# 130 to 126 mm by removing spacers?



## tdxloki (Apr 8, 2005)

I've been trying to find a good rear wheel for an older Cannondale with 126 mm spacing and 7 speed Shimano freehub - not easy, almost impossible.

I haven't had much up close inspection of 130 mm hubs but I wonder if the spacers between the locknuts and cones could be removed to shave off a few mm? Along the same lines, could slimmer locknuts be used in combination with this approach to convert 130 mm hubs to fit 126 mm frames? I figure the wheel dish would be ok since the hub is reduced from both sides equally.

Any ideas?


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=58099&item=7148704323&rd=1

You could also build up a new wheel with something like a 126 spaced Phil Wood freewheel hub and find a 7 speed freewheel. 

http://www.philwood.com/webcatolog/pg04.htm


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## Spinfinity (Feb 3, 2004)

*I run a 130mm hub between 126 mm dropouts.*

I have to pull the stays apart to get the wheel in, but once in place the 9 speed cassette, shifter and derailleur work fine. My wife had trouble holding the stays and getting the wheel replaced so we had the stays spread which cost $40.00 as part of a repainting job. I don't know if you can mount the 7 speed cassette on a 9 speed hub but I'd give it a try.


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## Henry Chinaski (Feb 3, 2004)

A bunch more info here. Pretty much anything is possible with some experimentation and a few spare parts.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/k7.html


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## Spoke Wrench (Aug 20, 2001)

Here's a couple of things to think about:

1. An 8/9/10 speed hub is dished about as far over as is possible already. If you scan the posts concerning broken spokes, you will find that lots of people have difficulty gettina adequate tension on the left side spokes due to the amount of tension difference necessary to dish the hub. If you try to take 4mm of spacers out of the left side and redish the wheel, I doubt you will have a good result.

2. Regardless of how you narrow the wheel, you should consider the length of the axle. The axle should be long enough to seat firmly in the dropouts, but not so long as to project even a tiny amount past the dropout. If it does, you won't be able to secure it in the frame with the QR.

If it was my bike I think that I'd convert the 130mm 8 speed hub to a 126mm 7 speed. It would take a 7 speed freehub body and a 126mm axle set. You might even be able to salvage those parts off of a donor wheel. Benefits are not having to force fit the wheel into the frame, you get the proper 7-speed dish so you'll have less risk of spokes breaking, and you get to keep the freehub so you'll have less risk of bending the axle.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Drop-out thickness*



Spoke Wrench said:


> Regardless of how you narrow the wheel, you should consider the length of the axle. The axle should be long enough to seat firmly in the dropouts, but not so long as to project even a tiny amount past the dropout. If it does, you won't be able to secure it in the frame with the QR.


Given that this is an older Cannondale frame, which therefore has very thick rear dropouts, it's not likely the OP has to worry about the axle ends protruding past the outer face of the dropout.


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## tdxloki (Apr 8, 2005)

Spoke Wrench said:


> Here's a couple of things to think about:
> 
> 1. An 8/9/10 speed hub is dished about as far over as is possible already. If you scan the posts concerning broken spokes, you will find that lots of people have difficulty gettina adequate tension on the left side spokes due to the amount of tension difference necessary to dish the hub. If you try to take 4mm of spacers out of the left side and redish the wheel, I doubt you will have a good result.


I understand, but my idea was to remove 2 mm from each side and the wheel would not require redishing. I just do not know if spacers are there for removal.




Spoke Wrench said:


> 2. Regardless of how you narrow the wheel, you should consider the length of the axle. The axle should be long enough to seat firmly in the dropouts, but not so long as to project even a tiny amount past the dropout. If it does, you won't be able to secure it in the frame with the QR.


Good point. I am aware of that scenario but just forgot when I posted.




Spoke Wrench said:


> If it was my bike I think that I'd convert the 130mm 8 speed hub to a 126mm 7 speed. It would take a 7 speed freehub body and a 126mm axle set. You might even be able to salvage those parts off of a donor wheel. Benefits are not having to force fit the wheel into the frame, you get the proper 7-speed dish so you'll have less risk of spokes breaking, and you get to keep the freehub so you'll have less risk of bending the axle.


So, if I understand your proposal correctly, I could buy a quality modern wheel with 8/9/10 setup. I only need to swap the axle and freehub, then put on my spare 7 speed cassette, and off I go. Probably not I guess, the wheel would need to be redished, but then I am ok right?


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## king4wd (May 17, 2004)

I had an early 90's Cannondale 3.2 frame that came with a 7-speed rx100 group. I believe it was the R300 or R400 model. I put an 8-speed 105 hub/derrailluer/shifter in - No problems.


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## Al1943 (Jun 23, 2003)

king4wd said:


> I had an early 90's Cannondale 3.2 frame that came with a 7-speed rx100 group. I believe it was the R300 or R400 model. I put an 8-speed 105 hub/derrailluer/shifter in - No problems.


Some 7-speed bikes were built with 130 dropout spacing, maybe that was your case. The poster above has 126 spacing.


