mbs3926

I have just purchased a Raleigh Equipe track bike (great value, rides well)

I already owned a nice pair of "fixed" wheels (more spokes stiffer )

however (please be patient here)

the dropouts on the front forks appear to be too narrow

question is

are there different diameters of axles or drop out sizing ?

apologies if this is a stupid question, but what am I missing here (apart from common sense perhaps?)

thanks

habilis

You can carefully file the dropout openings until they accept the axles. Avoid creating a "step" in the back of the dropout opening - it should remain smooth and semicircular. A notch there can act as a stress riser and result in a broken dropout. I use a flat file to do the enlarging and a round file to clean up any notches. (Yes, axle sizes can vary. My Raleigh is 50 years old and I had the same problem.)

andr0id

Do you "fixed" wheels use the same size nut on both the front and rear?

Most track hubs are M9 front axle and M10 rear axle.
Maybe your wheels have both as M10 so you don't need 2 sizes of wrenches?

Filing to fit an extra mm won't hurt anything. Just keep it square and clean like habilis says.

JohnDThompson 

Most true track hubs will use the same size wrench (15mm) for both front and rear hubs, despite the difference in axle diameter.

andr0id

Yeah, my 7600's are like that. Maybe it cost too much for some of the < $100 hub sets out there now?

Andrew R Stewart 

Depending on the frame I might suggest filing flats on the axle before opening up the drop outs. After all the axles are replaceable for lower cost then the drop outs. If I had a really nice frame which has a resale value or history worth saving I'd avoid frame work as a first choice. Andy.