Classic & Vintage - New wheelset build - need 7 or 8 speed hub to fit 126 spacing...

I'm in the process of building up a new wheelset for my 1981 Miyata 1000. I want to keep the rear 126mm spacing so I don't have to spread the frame, but run a 7 speed 36 hole cassette Hyperglide hub. Does anyone know what the options are for this? i.e. - were 126mm Hyperglide hubs even made!? All the hubs I come across seem to be 130mm or 135mm. I do not want to go down the Uniglide path. I know the frame can easily be spread to 130mm, but I really would rather keep the 126mm spacing and not risk frame misalignment....cheers...

Peterwhitecycles has some 126mm cassette hubs. IIRC, so does Harris. However, neither are inexepensive. Personally, I went with a set of 130mm Ultegra/Open Pro wheels for less money. I've put about 200 miles on the bike since then with no problems (not permanently set, just spread a bit when installing the wheel).

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp scroll down to Seven Speed Shimano 105 SC Wheelsets

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/622.html and scroll down to New! Premium 126mm Sun/Shimano Cassette Hyperglide 7-spd Wheelsets

Chris

Peterwhitecycles has some 126mm cassette hubs. IIRC, so does Harris. However, neither are inexepensive. Personally, I went with a set of 130mm Ultegra/Open Pro wheels for less money. I've put about 200 miles on the bike since then with no problems (not permanently set, just spread a bit when installing the wheel).

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/wheels.asp scroll down to Seven Speed Shimano 105 SC Wheelsets

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/wheels/622.html and scroll down to New! Premium 126mm Sun/Shimano Cassette Hyperglide 7-spd Wheelsets

Chris
I don't live very far from Mr. W the wheel builder. While my dealings have been limited, on the three occassions I tried to offer him some business, he was never helpful and never enthusiastic about assisting me, despite the $$$ I would have spent. Keep this in mind if you contact him.

Harris Cyclery, on the other hand, knows how to make you happy and bends over backwards to be helpful. I've done most of my business with them over the internet and by telephone and only been to the store once (it's over 100 miles away). Everyone there was friendly and enthusiastic, despite the place being mobbed. Mr. Harris and all the other guys pictured on their website were there, except Sheldon, who is in the midst of his health crisis and doesn't make it to the shop very often.

Best of luck on your wheels.

I don't live very far from Mr. W the wheel builder. While my dealings have been limited, on the three occassions I tried to offer him some business, he was never helpful and never enthusiastic about assisting me, despite the $$$ I would have spent. Keep this in mind if you contact him.

it's curious to hear this... there was a very small shop in my neighborhood, now replaced with a european style bakery (yum). It was very small, odd collection of stuff and some very high end bikes, and repaired stuff. Everytime I went in looking for something, he hemmed and hawed and never helped.

Customer service is customer service. It's easier to keep them then to get them back. I"ve often drooled over P White's stock... but I will find other places to get it

I haven't spent any money at either shop. The Harris reputation is what I've always heard, but I'm sad to hear this about PWCycles. I always thought he had a neat business and always thought I'd end up spending some money there.

Chris

I would bet your frame has the 4mm in flex to accommodate a 130mm hub. It might take a split second longer to remove the rear wheel, though. You could probably then just use a 7 speed cassette and a thin spacer behind it.

[QUOTE=pastorbobnlnh]I don't live very far from Mr. W the wheel builder. While my dealings have been limited, on the three occassions I tried to offer him some business, he was never helpful and never enthusiastic about assisting me, despite the $$$ I would have spent. Keep this in mind if you contact him.

I had a similar experince w/ the person mentioned above. I bought some lighting equipment from him and when I had some trouble with the installation and called for help, he could not get me off the phone fast enough. He was not particularly helpful. I was disappointed and when I need additional equpiment, I went somewhere else. YMMV.

I've a number of different wheels I've built for my Schwinn Super Sport (1981); the original rear is 126mm and the ones I've built were based on Shimano Ultegras I bought on eBay. I've never had a problem with spreading the frame the extra few mils. to accomodate the wider hubs; if you're worried about using Uniglide, you can always replace the body with a Hyperglide (a simple transplant; see Sheldon's web-site).

- Wil

I would be your frame has the 4mm in flex to accommodate a 130mm hub.