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## ukiahb (Jan 26, 2003)

*some were built with 128mm "compromise" spacing too....*

someone posted that here awhile back and I found that was true for my old (about 1990) 7 speed 3.0 frame, and it will accept a 126 or 130 mm wheel.





Al1943 said:


> Some 7-speed bikes were built with 130 dropout spacing, maybe that was your case. The poster above has 126 spacing.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

IIRC, you don't want to take 2mm/side off spacer-wise. Take all 4mm off the NDS so you keep the end of the freehub a set distance away from your dropout.

I've done the conversion the other way: adding 8sp freehub bodies and longer axles and that's what I did.

M


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## Al1943 (Jun 23, 2003)

MShaw said:


> IIRC, you don't want to take 2mm/side off spacer-wise. Take all 4mm off the NDS so you keep the end of the freehub a set distance away from your dropout.
> 
> M


But that would move his rim off-center and like Spoke Wrench said, it may be near impossible to re-dish the wheel and if you do the non-drive side spokes will likely be too loose.

Al


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

I wouldn't spread an old Canondale's stays. Nashbar sells a 126mm wheelset with MA3's (and Quando hubs) for $150 or a rear wheel with Velocity rim for $60. Also, if you want higher quality, look for older top-quality hubs on ebay - for example, I have a C-Record rear hub gathering dust in my garage.


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## nilloc (Oct 23, 2004)

i don't think you should have any problems. i just did the opposite operation; i had a 126mm wheel that i needed to fit into 135mm dropouts and i didn't want to bend the rear triangle that much. i got a longer (141mm) axle and rebuilt the hub with that axle and added 2mm spacers to each side. you have to add or subtract the same amount from each side or you'll set the wheel off center and i personally wouldn't try to re-dish it. 
the only question i'd have is about clearance. since i was going small-->large clearance wasn't an issue, but you need to have enough clearance for the smallest cassette cog. 
somebody else mentioned the axle sticking out of the dropouts, which would make it impossible for the QR to tighten. you might have to rebuild the hub with a shorter axle to fit in the rear triangle. if you need one, send me a message and i'll see if i kept the old axle that i replaced.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Al1943 said:


> But that would move his rim off-center and like Spoke Wrench said, it may be near impossible to re-dish the wheel and if you do the non-drive side spokes will likely be too loose.
> 
> Al


Ummmm while yer correct in saying that the rim's gonna go off-center, you'll be able to loosen the DS spokes and tighten the NDS to (hopefully) make a better balanced wheel.

Less dish = better. 

Worst case, buy new shorter spokes and crank away. IME, the spokes have enough threads available if they were sized right the first time.

M


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## jmdaniel (Apr 30, 2005)

ukiahb said:


> someone posted that here awhile back and I found that was true for my old (about 1990) 7 speed 3.0 frame, and it will accept a 126 or 130 mm wheel.


That's exactly the frame I have, and I put a new set of wheels on it last night, with 130mm spacing. Bit of a tug to get the back one in, but it pedaled fine. Now, I guess my question is, do I put a spacer behind my 7 speed cassette, Performance , or do I put an 8 speed on this, and possibly have to upgrade the deraileur and shifters? Just a knock around bike, don't want to put too much money into it...


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## Spoke Wrench (Aug 20, 2001)

MShaw said:


> Ummmm while yer correct in saying that the rim's gonna go off-center, you'll be able to loosen the DS spokes and tighten the NDS to (hopefully) make a better balanced wheel.
> 
> Less dish = better.
> 
> ...


It doesn't work going that direction. The wider 8/9/10 speed freehub body means you are going to have to move the right hub flange even farther toward the center of the bike. That means that the drive side spokes, which are already nearly vertical will be even more vertical so you'll have even more dish. More dish = worse.


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## MShaw (Jun 7, 2003)

Spoke Wrench said:


> It doesn't work going that direction. The wider 8/9/10 speed freehub body means you are going to have to move the right hub flange even farther toward the center of the bike. That means that the drive side spokes, which are already nearly vertical will be even more vertical so you'll have even more dish. More dish = worse.


You are indeed correct, assuming we're talking about 8/9/10s freehubs. The OP is asking about 7s freehubs... Add spacers to the existing 7s hub and you get less dish.

edited once I reread the OP: Yeah, not so bueno if yer taking spacers out of the new freehubs. See the post I quoted. 

M


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## Spoke Wrench (Aug 20, 2001)

MShaw said:


> You are indeed correct, assuming we're talking about 8/9/10s freehubs. The OP is asking about 7s freehubs... Add spacers to the existing 7s hub and you get less dish.
> 
> edited once I reread the OP: Yeah, not so bueno if yer taking spacers out of the new freehubs. See the post I quoted.
> 
> M


He's looking for a new rear wheel. I think that it's a pretty safe assumption that any 130mm wheel you buy today is going to have an 8/9/10 speed freehub body. That's the part of his question that makes it interesting. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to answer.

I'll stand by my original answer to rebuild the new wheel into a 126mm 7-speed by replacing the freehub body and axel set. I still think that's the best idea.


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