haighter

I got a pretty sweet deal on a new Aksium Race wheelset. My plan was to throw them on my 80's Cannondale. When I just tried to put them on, the rear wheel dropouts seem to be just a few millimeters too narrow.

Is there some way to get this wheel safely on or should I just cut my losses now?

PlatyPius

1980s Cannondale = 126mm spacing.
2000s Aksium Race = 130mm spacing.

You *can* make them fit...... How strong are your arms?

haighter

I guess they'd be strong enough to stretch some aluminum if I had to.

Will doing this compromise the frame? Or is it really just a matter of convenience? Meaning, anytime I need to take the wheel off and put it back on, I'm going to need to exert more energy than normal.

UnsafeAlpine

Your Cannondale has 126mm spacing. Your wheels have 130mm. I would advise against using the wheelset. You can't cold set aluminum. I would advise against using those wheels.

PlatyPius

Technically, you shouldn't do it, according to the lawyers.

Me, I've done it with no ill effects. It's only 2mm per side, after all.

You would have to play Superman every time you put the wheel back on - Aluminum doesn't bend like steel does.

That said, you should just send me the wheels.

Or buy an old steel frame.

I have a set of Shimano 105 wheels (and Look Keo Carbons) on my 1980s Schwinn Traveler.

UnsafeAlpine

I did it on my trek. After a while, the aluminum can crack. There is a lot of force, even at 2 mm. If you don't care about the frame, do it for a while, but make sure you check for cracks on a pretty consistent basis.

haighter

What if I switched the 9s cassette out for a 6 or 7s? That would take up a few less millimeters. Would it then be safe to say the wheel will fit?

UnsafeAlpine

It's the hub width.

Homebrew01

Exactly

Me too

HillRider

Fitting a 130 mm hub into 126 mm dropouts is fairly straight forward and done frequently. You shouldn't "cold set" (permanantly bend) an aluminum frame but fitting the wider hub by flexing the stays is fine if a bit of a struggle.

When Shimano first introduced 130 mm hubs, they provided locknuts with a beveled edge to make inserting them into the then common 126 mm dropouts easier.

BTW, aluminum flexes a lot easier than steel for the same tube dimensions. However, Al frames tend to have larger stays so they are stiffer.

peabodypride

Hi,

I just did this to my 1987 Cannondale SR500. Same wheelset, too. Small world, huh?

You obviously cannot cold-set the frame. Stretching the rear triangle by 2mm on both sides probably won't be the end of the world -- I have heard of people doing it for years.

I think the best solution, and the one I did, was to re-space the rear wheel to 126mm. The non-drive side has a very large axle spacer; any bike shop will have a combination of spacer sizes you can buy to change this. I didn't take measurements but I built a combination of spacers to get right to 126mm.

Then the rim was mis-aligned, pulled more to the non-drive side. I fixed the dishing problem by tightening the drive-side spokes by 1/2 turn. No problems so far.

Oh, one more thing. The axle will then protrude a bit too far on the drive side (Mavic uses a special stepped axle so you can't just move it over a bit). It's only 1-2 mm, enough for the quick release skewer to still bite on the dropout fine. But if you do this permanently you may want to file or dremel that last bit of axle off.

Tagged

I love Peabody's solution.

More evidence that putting those wheels in that frame is perfectly fine: I had an early 90's Trek aluminum frame with 128mm spacing. That's not a misprint. Trek intentionally split the difference between the 7 speed hub and the 8 speed hub. That way they could spec the same frame with either 7 speed or 8 speed, depending on the component build-up. Confused me for years, why I had too much space between my rear dropouts.

Leonard Zinn found the answer for me, by the way.

So I'm sure that you can run the 130 wheels in a 126 frame, as long as you are man enough to jam the wheel in there each time.

Tag

haighter

Ha, this is the bike I'm riding on. I like your taste in bikes dude.


This sounds like the most practical and safe solution, but a tad confusing. I like to wrench on my bike, but this might be a little above my skillset.


In the meantime I think I'll just force the wheel in there. For those of you who advised against it, I hear your concerns. But as others have successfully shown, it is only 2mm per side...

peabodypride

It's a nice bike, definitely. How is your paint? When I bought the bike the paint was scratched and blistered, so it's just bare aluminum now. I may get it powdercoated white again.

Homebrew01

I've got a couple of those frames too ('85 - '87).The paint jobs weren't the toughest ever, but the frames hold up pretty well.

haighter

The paint was surprisingly durable. A few nicks from locking it up, but nothing major. I got into it with an automobile not long ago and had to strip the paint to check for cracks. So, you guessed it - also bare aluminum. Being that the driver of the car was found to be at fault, I got some money to repair my bike. I'm about to get it powder coated, just trying to decide on the color.

haighter

PeabodyPride, what kind of components do you have on there? I'm slowly upgrading mine and trying to decide on a new R/F derailleur.

peabodypride

It's still 105 except for the brakes, which are Tektro levers and calipers. I don't like the really small hoods from that era, and I'm terrible at adjusting single-pivot calipers... they always go crooked on me.

haighter

It should be noted for anyone considering adding a 130mm wheelset to a 126mm frame:

this was incredibly easy. I didn't need to strain to get the wheel in. Didn't need help. Really, I just lined up the wheel, gave a quick spanking (for lack of a better term) to set it, and voila!

Honestly, if I hadn't known about the spacing differences, I would've assumed this wheel fit perfectly, albeit a little tightly.


Anyways, I know this can lead to cracking in the aluminum, but the frame change is minimal, so I won't be surprised if this puppy keeps riding for years to come.


Welp, thanks to everyone who replied. Pics coming after powder coat.

Homebrew01

After you get them tight, use a 13mm cone wrench on the little flats that are up against the frame to make the final adjustment. (Assuming your brakes have those flats)

PlatyPius

And if the brake doesn't have the flats (and the spring is exposed), use this:
https://www.parktool.com/products/det...=14&item=OBW-3