Tiny old axle size? What to do?
 

Hi I have an old Huffy Sportsman, I was going to put a new wheel onto this bike but apparently it only takes very skinny axles.
I dont have any hubs which use skinny axle. I would prefer not to build a wheel for this. Do I have any options?

I have the older hubs that are like 95 OLD front hub. I would build the wheel myself. Is this a front or rear? What size is the drop out?

This could have gone in the pre-existing thread, FYI.

I'm still assuming that you have a Raleigh-built Sportsman, for you haven't posted any photos or much information in the other thread. If both dropouts are thinner then your new axles, it's a Raleigh; if not, it's something else.

That said, here are your options:

FRONT wheel:
A. Build a new wheel w/Raleigh hub
B. Replace the nutted axle in your new hub with a Q/R axle, and spread the fork blades by hand whenever you need to pull the wheel - this circumvents the slotted dropouts
C. File your new axle on both sides to fit through the slot. Make SURE you have the proper thread tap to clean up the threads afterwards.

REAR wheel:
A. Re-lace wheelset with Sturmey hub
B. File as with "C" above, though less advisable
C. File dropout slots open, though I'd consider it Drewing.

Can't you just find a 40h 590 rim and sell off the parts you got for 559?

-Kurt

Firstly I forgot to say this but it is SA hubs going in the back anyways so that should be fine. Also taht scared me because I was planning to put 1 SA hub w/ axle onto a normal MTB which I now assume wont work.

And yes is a made in England Raleigh Huffy.

Spreading things by hand / cold setting this doesnt phase me at all. The fork was originally spaced to 80mm for some crazy reason. QR Axles are thinner?

I guess I could but I definitly wont make my money back... finding people to buy my 40h rims would be difficult.

This may or may not fit, I'm not familiar with your make/model.. If you change your mind about building a wheel, here is an economy narrow width 5/16" (7.9375mm) axle hub.
http://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...oducts_id=4688
It probably will come overtightened and ungreased btw.

Q/R axles are narrower.

Try it before you shoot the idea down.

-Kurt

Heh yeah true sorry

OK so I tried putting my Deore LX Parrallax hub wheels (a few years old) to this frame but they wouldnt fit. Based on some googling.. these axles are 10mm and they almost fit.
So could I file the fork a bit? To make it 10mm?

I put the rims in the classified we will see what happens.

That is, after you spread the fork blades over the axles, and slid the round section of the dropouts to the height of the axle, the axle stubs wouldn't fit?

I'd say you can file the dropout hole (not the slot) a millimeter or two larger on both sides (make sure you file the SAME on both sides!) with little issue.

-Kurt