Hub shortening

dg01 · Mar 6, 2016

OK. I had the wrong size of hub forced into my 126 mm Raleigh frame. When I removed the wheel I realised it was a freewheel hub so upon removing the freewheel (7 speed) I was left with this...

So how can I modify this to make it a 126 mm. OLN. Can I just take off the two outer lock nuts and replace with two thinner nuts (2mm. thinner on each side)?

cce · Mar 6, 2016

you'd need a shorter axle, and if you remove from both sides, the freewheel will start to touch the frame

you need to remove from the non-drive side and redish the wheel.

dg01 · Mar 6, 2016

Re:

Okay. The old freewheel was 7 speed and I am going back to a 6 speed. Would that 6 speed freewheel not be narrower than the 7 that came off? Hence, making the reduction on either side feasible??

My thinking was that the additional 2mm either side on the effective length of the axle could be absorbed in the dropout thickness?

If I need to make more changes, would it be easier to just get a new 126mm axle?

Midlife · Mar 6, 2016

What's the hub,? New wheels of the right vintage might be easier?

Shaun

dg01 · Mar 7, 2016

Re:

Hub is unknown, Shaun. It's from a Halfords bike that had a wheel upgrade.
Can you give me some ideas of a new wheel set of the correct vintage??

legrandefromage · Mar 7, 2016

Lose those two big thick nuts on each end of the axle, fit smaller ones off another hub or box of spares that every cyclist should have (its the law), lob 2mm off each end of the axle, fit 6spd, ride until axle snaps (they do that) buy proper wheels.

Or something like that.

The replacement 6spd shouldnt foul anything but do shorten the axles both sides otherwise the wheel wont be centred and the axle will stick out of the frame. Those wheels can be a bit nasty quality wise and the axles are prone to snapping.

ScillySuffolk · Mar 7, 2016

If the OLD is 130mm, someone's tweaked it because 130mm became the standard when 8 speed and freehubs were introduced.

In which case you can just untweak it: both 6 & 7 speed were 126mm OLD.

legrandefromage · Mar 7, 2016

No, you can buy brand new budget QR wheels with screw-on hubs and still, some bikes have freehubs instead of cassettes

ScillySuffolk · Mar 8, 2016

legrandefromage":2vxpf4tk said:
No, you can buy brand new budget QR wheels with screw-on hubs and still, some bikes have freehubs instead of cassettes

Was that in reply to me (apologies if not)?

Yes, I know you can still buy wheels that take a (screw-on) freewheel.

A cassette fits onto a freehub, so I don't understand what "... some bikes have freehubs instead of cassettes" means.

Either way, my point is that as his hub takes a (screw-on) freewheel, it would originally have been 126mm OLD.

If the OLD is currently 130mm, then someone has added spacers so he can simply remove them, to revert to 126mm (which is the standard for either 6 or 7 speed).

I do agree that the length of the axle will need to be checked.

legrandefromage · Mar 8, 2016

That wheel was always 130mm, its a new 'budget' wheel forced into an older frame. If it were me, I would look out for a decent set of older correct size wheels as the hubs, bearings and axles will be much better quality.

Hub shortening

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