On Sun, 02 Sep 2018 09:57:41 -0500, AMuzi wrote:

On 9/2/2018 9:22 AM, looking wrote:
A ring inside the freehub, Shimano 105 (FH-5501) snapped and the base
separated from the body. Interesting ride home wondering what that
wobble was, along with the chain flopping about while freewheeling.

I'm trying to avoid having to lace in a new hub by replacing just the
freehub body. I only had one Shimano hub in the parts bin and it came
off of a mountain bike. It looks wider. Is it correct to assume that
the mountain hub that I tried is probably 135mm, too wide for an old
12 speed alloy frame, but that a 130mm freehub body from that era
would be a suitable replacement?


They're sorta all of a type with a lot of small variances.
First off, overall length of HG bodies is evident between
six speed and the later 7+ speed versions. If it's not tall
enough to hold all your sprockets, stop right there.

The washer/shim/spacer underneath, between cassette body and
hub shell, varies a lot. You may need the one which came
with the donor cassette or the one on your hub now. Then
there are the outer seals around the cone which not only
vary but some are decidedly suicidal during removal.

So maybe probably and if not donor cassette bodies are found
on wrecked wheels behind your local LBS. Bodies of
not-Shimano brands are generally not going to fit.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. 8-)

I wasn't clear in presenting the problem but you were clear answering:
the substitute freebody is NOT wider, it's taller.

Overall, I think I get it. There is a little more variation than you'd
want to deal with, but it's doable with patience and attention to the
details. Good.

all the best!