I just had a nice road wheel built on a NOS Royce high-flange hub. I brought it home and tried to slip it into my dropouts, but it would not fit. The dropout width is fine (126 mm), but the cones are just a little too wide to slip into my dropout! I estimate between 1 and 2mm. Just enough to make it near impossible to get them in. I would have to hammer them in, and then would not be able to get the wheel off later. The Royce hub was made in Britain, and my Raleigh Technium was made in the U.S.A. Is there some discrepency between standard and metric? Can I have my dropouts enlarged?

Paul

Sure it's a 126mm hub and not 130?

Hmmm... this is interesting because i dont know if you are talking about the axle diameter being too wide for the drop outs or are u talking about the distance between the cones being too wide for the rear ends of that bike. since u say that is impossible to get them in you make me think that the diameter of the axle is too big???

In general u can put a 130 mm spaced hub in a 126 mm bike if its steel and maybe even in an aluminum frame, just open the rear end a little bit with your hands and it will slide right in. Maybe u have a 130 mm spaced hub and not a 126.

I am not speaking of the axle. The part that slides into the dropouts is what I am talking about. It is about 9mm wide. It is flat on two sides and spins freely. I line up the flat sides with the dropout entrance and they will not slide in.


Paul

The part that slides into the dropout IS the axle (protruding past the locknuts).
The cones are what the ball bearings rotate on inside the hub.
The locknuts press against the inside of the dropout faces.

So your axle diameter is too large to fit in the dropout opening ?
While the distance between locknuts is ok ? (126mm or so)

Sounds as though you have some oddball hub .... not for a standard road bike ?

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...and-adjustment

Width has a measurable distance , what are the relevant numbers?

cones + spacers + locknuts, on either side of the hub..
you can seek out thinner spacers between the cone and the locknut.

a Technium frame, if the rear portion is steel May be, carefully, Cold set, wider..

Thanks, people. My LBS told me they can file my dropouts with no problem. The pleasures of steel!

Paul