Hello first post on here! (Been reading for a while, great info!)

I have a vintage Bob Jackson frame (steel of course). It has 126mm rear dropouts.

Firstly, All the wheels i currently have are 130mm. From reading around, (Sheldon etc) it looks like i can use my 130mm wheels no problem, would you agree?

Secondly, I've recently acquired a circa 1993 campag record groupset (8 speed rear derailleur). Will i be able to use this on a wheel build around a 130 mm hub or will i need to source a 126mm?

Sorry if these are dumb questions but relatively new to building up bikes and im just just trying to get my head around all this!

Thanks in advance.

Hello welcome to the forums. you can and alot of us do just use our 130 whels in 126 frames but it takes a bit of fiddling to get them in and out. a believe a 8spd campy should be a 130 space hub

Not to hijack this thread, but my question may also be of interest to the OP.

For you who have flexed your stays to use a 130, how to you handle flats in the field? is their a cute field trick to making wheel reattachment easier?

Firstly, yes -- you need to flex the rear dropouts apart when installing rear wheel (having 3 hands helps), but that's a minor annoyance.
Secondly: most 8-speed cogsets are on freehubs (cassette rather than freewheel); is yours? Mfgrs tried to do 8-speed freewheels, but the increased distance between right dropout and right bearing caused a lot of axle breakage; so they're rare now, and I wouldn't use one myself (180#). Most 8-speed setups have 130 mm dropout spacing; I never heard of one fitting in 126 unless maybe one of those Sheldon Brown "you can fit 8 speeds of a 10-speed cassette on a 7-speed freehub" things.

There are no dumb questions, only dumb actions based on not asking questions.

Price of admission is posting photos of your BJ, though . . .

Having a riding partner helps; lacking that, cursing and scratching up chainstays with chain and axle locknuts may suffice.

carefully! I usually stand the bike upright and work the rear wheel, then sort of pull the stays apart and the bike drops down onto the wheel

I have been having my older frames coldset to 130 to make it easier since I want to switch to all cassette wheels

+1, also sweating

Nice!

thanks to everyone for your fantastically friendly and helpful responses! Just what i was hoping for!

Well said sir,

and in return, my work in progress:

+1 to cursing, sweating, and scratching up the stays. But obviously, where there's a will (or an unwillingness to walk) there's a way. It seems to me I've used a technique that involves getting one end of the axle more or less placed, then gripping the frame stays in the fingers of both hands (one on the chain stay, one on the seat stay, duh) and then pressing on the hub with my thumbs and maneuvering the axle into location that way.

If we're just talking about a flat tire, remember that you don't need to take the wheel off the frame to patch it. Removing the wheel from my Fothergill is such a PITA, and putting it back in is worse, that I always patch flats this way if at all possible.

I've had little luck patching in the field. Probably because my eyes have trouble finding the patch, let alone the hole. It took me ten years to admit I needed reading glasses. I have another few before I'll admit I need to pack them in spare tire kit.

unless you are vegan or 95lbs, you should have no problem spreading the stays to get a 130mm wheel in.

1. flip your bike upside down
2. put the wheel almost in the dropouts
3. grab both dropouts and slightly pull out
4. use a free finger on each side to push your wheel into the dropouts.

Cold setting the frame takes about five minutes. Anyone can do it by following Sheldon Brown's instructions, or you can have it done by a shop. It's worth it.