Dropout spacing

A friend of mine recently purchased a new road frame. I don't want to identify the brand, but it's a small company, and the frame would be considered relatively high-end. When the frame arrived, we proceeded to assemble it using the components he had purchased. The (cromoly steel, TIG-welded) frame was spec'd at 135 mm rear dropout spacing with disc brakes, and my friend had purchased a real nice "29er" XT/WTB wheelset to suit. Unfortunately, when we went to install the rear wheel it didn't fit. We measured the dropout spacing (measured from inside dropout face to inside dropout face), and it was 127 mm. Obviously, this was disappointing. There was no visible damage to the frame or the shipping box, and the plastic dropout protector was intact. My friend e-mailed the manufacturer indicating his disappointment that the spacing was 127 mm rather than 135 mm. The manufacturer replied that the the bike was indeed spec'd and welded to 135 mm and, further:

"there is essentially nothing wrong with the rear spacing on the ******. This is normal for the rear spacing in steel frame to move since that amount of movement will have no effect strength and fatigue life of the bike. You just need to push out the rear dropout to 135mm spacing by pulling them apart. Please be sure you are measuring the ID of the interior of dropout. We did check the alignment of the rear derailleur hanger prior to shipment therefore should not be an issue."

Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem, and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

-tom

On Wednesday, January 2, 2013 2:39:03 PM UTC-6, wrote:
A friend of mine recently purchased a new road frame. I don't want to identify the brand, but it's a small company, and the frame would be considered relatively high-end. When the frame arrived, we proceeded to assemble it using the components he had purchased. The (cromoly steel, TIG-welded) frame was spec'd at 135 mm rear dropout spacing with disc brakes, and my friend had purchased a real nice "29er" XT/WTB wheelset to suit. Unfortunately, when we went to install the rear wheel it didn't fit. We measured the dropout spacing (measured from inside dropout face to inside dropout face), and it was 127 mm. Obviously, this was disappointing. There was no visible damage to the frame or the shipping box, and the plastic dropout protector was intact. My friend e-mailed the manufacturer indicating his disappointment that the spacing was 127 mm rather than 135 mm. The manufacturer replied that the the bike was indeed spec'd and welded to 135 mm and, further:



"there is essentially nothing wrong with the rear spacing on the ******. This is normal for the rear spacing in steel frame to move since that amount of movement will have no effect strength and fatigue life of the bike. You just need to push out the rear dropout to 135mm spacing by pulling them apart. Please be sure you are measuring the ID of the interior of dropout. We did check the alignment of the rear derailleur hanger prior to shipment therefore should not be an issue."



Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem, and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

Not acceptable. Are the faces parallel when spread out to 135? Yes? Then the box got squished. No? Then it's a manufacturing flaw.

On 1/2/2013 2:39 PM, wrote:
A friend of mine recently purchased a new road frame. I don't want to identify the brand, but it's a small company, and the frame would be considered relatively high-end. When the frame arrived, we proceeded to assemble it using the components he had purchased. The (cromoly steel, TIG-welded) frame was spec'd at 135 mm rear dropout spacing with disc brakes, and my friend had purchased a real nice "29er" XT/WTB wheelset to suit. Unfortunately, when we went to install the rear wheel it didn't fit. We measured the dropout spacing (measured from inside dropout face to inside dropout face), and it was 127 mm. Obviously, this was disappointing. There was no visible damage to the frame or the shipping box, and the plastic dropout protector was intact. My friend e-mailed the manufacturer indicating his disappointment that the spacing was 127 mm rather than 135 mm. The manufacturer replied that the the bike was indeed spec'd and welded to 135 mm and, further:

"there is essentially nothing wrong with the rear spacing on the ******. This is normal for the rear spacing in steel frame to move since that amount of movement will have no effect strength and fatigue life of the bike. You just need to push out the rear dropout to 135mm spacing by pulling them apart. Please be sure you are measuring the ID of the interior of dropout. We did check the alignment of the rear derailleur hanger prior to shipment therefore should not be an issue."

Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem, and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

-tom




It's not a serious or complex thing in steel, but measure to
see if it is centered now and ensure that your final 135mm
is centered as well.

(this is not a common variance in modern American steel
frames.)

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

wrote:
A friend of mine recently purchased a new road frame. I don't want to
identify the brand, but it's a small company, and the frame would be
considered relatively high-end. When the frame arrived, we proceeded to
assemble it using the components he had purchased. The (cromoly steel,
TIG-welded) frame was spec'd at 135 mm rear dropout spacing with disc
brakes, and my friend had purchased a real nice "29er" XT/WTB wheelset to
suit. Unfortunately, when we went to install the rear wheel it didn't
fit. We measured the dropout spacing (measured from inside dropout face
to inside dropout face), and it was 127 mm. Obviously, this was
disappointing. There was no visible damage to the frame or the shipping
box, and the plastic dropout protector was intact. My friend e-mailed the
manufacturer indicating his disappointment that the spacing was 127 mm
rather than 135 mm. The manufacturer replied that the the bike was indeed
spec'd and welded to 135 mm and, further:

"there is essentially nothing wrong with the rear spacing on the ******.
This is normal for the rear spacing in steel frame to move since that
amount of movement will have no effect strength and fatigue life of the
bike. You just need to push out the rear dropout to 135mm spacing by
pulling them apart. Please be sure you are measuring the ID of the
interior of dropout. We did check the alignment of the rear derailleur
hanger prior to shipment therefore should not be an issue."

Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem,
and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

-tom

High end? Off by 8 mm? Must be some voodoo small framebuilder working from
his shed on a monday morning. Could it be that he just forgot to set and
align the frame after welding? I would not spread the frame myself. It is
his job.
--
Lou, a robot welded aluminum frame please.

On Jan 2, 3:39*pm, wrote:

Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem, and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

Really...?
-----

-gpsman

On Jan 2, 12:44*pm, landotter wrote:
On Wednesday, January 2, 2013 2:39:03 PM UTC-6, wrote:
A friend of mine recently purchased a new road frame. I don't want to identify the brand, but it's a small company, and the frame would be considered relatively high-end. When the frame arrived, we proceeded to assemble it using the components he had purchased. The (cromoly steel, TIG-welded) frame was spec'd at 135 mm rear dropout spacing with disc brakes, and my friend had purchased a real nice "29er" XT/WTB wheelset to suit. Unfortunately, when we went to install the rear wheel it didn't fit. We measured the dropout spacing (measured from inside dropout face to inside dropout face), and it was 127 mm. *Obviously, this was disappointing. There was no visible damage to the frame or the shipping box, and the plastic dropout protector was intact. My friend e-mailed the manufacturer indicating his disappointment that the spacing was 127 mm rather than 135 mm. The manufacturer replied that the the bike was indeed spec'd and welded to 135 mm and, further:

"there is essentially nothing wrong with the rear spacing on the ******.. *This is normal for the rear spacing in steel frame to move since that amount of movement will have no effect strength and fatigue life of the bike. *You just need to push out the rear dropout to 135mm spacing by pulling them apart. Please be sure you are measuring the ID of the interior of dropout. *We did check the alignment of the rear derailleur hanger prior to shipment therefore should not be an issue."

Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem, and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

Not acceptable. Are the faces parallel when spread out to 135? Yes? Then the box got squished. No? Then it's a manufacturing flaw.

At a minimum, there's a packing problem. Boxed frames should be
shipped with drop out blocks or spacers so this sort of thing can't
happen -- assuming the stays were squashed during transit. Either
way, the manufacturer should have offered to fix it or to pay to have
it fixed by a reputable shop.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Jan 2, 8:39*pm, wrote:

Would spreading the frame be considered an acceptable fix to the problem, and would 8mm be considered an acceptable manufacturing tolerance?

-tom

It's the builder's job to deliver a frame that fits. A millimetre or
two could be overlooked -- if everything else was tiptop -- but 8mm to
spread in the user's hands is totally unacceptable. Your friend should
return the frame and tell the builder to do the job right.
Furthermore, a builder this careless raises suspicion whatever he does
from now on. Before he returns the bike to your friend with the 135mm
spacing, he should prove that the frame end inner faces are parallel
(i.e. that he didn't just spread a frame built to be parallel at 127mm
by main force and therefore deliver another unacceptable bodge).

I'm sorry to hear about all this. I've bought three bikes unseen from
people I've never met in different countries, and had good luck each
time.

Andre Jute

On Wednesday, January 2, 2013 3:46:56 PM UTC-6, Jay Beattie wrote:
At a minimum, there's a packing problem. Boxed frames should be

shipped with drop out blocks or spacers so this sort of thing can't

happen -- assuming the stays were squashed during transit. Either

way, the manufacturer should have offered to fix it or to pay to have

it fixed by a reputable shop.



-- Jay Beattie.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The frame was indeed packed with a dropout block (plastic spacer) in both the rear dropout and front fork, and both were intact in the frame. Also, although the company's not large, it's definitely not a backyard no-name builder.

-tom

On Jan 2, 5:16*pm, wrote:
On Wednesday, January 2, 2013 3:46:56 PM UTC-6, Jay Beattie wrote:
At a minimum, there's a packing problem. Boxed frames should be

shipped with drop out blocks or spacers so this sort of thing can't

happen -- assuming the stays were squashed during transit. *Either

way, the manufacturer should have offered to fix it or to pay to have

it fixed by a reputable shop.

-- Jay Beattie.

Sorry if I wasn't clear. The frame was indeed packed with a dropout block (plastic spacer) in both the rear dropout and front fork, and both were intact in the frame. Also, although the company's not large, it's definitely not a backyard no-name builder.

If there was a properly fitting spacer, I see no way that the spacing
was any different when it left the shop. And if he can't do better
than plus or minus 8 mm, he may deserve to be a backyard no-name
builder.

- Frank Krygowski

https://www.google.com/search?num=10....c9 l44Xyzy-Y

IF THE frame was used or in carbon steel 3mm each side is no big deal, add washers, take it to the shop....you need to clamp the stays together down near the seat stay spreading only the rear half or ?

but here you have a new cro moly frame where you paid for 135mm and 135mm ypou should have...professionally.

Why ? reads like the frame was made not to spec and should be inspected, repaired by a professional. Worser, is there something else done not to spec ?

Search for NOLO then SMALL CLAMS COURT