Originally Posted by
MRT2
People who know what they are doing can spread the dropouts 4 mm, if the frame is steel.
I've put wider rear axle assemblies in steel bikes without any problems but this 4mm question has me a little puzzled. That translates to only 2mm a side, almost nothing. I have had bikes that were tight and probably sprung in that much on the dropouts when removing the rear wheel assembly. Do you really need to bend the frame for a slip fit? It's not that big of deal getting it back together with tight dropouts.