126mm to 130mm

  • Thread starter Deleted member 24574
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Deleted member 24574

Am I correct thinking that frames changed to 130mm around 86 to 87 to accommodate the shift from 6/7 speed free hubs to 8 speed cassettes?
 
Free hub = cassettes. The forerunner was the freewheel, often called a block, screwed to the hub.

The first Free hub that took a cassette I came across was in 1978 (Shimano free hub) so the race started then to add extra cogs to the cassettes, I would expect that the 130 OLD came in before 1986-87. I guess a search on Velobase for freehubs will give a date (ish) for 130 size.

Shaun

Edit........Just had a wander around Velobase and it seems the 130 OLD came in the mid 80's as you say in your post. Surprised me as I thought it came earlier
 
Think it may even have been a bit later than that. I've got a 1990 Peugeot Athena thats Reynolds 653 so towards the upper end of their range thats 126mm. Was it the arrival of 8 speed that meant 130mm was needed?
 
130mm might have started mid 80's, but I don't think it really took over until later. My first "proper" bike, a dawes, had I think a 6 speed uniglide cassette, and was probably 126mm. That was about 1989 or 90. When I got my caygill custom made in 91, it was 126mm. I had a set of wheels built at the time with shimano 1055 hubs - the rear was 7 speed, 126mm. 130 only became really necessary with 8 speed, as up to and including 7 would fit in 126mm. So I would think 130 took over and became the "standard" in the early 90's. I think 135 for MTBs started at around the same time - my 1993 KHS was 135mm.

I don't think 8 speed was around in the mid 80's - if it was it was in very very limited quantities.
 
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