Old Frame - New Group set.

[Vikeonabike]

Although a lover of fixed, due to a knee injury I should also have a geared road bike to use when required.
I currently have a lovely late 80's Vitus Frame in the garage and am thinking about upgrading it with a new (ish) STI group set.
My question is could I fit a 8 or 9 speed STi rear wheel in the the rear triangle (measured the gap too 128mm)?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

if it's owt like my old vitus was 'back in the day' then putting a 135 hub in such a flexi frame should be a piece of cake!

You may need a BB with an axle that is good and wide though or that big chainring could well carve its way through the chainstay.

 

[TheDoctor]

Assuming you're talking road groupset rather than MTB...
I'd expect a road hub at 130 mm OLD to go into a 128mm gap without any drama. A chainset using a square taper BB would be a good idea if clearance to the chainstays will be tight.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

135 will build into a stronger wheel imo due to less dish

 

[TheDoctor]

True, true. I'm not sure I'd care to flex an alloy frame by that much myself though.

 

[PpPete]

135 is certainly stronger in theory, but TBH 130 is still perfectly good. I've taken 130 hubs on narrow rims/CX tyres in an older steel frame - no suspension - over some pretty rough off-road wih no hub probs (hands & @rse different story )

 

[alecstilleyedye]

if it's a steel frame, i've an '80s era frame that i have successfully fitted 9-speed compatible wheels in, albeit with an 8-speed block on. little flexing required, with plenty of chain clearance left.

 

[Steve Austin]

135 will build into a stronger wheel imo due to less dish

If 135 is so good, then why are the majority of roadbikes still using 130?

 

[Vikeonabike]

Its an aluminium road bike, bonded stays.
I'll have to see if I can borrow some bits for test build I think.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

If 135 is so good, then why are the majority of roadbikes still using 130?

what has logic got to do with the specification of anything on bikes?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

True, true. I'm not sure I'd care to flex an alloy frame by that much myself though.

it's a vitus, you can flex the bb by about an inch just by stomping the pedals....

 

[Ian H]

An 80s frame will have been built to 130mm. It'll take any modern road hub.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I've done an aluminium frame that was wider than the hub and a steel frame that was narrower - both worked out fine with gentle persuasion.

 

[NickM]

If your frame measures 128mm, it will be absolutely OK to spring it 2mm for use with a 130mm hub. My Vitus 979 frame (the one I wish I had never sold... <sigh>) seemed perfectly happy when its new owner put a 130mm ORLN wheel in it. However, a more elegant solution, assuming that you have hubs with cup-and-cone bearings, would be to re-space the rear hub to 128mm.

You would either take a 1mm spacer off each side of the hub, or (to ensure that the top sprocket clears the right-hand dropout) take 2mm of spacer washers off the LHS, and dish the wheel appropriately. Be sure before final dishing that the chain clears the frame when in top gear. This is unpredictable, depending as it does on the shape of the inside of the rear end of the frame, and on what top sprocket you use.