just curious...

i know that (on a steel frame) one can spread a 125mm rear spacing to a 130mm rear spacing. can the reverse be done? i recently purchased a touring frame which takes 700c wheels. the rear spacing is 135mm, but i am only finding wheels that are spaced for 130mm. could the frame be "squeezed" or am i an idiot for asking. if so, just reply with the word "idiot" as the text. if not, any tips on a good and inexpensive way to do this would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

The frame could be cold set the "wrong" way but why not just add a 2 mm spacer under each locknut of the 130 mm hub? The resulting reduction in axle protrusion will still leave plenty (3.5 mm on each end) to locate the wheel properly and you won't have to modify the frame.

As to finding 135 mm hubs on road wheels, I think there are plenty out there or you could have a 700C rim laced to an MTB hub. Come to think of it, isn't that what 29" wheel MTB's use as standard equipment?

It can be done. You can do it with a 2x4. Sheldon Brown has a pretty good tutorial on his site. Just place the lever so it pushes the seatstay in. If you're not using quick release, 5 mm doesn't really need to be cold set, just use the nuts to pull the dropouts together. This would work with QR too, but would probably be a pain.

Keep in mind that "cold setting" is "bending with style"

You could do it, but if it were my bike, I would either add a 2-mm spacer on each side of the wheel... or actually, I'd move the axle to the left and add a 4-5 mm spacer to the LEFT only, to make it work like a bona fide 135-mm wheel. Or, if I were to buy a new wheel, I would simply get a wheel mounted on a MTB hub... like a touring wheel.

Basically, the 135-mm hub will give you a wheel with much less dish – i.e. much less vertical spokes on the right side – and therefore a much stronger wheel than a wheel built on a 130-mm.

wow! the answers i was looking for! and so fast, too!

i think i will hold out for some 135mm's. but i will keep the spacer idea under my hat. thanks again!

order a custom built wheel or there are a few at the online bike catalogs that have what you want in lowend units one is b--- n------ no ad just info doug

Bumping up an old thread.

To narrow a frame, am I correct in understanding that the 5-6ft (1,50-1,80m) lumber should rest on eg. a chair at the far end, and the user should push here?


https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

ie. without using a lumber?

Wouldn't putting the far end on the other side (steering tube) provide much more leverage to push against the chainstay?

I'm also concerned about the lack of precision by simply pushing without using a jig..

There is no precision.

You have to check the the alignment of the frame after bending the rear triangle. You can check alignment with the string test (Sheldon Brown, further down the frame setting page) or a frame gauge. I've done this a bunch of times and usually have to re-adjust the rear triangle a bit after the initial cold set.

Also check the dropout alignment, to make sure they're parallel. Again, Sheldon has a home shop method.

The one tool I think every frame-messer-abouter needs is a hangar alignment tool, which the last and maybe most critical alignment. When the hangar isn't aligned to the wheel, shifting suffers, and sometimes a lot.

Here is a video I made 13 years ago showing my methods. All these years later, this bike continues to perform flawlessly.

Excellent video.

take a Really GOOD look at the last 2mm or so of several QR Axles sometime soon, ok?
then stop advising adding spacers to a QR axle.

If it's a Shimano hub with cup and cone, you can swap to the proper 135mm (ie. 146mm total length) threaded axle, add 5mm's worth of washers to the NDS, and re-dish wheel.
This is preferable to cold-setting the frame (which I am against in any event) because the 135mm hub makes for a stronger wheel with less dishing, than the 130mm hub.

Thanks much. Do you mean a (derailleur) hanger?

Very nice, thank you. Since it'd a bit pricey to get a frame spreader, a drop-out tool, and a frame alignment gauge just for a one-time job, I'll check SB's string method.

No need for that, a tourniquet is easier and with luck will maintain the tracking. If it doesn't move symmetrically (check with string and a ruler) you can just support the seat tube and head tube off the floor, and step on the chainstay whichever side you want to move. It doesn't take a lot of force to move it over.

n.b. Only for steel frames; you can reset a welded aluminium frame but it's supposedly more likely to have future problems. Less hassle to use the right width hub for the frame you have, either with a longer axle or swap a whole hub into an existing wheelset. If the longer axle has all the extra spacers on the NDS you will have to redish the wheel towards that side, resulting in less uneven spoke tension and a more stable wheel. This will widen the chainline so you may need to adjust the front mech to suit.

aluminum frames tend to resist moving, then suddenly yield, and go WAY too far... there's a broken giant tcr frame decorating the wall of my garage at home that testifies to this fact.

I suspect that cheaper frames made of softer alloys will yield more readily, and break later, while the lighter weight higher strength alloys will behave like that Giant. But it can be tempting to try, what's the worst that could happen? Oops.

"the worst"? a Free TCR, hanging on a wall, forever.

it had been previously stomp-set to 120mm for a SS conversion attempt... i was trying to, at least, make it symmetrical/aligned again.
tough stuff, that properly heat treated aluminum alloy... brittle, too.