+1........Not ideal, but allows you to use a 130mm hub and keep the 126mm frame spacing. Some frames by the very late '80's/very early '90's came with 128mm spacing, in fact, so they could accomodate either 126mm or 130mm hubs, and there are frames made today with 132.5mm spacing, so that 130mm "road" hubs can be used or 135mm "mountain" hubs. You're only talking about a tiny bit more spread than that, and you're not going to hurt the frame if you do it-:)

I had a similar experince w/ the person mentioned above. I bought some lighting equipment from him and when I had some trouble with the installation and called for help, he could not get me off the phone fast enough. He was not particularly helpful. I was disappointed and when I need additional equpiment, I went somewhere else. YMMV.
The first time I called, I thought he was having a bad day. A few weeks later on the second call, he seemed too busy to be bothered. On the third and final call, I decided this was someone who didn't really care to have any more new customers. Strange, because I was very clear about what I wanted to do and how much I wanted to spend. Not a new bike mind you, but a few hundred on wheels. It wasn't as if I was pestering him about $1.50 patch kit.

Sorry to hear about PW. Harris Cyclery has always been very responsive when I've had questions and prompt when I ordered items.

Now back to our original topic. I know Shimano made at least 105-level freehubs in 7-speed and 126 mm spacing since I had one on a '92 Trek 1420. You should be able to find a set either NOS or used.

Thanks. It's the 105 hubs that I will seek out then. Hopefully I can find some of the 36 hole variety...

same experience here also with the infamous Mr. Peter White....very rude and not extremely helpful...I agree he acts like he doesn't want your business...

and he didn't and will never get it...

Harris and Sheldon the good ones :) Hey Sheldon, hope you are feeling well

I'm in the process of building up a new wheelset for my 1981 Miyata 1000. I want to keep the rear 126mm spacing so I don't have to spread the frame, but run a 7 speed 36 hole cassette Hyperglide hub. Does anyone know what the options are for this? i.e. - were 126mm Hyperglide hubs even made!? All the hubs I come across seem to be 130mm or 135mm. I do not want to go down the Uniglide path. I know the frame can easily be spread to 130mm, but I really would rather keep the 126mm spacing and not risk frame misalignment....cheers...

I have found that Ultegra hubs go for a premium on ebay, 105 7 speed hubs can sometimes be found used pretty cheap in the 126width. I changed my 105 Uniglide 6speed cassette body to a 7speed. I think they went to a different dust seal design though. I have regular cones, I noticed some of the cones on the later hyperglide hubs have little rubber o-ring seals that fit in a groove on the cone. Right now my conversion is working but maybe not sealed from the elements as well as it should be.

There is a big supply of Deore, Deore LX and Deore XT rear hubs and hubsets on ebay. 7 speed versions in 130mm or 135mm spacing is plentiful. I bought a new old stock black anodized Deore LX hubset for like $13 + shipping on an ebay auction then ordered a 137mm replacement Wheels Manufacturing chromoly axle from my LBS. The axle was $14. I swapped out the longer axle with the shorter one, I removed one spacer to make the conversion. 7 speed Hyperglide cassettes are still easy to come by new. I like the idea of having my hub slide right into the dropouts with minimal wrestling. Keeping it 126mm is the right thing to do. Heck, I even think an enterprising machinist could do a production run on Uniglide cassettes and people (like me) would go crazy snatching them up.

+1 on Hyperglide hub transplant. I bought a 600 Uni hub cheap and a cheap Hyp 105 hub and swapped out the freehub body. Or an ebay seller had cheapo Shimano Hyp hubs with bodies you could swap. It's an easy change. i bet i still have the 105 hub (now a Uni) you could have for shipping. PM me if interested. I'll be home Fri.

I bought a new old stock black anodized Deore LX hubset for like $13 + shipping on an ebay auction then ordered a 137mm replacement Wheels Manufacturing chromoly axle from my LBS. The axle was $14.

The last time I did something similar (changed a 135 mm hub to 130 mm) I didn't even pay for a shorter axle. Thirty seconds with a hacksaw and the original axle fit the new spacing. Axles are strong but are not hardened and a good quality hacksaw blade has no trouble cutting them. Smoothe the cut end with a file and you're done.

BTW, thread a cone or locknut on the axle before cutting as they will "chase" the threads when you remove them.