120 wheel in 126mm frame
 

Hi all, I'm almost certain this has been discussed before, but I couldn't turn up a thread on the specific wheel/frame dimensions I'm dealing with, so...

Basically: I'm attempting my very first singlespeed conversion and want to put a 120mm singlespeed wheel in an old road frame with 126mm spacing. The axle is plenty long enough, and when I tighten everything down, it seems to stay put (though I haven't actually test ridden the bike yet). Is there anything I should be aware of besides possibly needing to tweak the chainline once everything's assembled? I mean, is it OK on the hub to throw it in a frame that's too wide, will I have a hard time keeping it tight enough, anything else I should know or do?

Thanks in advance everyone! I eagerly anticipate your knowledges.

Easy to fix, put 2 thin washers at each side of the axle and you are all set.

If the frame is steel it won't be an issue - unless the stays don't "squeeze in" uniformly.
The only thing that's annoying is that when you remove the wheel and then reinstall, the stays may be wider than the [inside length of the] skewer in the open position..

OK sweet thanks! I think I'll give some washers a shot in hopes it'll obviate any pesky differential stay-squeezing :)

here are two dumb questions tho: if I use washers, do they go on the outside of the locknut (ie, just against the inside of the stay), or should they go in between the locknut and lock washer thing (like when you use spacers to redish a wheel, as Sheldon describes on his page on the thing). And secondly: does anyone know where I can procure such washers?

Thanks again you guys -- I'm always very impressed with the patience all you savvy folks on here have for answering all these basic mechanical questions all the time...

You can put them like spacers or leave them loose at the inside of the dropout, the effect is the same, the elegance is different in both, your choice :) If you do not take the wheel ever out just leave them lose (if you are lazy too), or add them as spacers, same thing.

You may lose a little clamping force unless you use the new washers as spacers. Your locknuts are probably ridged, the washers probably not. You may just have to try and see how it works.

Throw some washers in there. No sense bending your stays if you don't have to. Putting them inside the locknuts will make wheel installation slightly easier, but it really doesn't matter. Put them wherever you want. Any washer that fits over your axle is fine, they don't need to be bicycle specific.

I agree. If your wheel doesn't move around in the dropouts, you're fine. If it does, put the washers inside the locknuts.

Using axle spacers of different thicknesses can help you make fine adjustments to chainline, if required.

any how.. Nut fixed solid axle? if 2 3mm washers go on
and you can still get nuts on the ends, its OK.


need enough QR axle to hold up the frame, may need to swap in another axle , then.

But perhaps you will also be changing the chainline, from whats right.

then all 6mm of spacer needs to go on 1 end and the wheel re centered,

good luck.

Sheldon thinks it's OK.