Hi All, I'm currently building up a lovely 1986 Team Fuji frame with a pair of Pro-Am hubs (as recommended by Sheldon Brown) laced on to H+Son 700c rims, with superb Vittoria Corsa "Control" tyres. But the dropout for the rear wheel of the frame is 126 mm, whereas the OLD of the hub is 120 mm. I propose to add a couple of washers to take up the 6 mm and not spring the frame. But the axle isn't long enough at about 132 mm - the ends barely locate into the dropouts. For it to be completely engaged in the lugs I would need about 140 mm.

Amazon has a "Wheel Master" axle that would appear to fit, but certainly isn't the CroMoly the seller says it is, instead it looks like a product of an Eastern European coal mine. Also reviewers say it's a bit fragile. Any one have any thoughts as to where I can buy a quality part? All I need is the QR axle with the little machined groove to take the tab on the plain washers at each end , everything else can be swapped over.

Any thoughts would be gratefully received, I really want to get past this roadblock . . .

What I have, a few mm too short . . .

What Amazon sells . . .

Wheel Master HUB AXLE Set RR WM 10x1x135x146QR8sCRMO

Why not just cold-set the frame down to 120mm? Easy peasy.

https://wheelsmfg.com/products/hub-parts/all-axles.html

That axle will work just fine. All you need is enough axle sticking past the dropout to locate the hub. Once you tighten the QR, nothing is going anywhere. (You are using a steel skewered QR with a single cam and asymmetrical lever I trust. If not, get a decent one. Any modern Shimano and a bunch of others. (I believe the late Sheldon Brown blesses this use of too-short axles as perfectly safe with proper QRs and QR adjustment).

Can be done. I did that to my warranty replacement Fuji Pro in 1978 so I could race my 120 OLD wheels as is. But - it is not 1978. Not even 1986. Coldsetting to 120 OLD means coldsetting it back to 126 or 130 if anyone wants to rejoin the world we live in later.

I would leave the frame alone. Don't try to bend it. Just get the right spacers for the axle to make it fit.

Doesn't he say 1mm in each dropout? Me, I want at least 3mm in each side.

If buying new, Wheels Mfg axles have a solid rep.

What thread pitch is on your present bearings? I'm thinking a used Campagnolo (Nuovo-era) Record rear axle should be perfect for you, easy enough to search on eBay, and cheap enough if you find a seller not trying to gouge on a good used piece.

Heck, someone here in the ISO thread may have one.

-Kurt

You can use an axle without grooves and replace the keyed washers with standard ones. Makes no difference.

OP says the axle is 132 and OLD is 126. Doesn’t that work out to 3mm per end? Seems like enough to me.