> hub? I can mount the wheel easily, tightening the axle nuts simply squeezes the dropouts together.
> But, am I risking damage to my frame or anything else by doing this?

Brad: My experience with AW (or Sturmey Archer in general) hubs is that it's more important to the
*hub* that the frame is spaced correctly. It is *so* easy to strip those axles that anything you can
do to make things fit better is probably a good thing. If your Raleigh Super Course's final stage in
life will be with a Sturmey Archer hub, I'd have it (the frame) respaced and especially have the
dropouts realigned so they're parallel.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles http://www.ChainReaction.com

"Brad Upton" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Hello,
>
> I have a 1978 Raleigh Super Course that I've recently installed a "new" drivetrain on. The
> drivetrain now includes a 1950 model Sturmey Archer alloy AM hub (medium ratio 3 speed). The Super
> Course frame was originally spaced to 126 mm in the rear. When I built up the wheel with the AM
> hub I spaced the axle to 120 mm and had my LBS respace the frame to 120 as well. I didn't realize
> it at the time, but this resulted in only being able to engage about 4 threads of each end of the
> axle with the axle nuts. So, after a few test rides, I respaced the AW hub to about 114 mm to get
> better thread engagement when mounted in the dropouts.
>
> My question is, how important is it to now respace the frame dropouts to the same 114 mm as the AW
> hub? I can mount the wheel easily, tightening the axle nuts simply squeezes the dropouts together.
> But, am I risking damage to my frame or anything else by doing this?
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice.
>
> Brad Upton

 

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 11:22:46 -0800 Brad Upton <[email protected]> wrote:

>My question is, how important is it to now respace the frame dropouts to the same 114 mm as
>the AW hub?

The important thing is that the dropouts be parallel when they're 114mm apart. This will be hard to
be sure of unless you also get them set to an equlibrium spacing of 114, but it is possible.

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Jim Adney [email protected] Madison, WI 53711 USA
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