Bike in question.

A Two Ten I picked up on Craigslist 3 or so years ago. Serial # 0A 38005 so 1986?

Rear wheel is 630 bsd Sun CR18 rim with a Deore XT hub spaced at 135. 7 speed loose cog cassette, 13-15-17-20-24-29-34. Chainrings, 50-38-24. UN-53 bottom bracket.

Previous owner remade the bike for his use, as well he should have.

Rear is 135 wide but not straight. I have never cold set a frame. Time to learn. Per St. Sheldon I have my string & 2x4 ready.

I assume frame was 126 to start. Going to 135 seems a stretch to me. Was it too far?

Back to 130? (I realize need different rear wheel if I reduce the width.)

Make it straight at 135 and declare success?


Thanks

Are you keeping the rear wheel or do you want to go for a 130mm road wheel? Depends on your plans for the bike and what level of groupset. Freebub cassette starts at 7 speed and 130mm. In general 126mm constrains you to 6 and 7 speed freewheel (although there are 126mm cassette hubs).

Since it is already 135 i would make it a straight 130 and make a wheelset around some road spaced 130mm hubs.

Secondly you could also just keep it as is and straighten. a 210 is not exactly a super high end bike. All depends on your final goal.

+1 It's a decent touring bike as is, all you need is an alignment. Not worth going back to make it spec. Nothing wrong with any of it.

I cringe every time somebody mentions the Sheldon 2x4 method. I find that the shaft from a broken wooden hockey stick is far more efficient as a tool for cold setting bicycle frames. A 2x4 is unwieldy. The ergonomically sized hockey stick shaft makes it far easier to modulate force, resulting in less trial and error. At this time of year, there is typically a ready supply available for free, around the dumpster area outside ice skating rinks.

Well it's more of a 2x3 than 2x4. Scrap that I had. Used a hole saw to make a half circle cut out so it fits the seat tube.
Will keep an eye out for a hockey stick but not common I my life.

Can I do this with the frame in a repair stand or do I have to lay it on the floor?

I had not considered arms & stays because there was clearance before.
Thanks for the heads up.

I am going to wait a little longer to see if any more things I didn't know or consider are pointed out. Don't want to hear from Red Forman

Thanks again

I have cold set stays many times using the String Method to ensure center line symmetry...

And the two by four is the perfect tool for the job...

...the easiest way I've found is to pull out the crank and shaft, and clamp the frame (minus fork) into a solidly mounted bench vise using the BB shell as what you grab. (Insert it so the vise jaws, which you have previously shielded with plastic or aluminum soft jaw covers, contact the BB shell's flat ends. And angle the chainstays up a little so they are not impeded by the jaws.)

In this way, you can have the stays pointing out toward you as you face the workbench. This makes it easier to see what's going on with the dropouts, and you can measure the width/ align them for parallel with ease. The place where you measure the string distance from the seat tube is right over the vise, so easily measured on each side. As a bonus, you can often respace a frame simply by grabbing both stays on one side or the other with your hands, and pushing hard against them for a small nudge either outward or inward.

Anyway, if you have access to a solid bench vise, try it. It doesn't have to be all that big a vise, but it does need to be mounted to something that will stay put and not slide around, which is the problem trying to do this in a workstand.

Forget the stand and do the work free standing, as pictured in post #10 . It is not difficult and go slow (wee movements at a time - you don't want to bend too much and then have to bend back again. Expect to spend an hour, or so, doing the job and double check measurements after each and every attempt to bend. I am actually bending the stays in this picture and without the help of anything securing the frame set. It is not that difficult if you go slow...