Classic & Vintage - Cheap Peugeot rear spacing?

Hi,

I've got a low end Peugeot from around 1976 that I'm putting together. It's mostly complete except for the wheels. When I tried to put an old 5 speed 27" wheel on the back I had to spread the dropouts a significant distance. At first I thought the frame &/or dropouts where bent. They may be bent, but they don't appear THAT bent.

I'm now thinking that there may be something about rear wheel spacing that I don't know about.

I measure it at 113mm. Is this close to what one of you experts would expect?

By the way the serial #(?) is y806 06391.

Thanks for any help!

Most 5 speed wheels would be spaced at 120mm. I'm not sure what originally would have been on yours, but it seems to be narrower than I would expect a 5 speed to be set at. Perhaps someone had set this up as a "fixie" and bent the frame to fit that?

Zorro,

120 mm doesn't sound too bad. I only have to bend the frame/dropouts 7mm. I was afraid I was looking at like 17mm or something.

Thanks for your help.

You might want to double-check the spacing on the wheel you're putting in. 120mm is the nominal spacing for a 5 speed, but it is possible that the spacing is set for something wider (126mm, and 130mm are common for 6 & 7 speed rears) and that they just put a 5 speed freewheel on that. If your rear is wider than 120mm, I would advuse you to see if you can replace the axle with a narrower one, and change the spacers appropriately (a decent LBS could help you with that).

Regardless of whether you do this or not, check how the rim fits between the brake pads. It is entirely possible (almost certain if you have to change the axle) that you will have to modify the dishing of the wheel so that the rim is centered properly. If you're not sure what this means or how it would be done, either let me know, take a look at the Maintenance board, or check Sheldon Brown's web site.

I want to correct myself. Some 5 speeds came with 120mm spacing and some came with 126mm spacing. Measure the axle first, as there's a fair chance it may be 126. I have a similar problem with an older 10 speed that I have. It's from 1965, and when I got a newer rear wheelset to replace one with a shot hub, I found myself in quite a wrestling match to get the hub to fit in. I haven't bothered to measure, as I expect to re-introduce an original-sized hub soon.

The Pugs from that time period are generally about 120mm, although I've seen a few around 125mm. 113 sounds like potential damage. Your serial number is eight digits; generally Peugeots from the 70's have seven digit numbers.

Remeasure. Check the spacing of the rear wheel. Also, check the frame for alignment. If you lack the park alignment tool, use a piece of string. Tie it to one rear dropout, the run it around the head tube and back to the opposite dropout, to the same place on the second dropout the string is attatched to on the first dropout. The measure the distance from the string to the seat tube on both sides of the frame. The measurements should be close to equal. If not, repeat and remeasure.

I am no expert, but that is what I'd do.