Bike Forums - Iro/Formula hub to QR

ok, i typed out a nice long response based on my experience with a rear hub and rather than put in a bunch of edits to make it unreadable, i'm starting over:

if a nashbar/dimension/joytech/whatever hollow cartridge bearing axle does indeed have the same dimensions, machined surface and shoulder then it seems like it would clearly be the best solution. just chop it down to size.

"can't" is a relative term. for a REAR hub, it's quite possible to do a straight 1 to 1 swap of a formula axle with a standard cup/cone axle. i've done it and it worked great for the month i used it, but i have doubts about the long term durability of such a setup. the outer locknut/cone hold the axle in place and even though the bearing sits on threads the fit is pretty good on a rear axle.

since formula uses the same bearings for front and rear hubs and front axles are smaller diameter i'd imagine that a standard 9mm cup/cone axle would NOT fit.

so the first problem is to get a good fit between the axle and bearings. you could replace the bearings with some that have the same outer diameter and width, but with a 9mm inner diameter. a quick google search turned some up here:
http://www.vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/9mm/629ZZ20-1

the lack of machined surface and inner shoulder on the axle is the other problem. you could ignore it, as i did, and there's a decent chance you'll have to replace your bearings more often, but your bike won't explode. or you could get creative and break out the loctite and a few extra nuts and try to make your own replacement shoulders, which is what i'd do if i were going this route again.

but first i'd definitely try a nashbar type axle to see if it works, and i'd also seriously weigh the merits of just using another hub/wheel for my qr needs.