bending an 80's frame to accommodate 9 speed

ju5t1n

I’m upgrading an old steel Raleigh tourer for a friend and was planning to install a 9 speed Sora groupset.

The spacing on the frame is 125mm which was fine for the 6 speed hubs of the day but standard road hubs are now 130mm. Steel can be bent, so has anyone done this successfully?

From Sheldon Brown...

Cold Set

To bend a metal part (without heating it) so far that it exceeds its yield strength, and assumes a new shape.

This is a common procedure for aligning and repairing steel bicycle frames. This buzzword sounds more scientific than "bending."

It is a routine procedure for updating older frames to accommodate newer rear wheels that have wider spacing, when upgrading to modern gearing.

Weejie54

Done it lots of times. If you use the Sheldon method, you should manage it without heartbreak.

hugo15

You might find you can just spring the seat stays apart when putting the new wheel in. I have a 1980's Raleigh 531 frame as my winter bike and this is what I do. No need for cold setting.

ride_whenever

I'd cold set it anyway for convenience...

Then straighten the dropouts so they're still parallel.

Smokin Joe

hugo15 wrote:

You might find you can just spring the seat stays apart when putting the new wheel in. I have a 1980's Raleigh 531 frame as my winter bike and this is what I do. No need for cold setting.

Done that many a time, gentle thumb pressure on the dropouts is enough. Many frames are slightly oversize across there anyway and the wheel might just slot in with no pressure.

ju5t1n

Thanks all for your replies. Cold setting for convenience it is then.

The new kit’s all ordered – I’ll post a photo of the finished bike when we’re done. The frame really is a beauty and scrapping it as was suggested in another thread really would be a crime.

ju5t1n

Did the bike up on Saturday. The cold setting was easy - took seconds and worked a treat. Here's that pic I promised...

markos1963

Superb! You were right not to scrap the frame. Nice build as well, good to see an old frame not turned into a 'fixie' for a change.

crankycrank

As mentioned earlier, make sure to get the dropouts aligned as well. If they are not perfectly aligned it can put more stress on the axle leading to breakage and especially on a loaded tourer.