Author Topic: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs  (Read 3430 times)

Offline Mambocowboy

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14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« on: January 26, 2021, 11:51:44 PM »
Tried searching for an answer but couldn't find it. Can I use 14mm rear hub with 14mm pegs on a frame that has 3/8 dropouts? Do I need some type of adapter ? Thanks

Offline aliasdck

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2021, 12:21:11 AM »
It may be possible to get a slotted axle for your rear hub but depends on the kind of axle the hub needs and if a slotted axle is even available in that design. Looks like this:





You can also slot the axle yourself by grinding it yourself but you want to be careful not to damage the threads otherwise you may not be able to dissemble the hub ever again without issues.


Alternatively you can just grind the dropouts in the frame and make them wide enough to accept a 14mm axle. If you do this, though, you may want to take half off the top and half off the bottom, otherwise you will offset how rear end of the frame sits a bit up or down, which essentially would change the headtube angle a bit.

Offline Mambocowboy

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2021, 01:05:35 AM »
It may be possible to get a slotted axle for your rear hub but depends on the kind of axle the hub needs and if a slotted axle is even available in that design. Looks like this:





You can also slot the axle yourself by grinding it yourself but you want to be careful not to damage the threads otherwise you may not be able to dissemble the hub ever again without issues.


Alternatively you can just grind the dropouts in the frame and make them wide enough to accept a 14mm axle. If you do this, though, you may want to take half off the top and half off the bottom, otherwise you will offset how rear end of the frame sits a bit up or down, which essentially would change the headtube angle a bit.
Thanks for taking the time! Great info!

Offline DaddyCool

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2021, 04:50:14 PM »
Be careful when you have a hollow axle! In this case I wouldn't do it! It will make the axle really weak. I would grind the dropout if there is enough material left. Could you share pictures of your dropouts from in- and outside please?

Offline Mambocowboy

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2021, 05:06:02 PM »
Be careful when you have a hollow axle! In this case I wouldn't do it! It will make the axle really weak. I would grind the dropout if there is enough material left. Could you share pictures of your dropouts from in- and outside please?
Not going to try. Will wait till I have a frame with 14 mm dropouts to try a 14 mm hub...

Offline aliasdck

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #5 on: January 27, 2021, 05:12:56 PM »
Be careful when you have a hollow axle! In this case I wouldn't do it! It will make the axle really weak. I would grind the dropout if there is enough material left. Could you share pictures of your dropouts from in- and outside please?

Thanks Daddycool, very important, I forgot to mention this. I forget that most modern 14mm hubs probably use hollow axles.

Offline Mambocowboy

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #6 on: January 27, 2021, 06:00:40 PM »
Be careful when you have a hollow axle! In this case I wouldn't do it! It will make the axle really weak. I would grind the dropout if there is enough material left. Could you share pictures of your dropouts from in- and outside please?
Not going to try. Will wait till I have a frame with 14 mm dropouts to try a 14 mm hub...
The 14 mm hub I want to try is the BSD Revolution...

Offline G Code

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2021, 11:44:50 PM »
Thanks aliasdck, the slotted 14mm axle to fit a 3/8 dropout is a great idea for thinking out side the box. After milling out the slots on my axles, do you think that the milled out section would need to be harden again for strength?     
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Offline aliasdck

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2021, 02:18:50 AM »
I'm not sure but I suspect if you're dealing with a solid quality axle it'll still be quite strong even after slotting it. But working with metals is not my area of expertise so I don't know about hardening it afterwards. Again, though, as daddycool pointed out above, it would be a really bad idea to slot an axle that is hollow, so this should only be performed on one that is solid.

Offline Mambocowboy

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Re: 14mm rear hub on 3/8 frame droputs
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2021, 03:34:25 AM »
I'm not sure but I suspect if you're dealing with a solid quality axle it'll still be quite strong even after slotting it. But working with metals is not my area of expertise so I don't know about hardening it afterwards. Again, though, as daddycool pointed out above, it would be a really bad idea to slot an axle that is hollow, so this should only be performed on one that is solid.
So glad I asked. Going to use the FEC 3/8 ti hub.