krems81 

I'm considering a shimano xt wheelset for a road bike with 126mm drops. I can cold set the stays to 130, but I'd prefer to respace the hub to 130mm, rather than cold set the rear triangle to 135. I've heard the shimano 130 and 135 hubs use the same width shell, with different spacers. Can I respace the xt hub to 130 and re-dish without encroaching on the rubber seals, or would I be dishing the wheel more than I should?

It would be ideal to remove the same amount of spacers from the axle on both sides, but it seems that is difficult to do on the drive side. I also thought of replacing the freehub body with a shorter 7 speed one. Is that something I can do? Anyone do this with successful results?

desertdork

I think someone else asked a similar question a few weeks ago but don't recall any replies offhand. Might be worth searching.

I don't have any experience with this issue, but I can see where respacing could be possible...depending on which XT hub you have. For instance, Shimano's tech docs for the FH-M750 XT hub show two spacers (one 8mm & one 5mm) on the NDS. It would seem the 5mm spacer could be removed. I don't know what resulting problem there might be with the external rubber seal, though.

The tech docs for the FH-M770 hub depict a very different design that does not feature removable spacers.

Again,,,I think your inquiry is interesting but admit no meaningful experience.

Mr IGH

What's your reasoning for not going to 135mm? I like having the same OLD so I can swap wheels around. I figure, "what's another 2.5mm per side?"

HillRider

You can remove 5 mm of spacers from the non-drive side, recenter the axle and redish the wheel. You will have to shorten the axle by the same 5 mm or it is likely to stick out beyond the dropout faces and keep you from clamping the wheel properly. Don't remove spacers from the drive side or the clearance between the dropout face and the cassette will be wrong.

As to weakening the wheel by redishing, it won't be any weaker than any other 130 mm OLD wheel so that is a non-issue.

krems81 

Will the drive side spoke bracing angle not be steeper than on 130mm wheels? If what I've heard is true and 135mm Shimano hubs are just 130mm hubs spaced differently (i.e. spacers added on non-drive side), I'm guessing the ds bracing angle would go from improved at 135mm, to what you normally get with 130mm Shimano road hubs.

Also, assuming anyone has done this, have you had any issues/solutions with the seals afterwards?

I'm just not crazy about the idea of spreading a full cm. Probably not a big deal, but it seems unreasonable when you should be able to adjust componentry to make it work, rather than bending the frame. In my mind, 130mm is plenty wide, and I prefer not to impose an extra 5mm on a vintage touring frame.

Chris_W

What is the reason for not buying a wheelset with a 130mm rear hub?

TallRider

+1

But if you'll get a great deal on this wheelset and it's too much to pass up, go with HillRider's advice and respace to 130mm. Max dish would be no more than normal road bike rear wheel so you'll be fine here, unless you intend to do loaded touring on it.

krems81 

Well its a deal that may be too good to pass up. Otherwise I'd probably build them myself. It is a set I'd like to be usable for loaded touring.

It will probably go on a touring frame I have, and get thoroughly set up and then sold. I build bikes for other people. I like to be very careful, and make sure the bike is up to snuff for its intended purpose.

I looked for some trends in Shimano hub dimensions in Damon Rinard's spocalc, and it looks like 135mm hubs may in fact be 130mm shells with a different spacer arrangement. There seems to be a 2.5mm decrease from center to ds flange, and a 2.5mm gain in center to nds flange dimensions when you look at any given model in 135mm vs. 130mm. Thus, I think these wheels may even be ok for touring after re-dish and respacing.

TallRider

yeah, in my experience most Shimano rear hubs have the same hub shell dimensions, whether they are branded/sold with 130 or 135mm spacing.
but all else being equal (now including the hub shell) a wheel with wider spacing will have that much less dish and be stronger, which is why mtb and touring wheelsets usually stick with 135mm spacing.

krems81 

Maybe I'll remove 3mm of spacers and set the frame to 132, and call it good. If I can finagel a single washer off the drive side w/out leaving the locknut too close to the cassette, i'll do that. Then I won't need to dish quite as much.

At least, this thread leaves me thinking its not impossible to modify the spacing a bit. At worst, I guess I'd have the spoke bracing angles of a road wheel. Really makes you wonder why every rear rim isn't o/c by now.

Doug64

https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...s.php?id=19063

https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...s.php?id=14542

Check out the pictures of the 2 different hubs, and you will see where the differences are. It seems like twhile the flange width is the same, the total hub width is greater on the 135mm. Look at the non-drive side of the hub.

Doug64

P.S. Forget what I just said. I went out and looked at my wife's touring bike with XT's, and compared the non-drives to my bike's 130mm hubs, and there does not seem to be a significant difference.

meb

There would have been no incentive to widen to 135 but for the greater wheel strength afforded by wider flanges due the spoke angle changes. All other effects were neutral to mildly negative.

bnelson

have you tried spreading the chainstays to see if it would fit?

Mr IGH

Surly frames come spaced at 132.5 and Surly claims they work for both 130mm and 135mm. The spoke angle thing is all well and good, the real advantage of a low dish wheel is that the spokes are very close to equal tension. The closer the tension between sides, the better the wheel.

HillRider

The "spoke angle thing" is the REASON the spokes are closer to equal tension on both sides of the wheel on low dish wheels.