Surly hub (re)spacing help

[woolly]

I've got a nice set of handbuilt wheels with Surly hubs & Velocity rims. The rear hub is a fixed/free model with a solid axle & track nuts. It's a 120mm spaced hub, but I'd like to use it on a bike that has 130mm spacing. Can I just add a 5mm spacer on each side, inboard of the locknuts to re-space it?

[stormyClouds]

I've got a nice set of handbuilt wheels with Surly hubs & Velocity rims. The rear hub is a fixed/free model with a solid axle & track nuts. It's a 120mm spaced hub, but I'd like to use it on a bike that has 130mm spacing. Can I just add a 5mm spacer on each side, inboard of the locknuts to re-space it?
Yes. I have dome the same with the exact same setup. No probs. :banana:

[Peter P.]

Yes, you could just add the spacers, but you'll probably want to add them to the NON-DRIVE side only.

At 120mm, the hub is already spaced so the cog will line up properly with the chainring. By adding a spacer on the drive side you'll be shifting the cog inboard, so you'll want to verify the cog lines up properly with the chainring on a 130mm spaced bike and whatever crank you're using, or install both 5mm spacers on the non-drive side and leave the chainline undisturbed, assuming in the "as-is" position the cog lines up with the chainring.

Also, you have to make sure that after you install the spacers, that there still is sufficient axle thread outboard of the dropouts for the nuts to purchase.

[Fixed]

the only hard part about a fix is chainline let someone set up the wheel for you .. then you will be happy
cheers imho :beer:

[markie]

Yes, you could just add the spacers, but you'll probably want to add them to the NON-DRIVE side only.



I disagree.

The Surly hub should have a 41mm or so chainline which will match up to the middle chainring, or possibly the outer chainring on most 130mm spaced roadbikes. Equal spacers both sides worked for me.

This will give you a non-dished wheel which will be nice and strong and flip
-flopable.

[woolly]

Thanks for the sanity-check, guys. I do agree that the spacers should be added equally to both sides in order to preserve chainline.

Chainline is measured from the center of the hub/bike, so I'm not sure how adding spacers inboard of the locknuts (again, equally on both sides), but outboard of the cog, would affect chainline. The cog is still in the same place with regard to the center line of the bike, it's just that the locknuts are each bumped out 5mm.

Adding an unequal amount of spacing to one side would not only affect chainline, but would also require dishing the wheel. Which would pretty much make the wheel now un-flip-flop-able. No?

Anyway, the responses did make me do some additional thinking & digging for info about about the chainline. This may end up being the deal-breaker itself, but I doubt I'll know for sure until I actually have the new bike & the wheels in one place at the same time to eyeball it. Current 120mm hub would have a track-like chainline of 42-ishmm. Target bike with 130mm rear spacing is said to have a chainline of 45mm (didn't have this last bit of info when I asked my initial question, nor had I really thought about it much). Makes sense to me, fatter tires & fenders may need the extra clearance. We'll see.

BTW, the bike in question is the Swobo Del Norte. I think it's a really fun looking bike from some cool folks, and it fits my target of SS/fixed, fat-ish tire capable, rack & fender-able, and affordable. I'm just not too keen on the orange-red wheels and (especially chain), and was hoping that I could swap in the nice wheelset that's on my Steamroller (the bike that would be replaced by the Swobo).

BTW, Sky Yeager was absolutely great, answering all my questions. That bit of potential-customer interaction pretty much made my decision to place an order, even if my other wheels won't work perfectly.

Thanks again for the great advice.

[stormyClouds]

Sounds like you have it pegged, Woolly.
If it helps, I attached a crummy pic of the setup that I was using.
If you zoom in a little, you can (sort of) see the freewheel cog, 5mm spacer, then nut. Same on both sides - worked perfectly. It was a Surly Jim Brown track hub.