(cough) rim brake wheel spacers for disc brake frames?

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nickAKA

Über Member
Location
Manchester
Probably worth telling the whole sorry tale here...

I had a gravel bike shipped over to my sister in Spain for me to use when I go over to visit and told the BIL to use it as he liked. Being a non-cyclist he decided to start off on a smart trainer to build up some fitness (it's pretty hilly where they are), so I told him to get a new rear wheel with a trainer tyre fitted so he could just swap the wheels as he's not mechanically minded at all and changing the tyre would possibly be a bit much for him...

ANYWAY, I did tell him to get a disc brake wheel but guess what... rim brake wheel. He didn't notice, for months. My old man is there at the moment and spotted it straight away, but he's an engineer so you'd expect him to.

So the question is, are there spacers available off the shelf to adapt rim wheels to disk frames, or can you get the axel swapped to suit? It doesn't need a brake on it as it's simply for the turbo. If it was me I'd just get a new wheel but if it can be adapted it'll save him a few quid at least.

TIA
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Probably worth telling the whole sorry tale here...

I had a gravel bike shipped over to my sister in Spain for me to use when I go over to visit and told the BIL to use it as he liked. Being a non-cyclist he decided to start off on a smart trainer to build up some fitness (it's pretty hilly where they are), so I told him to get a new rear wheel with a trainer tyre fitted so he could just swap the wheels as he's not mechanically minded at all and changing the tyre would possibly be a bit much for him...

ANYWAY, I did tell him to get a disc brake wheel but guess what... rim brake wheel. He didn't notice, for months. My old man is there at the moment and spotted it straight away, but he's an engineer so you'd expect him to.

So the question is, are there spacers available off the shelf to adapt rim wheels to disk frames, or can you get the axel swapped to suit? It doesn't need a brake on it as it's simply for the turbo. If it was me I'd just get a new wheel but if it can be adapted it'll save him a few quid at least.

TIA

Nothing to adapt it should just go on assuming that it is both Quick Release - or do you mean that one is Thu Axle and one Quick Release? If so you need to check that the trainer can handle both types. No matter what you do, he should put something between the pads to stop them being forced out if accidentally pulls the brakes. You may have got some with the bike, if not ice lolly sticks work well.
 
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nickAKA

nickAKA

Über Member
Location
Manchester
They're both QR but my old man reckons there's a good 5mm+ gap with the replacement wheel, so I suspect the wheel in question is 135mm where the frame is 142mm (hybrid standard?)
I'm in no way an expert on this...
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Nope? The disc frame should be(conventionally) 5mm wider than a rim brake hub outer

I think the trainers come with a spacer nowadays - or at least you can buy them.

Edit - After googling, it looks like some people have fitted spacers to hack it, but they don't come with the trainer. Maybe it will work, maybe not.
 
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T.M.H.N.E.T

Rainbows aren't just for world champions
Location
Northern Ireland
They're both QR but my old man reckons there's a good 5mm+ gap with the replacement wheel, so I suspect the wheel in question is 135mm where the frame is 142mm (hybrid standard?)
I'm in no way an expert on this...
Either way a new wheel is required.


I think the trainers come with a spacer nowadays - or at least you can buy them.

Edit - After googling, it looks like some people have fitted spacers to hack it, but they don't come with the trainer. Maybe it will work, maybe not.
It's a wheel on trainer, where the widest part of the hub on the bought wheel, is not the same as the standard wheel.
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
What others have done is fit a spacer on the QR on the non drive side between the wheels and the frame. My guess is needs a longer QR, but the OP might get away with it. Obviously it is a bodge and the wheel is not centred, but it sounds do-able.
 
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nickAKA

nickAKA

Über Member
Location
Manchester
'Bodge' was my first instinct but it'd be easy for me to do over here, not so much in Spain with no lathe or stuff for measuring.... anyway, the bike shop who supplied the wheel have said take it in & they'll sort it, so fingers crossed. Doing a search only really brought up Hunt as supplying spacers for their wheels to supplied specification, but I'd need some dimensions, so back to point one on that!

Thanks for your help.
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
Just get some some flat washers to fit over where the wheel fits in the dropouts, 2.5mm either side should still leave enough axle to fit the dropouts, the QR may still be long enough, stick any spare washers between the pads in the disc brake.
 

Milkfloat

An Peanut
Location
Midlands
Just get some some flat washers to fit over where the wheel fits in the dropouts, 2.5mm either side should still leave enough axle to fit the dropouts, the QR may still be long enough, stick any spare washers between the pads in the disc brake.

This.
 
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nickAKA

nickAKA

Über Member
Location
Manchester
Just get some some flat washers to fit over where the wheel fits in the dropouts, 2.5mm either side should still leave enough axle to fit the dropouts, the QR may still be long enough, stick any spare washers between the pads in the disc brake.

I would if I was there mate, but did I mention my BIL isn't very practical? :blush: bike shop have said "mea culpa" though and have now ordered the correct wheel, so with a few days delay it'll be sorted (finally!)
Kudos to the shop for that as it was a good few months ago... https://biciterraneo.business.site/
 
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nickAKA

nickAKA

Über Member
Location
Manchester
Epilogue - I repeat the BIL isn't very practical - turns out the 'problem' was the QR trainer skewer...thread was knackered and wouldn't tighten up fully...
 
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