Can I resize a Campy 126mm hub down to 120mm?
 

I am building up a late 70s Medici (120mm rear spacing) with parts from an early 80s Bianchi (126mm spacing). The hubs are Campy Record. I haven't had much luck so far finding a wheelset with 120mm rear spacing or just a 120mm rear (non-track) hub. I've searched this forum and read everything I thought might be useful (including Sheldon Brown's page on this stuff), but I'm still a bit confused. Can it be as easy as pulling off spacers totaling 5-6mm, redishing the wheel, and replacing the 6-speed freewheel with a 5-speed freewheel? Will the axle and skewer work, or do they need to be replaced with shorter ones?

(Before anyone suggests it, I'd prefer not to cold set the frame, at least not at this point. I would consider that as a last resort though.)

Thx...

Skip

Well you have 3 options. #1 you can pull the stays apart 6mm and just use the 126mm hub, #2 you can use a method called cold setting, which is bending the stays out so you change the Medici dropouts to 126mm, or you can switch out the 126mm QR axle (10x26x134mm) and replace it with a QR axle for a 120mm dropouts (10x26x128mm?).

I have NOS Campy axles 129mm end-to-end for use with 120mm OLD spacing.

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/trade/campy-axles.jpg

PM me to work something out.

1. Grab yourself an axle for 120mm to 122mm spacing.

2. Arrange cones, spacers and lock nuts accordingly:

Dimension "A" = freewheel stop on hub shell to outside of drive side lock nut.

Set A to 29mm minimum for regular 5 speed spacing.
Set A to 35mm minimum for regular 5 speed AND regular 6 speed spacing.


Dimension "C" = outside of lock nut to outside of lock nut

Use the non-drive side as your "buffer", "fudge" side or "play loose side. Try obtain at least 120mm and as high as 122mm.


Once you have achieved the above, test in the dropouts with a strip of chain set on the lowest cog of the freewheel to verify clearance. Then build wheel if not built already - make sure wheel is properly dished such that the rim falls on center between the lock nuts of the new hub.

=8-)

Buy a shorter axle? If you like... or just put in a vise with some ally plate, and pick up a hacksaw and a file...

And destroy a perfectly good vintage 126mm axle that would otherwise be available for later, when someone else has offered a 120mm?

=8-)

I would saw that thing in a New York minute.

em

> PM me to work something out.

Thanks. PM sent.

S

I prefer to not saw a perfectly good axle (which I might need at a future date). What is "ally plate"?

Might get it to work uncut to remove the QR springs.
that frees up some space in the QR ends
to let the axle come a hare past the outer face of the dropout..

but still clamp down the QR.

Thanks for the instructions. I always wanted to build a wheel. This will be my next step in that direction. One question, though. You mentioned two values for dimension A:

Does the 29mm value hold for Suntour Ultra 6-speed (narrow) freewheels as well? I'm scouting around for possibilities. One is to just try and use the existing 6-speed Suntour freewheel which is on the hub now. I still have to figure out exactly what it is. It's probably a regular spaced freewheel, but maybe it's an Ultra-6.

If you want to go with a "Narrow 6" which is supposedly what the Suntour Ultra-6 is, then Dimension A needs to be a minimum of 31mm.

(Hopefully it's not a regular 6...which are pretty rare nowadays...)

Whether you can finish the non-drive side or not for the OLD - only testing will tell...

=8-)