# When did road bikes go from 126 to 130mm rear spacings?



## StillKeen (Oct 4, 2005)

I'm looking around to build up a winter bike, and would ideally like to get something 80's with 531 steel, but, if it can have 130mm spacing, then it would make life much easier. Was it 6 speed or 7 speed when the change happened?

Secondly, for those the just open up the rear end to fit in wider hubs, does everything still stay straight enough for shifting to work well?

Thanks,

-Chris


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

StillKeen said:


> I'm looking around to build up a winter bike, and would ideally like to get something 80's with 531 steel, but, if it can have 130mm spacing, then it would make life much easier. Was it 6 speed or 7 speed when the change happened?
> 
> Secondly, for those the just open up the rear end to fit in wider hubs, does everything still stay straight enough for shifting to work well?
> 
> ...


Late 80's when 8 speed came in.

If the frame needs springing to 130, get an LBS with the dropout alignment tools cold set the ends so they are parallel.

http://www.framebuilding.com/alignment tool 2.jpg


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## foz (Sep 30, 2004)

Many framebuilders were still building with 126mm spacing into the early 90s.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

It's very easy to spread a steel frame from 126 to 130... I usually just spread it by hand and put the wheel in..


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Dave Hickey said:


> It's very easy to spread a steel frame from 126 to 130... I usually just spread it by hand and put the wheel in..


+1. Never had any troubles (shifting or otherwise) doing that myself.


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## Keeping up with Junior (Feb 27, 2003)

*D I Y*



StillKeen said:


> Secondly, for those the just open up the rear end to fit in wider hubs, does everything still stay straight enough for shifting to work well?


Here is a do it yourself guide...

http://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html


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## StillKeen (Oct 4, 2005)

Thanks. The search for a frame will intensify! I think I'll just do the cold setting myself and then see how it goes, and it sounds like shifting shouldnd be a problem.

I've looked at so many options to get back on the road (as my geared bike and fixie are both on the other side of the world). Carbon dream machine, alloy fixie, steel fixie and now an older steel bike. The older steel bike wins on so many levels, with only the possibility of it not being so light a setback ... however I'm not going to be riding hills until April ... so plenty of time to build up strength.

Thanks,

-Chris


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

Dave Hickey said:


> It's very easy to spread a steel frame from 126 to 130... I usually just spread it by hand and put the wheel in..


Ditto. And remember in the late '80's when Shimano first introduced 8 speed, virtually everything out there was 126. Those rear hubs had a slight bevel on the lock nut to facilitate pulling the 130 spaced hub into the droputs.

Interestingly enough, my Fuso built in 1991 was spaced 128 which I understand was not all that unusual at that time. It could, how shall we say, "go either way!"


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## ckilner (Oct 4, 2004)

*Some bikes spaced @ 128 mm*



StillKeen said:


> Thanks. The search for a frame will intensify!


 Good Luck! I have a late '80's Trek that intentionally has 128mm spacing to allow use with both 126 and 130 mm hubs and another frame from earlier that has 123 mm spacing to use 120 or 126. The Trek takes 130mm hubs fairly easily.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Richard said:


> Ditto. And remember in the late '80's when Shimano first introduced 8 speed, virtually everything out there was 126. Those rear hubs had a slight bevel on the lock nut to facilitate pulling the 130 spaced hub into the droputs.



I still have a pair of the "cheater" Dura Ace hubs...they make 8 speed in a 126mm frame so much easier..


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## spastook (Nov 30, 2007)

*Don't think it's quite that simple.*



Dave Hickey said:


> It's very easy to spread a steel frame from 126 to 130... I usually just spread it by hand and put the wheel in..



Thru the mid 90's I wrenched for a high end shop and was a frame alignment technician for them. While spreading the rear dropouts 4mm to accept a 130 spaced wheel when it was designed for a 126 will work. If you want it done properly the entire frameset must be put on an alignment table and be re-aligned. I re-aligned my vintage 120mm spaced Falcon out to 126 many years ago and while for a time I did as Dave Hickey suggested, a proper re-alignment will make your old steel steed ride like new again. Expect to fork over about $100 bucks or so for the alignment.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Sorry but it is that simple in my experience.....I've done many frames by just spreading and puttting in a 130mm wheel and I've never had an alignment issue...2mm per side is not that much and it's easily done by hand..


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## Blue Sugar (Jun 14, 2005)

foz said:


> Many framebuilders were still building with 126mm spacing into the early 90s.


I had a 1992 Bridgestone RB1 that still had 126mm spacing and 7 speeds. The advertising copy made much ado about this fact, claiming it to be superior to 130mm spacing because it allowed for the use of a narrower bottom bracket spindle resulting in a lower "Q-factor". Q factor was all the rage at the time, narrower being allegedly better. I'll admit to being sold on the bike, in part, for this reason. Looking back I think it was just an excuse to use the old parts they still had in inventory.

Anyway, when I went 8 speed, I had the dropouts spread by a local framebuilder. It cost me about $100 back in 1998. You should have this done too, because you might not be able to preserve the alignment and keep the dropouts parallel if you do it yourself.

I still have that frameset, by the way, if anyone's interested. It's a 56cm.


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## spastook (Nov 30, 2007)

Dave Hickey said:


> Sorry but it is that simple in my experience.....I've done many frames by just spreading and puttting in a 130mm wheel and I've never had an alignment issue...2mm per side is not that much and it's easily done by hand..



No 2mm is nothing and yes easily done by hand. I should have been clearer. I had customers who were racers and in a criterium when you come into the wheel pit for a rear tire change you don't want to be spreading a rear triangle so the wheel will come out. For normal use spreading the rear triangle by hand will work fine. If you however spread it far enough (cold set) so it does not spring back to 126 but stays at the desired 130 your frame will require re-alignment.


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