Is there any issues with using a 130mm wheel in a 126mm frame?? I have a couple very high end older frames and would like to run some of the 130mm wheels i have…but i don’t want to damadge the frames…thanks, Dean
ps; i know Sheldon Brown has an article on widdening the rear triangle but i prefer not to make it that permanent as i still have 126mm wheels as well…
My dad does it with alum and steel frames with no problems. You just have to open the rear end up a little by hand when you put the wheel in.
With a steel frame you can have a bike shop open it up for you if they have the tools for it. I had it done with my old GIOS.
jaretj
No problem if it’s steel. I upgraded on old 12 sp to 9sp and the 130mm wheel just popped into the 126mm rear triangle. No modifications were necessary.
assuming the frame is steel, it should be fine. I’ve been running a 130 in a Paramount 126mm steel frame for several years now, no problems yet.
I have read that the dish spacing on a 130mm wheel is different than on a 126mm wheel - i.e. the rim ends up slightly off center when the 130mm wheel is placed in the 126mm frame. Has anyone observed this? If so, was it a problem or is this more of a technica but not real world concern?
David K
The rim is centered between the locknuts regardless of how far apart they are.
WHat I did when I had my Barkley built was to have the rear dropout spacing at 128mm. I was running 7-speed at the time, but knew that I’d be running 8 at some point (8 speed had just come out). So the buuilder suggested the 128 thing, and it’s just a non-issue regardless of which wheel I put in – 1mm on each side, the frame doesn’t even notice it.
I have read that the dish spacing on a 130mm wheel is different than on a 126mm wheel - i.e. the rim ends up slightly off center when the 130mm wheel is placed in the 126mm frame. Has anyone observed this? If so, was it a problem or is this more of a technica but not real world concern?
David K
the dish is different, but as Brider observes, the rim will always be centered. In fact, the dish changes because there is a wider cassette on the 130mm: so the change is precisely to keep the rim centered.
When I wanted to run more cogs, I just spread the dropouts by hand for a couple of years until I decided to have my frame cold-set properly with the Campy spreader tool.
A decent quality steel frame will have no problems going back and forth between 126 and 130; it’s the just the convenience factor of having the wheel drop in and out with little effort instead of spreading the dropouts each time you put the wider wheel in.
A purist will argue that the dropouts won’t be properly parallel if you do the hand spreading method which is true (and thus puts a little more torque on the axle when the QR is tightened) but for such a small amount of deflection and with the resiliency of steel, it shouldn’t cause any issues really. (IMHO)