26" Wheel Sizes

[R917G]

Our daughter has purchased a classic 1980s/90s bike to do up and use as city transport in London. It is a vintage model and needs new wheels as the old chrome ones are rusty and pitted. The tyres are marked 26 x1 3/8 which we understand are a totally different diameter to modern 26" wheels.

She has purchased 2 new rims marked as 26x1 3/8 and although the rear wheel just about fits as the bolts through the hub are a very tight fit in the slots on the frame, the front wheel is way too wide to fit between the front forks.

Has anyone any idea of what the hub width options are available for these old size 26" wheels and are we correct in assuming that anything marked 26 x 1 3/8 are indeed designed for these older bikes?

Any help much appreciated.

[slowster]

The hub size (more correctly the Over Lock Nut distance - OLN) is independent of the wheel diameter size.

I suggest you read the first part of this link about frame spacing:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

The latter part of the link explains how to respace a frame, but that is not necessarily the appropriate solution in your case.

I suggest you measure the distances on your frame, and tell us what they are.

[R917G]

Thank you very much for the advice. I have passed it onto my daughter and she will look into fork spreading at the weekend. I shall also be seeing her then and can check both if the front forks are steel and exactly what the OLN is.

Once again, thank you.

[fausto99]

...She has purchased 2 new rims marked as 26x1 3/8 and although the rear wheel just about fits as the bolts through the hub are a very tight fit in the slots on the frame, the front wheel is way too wide to fit between the front forks...

I assume you mean she has bought new wheels - rims don't come with hubs. Sounds like the replacement wheels have been made with wider hubs for more modern frames. If the old frame is steel it can be cold set (carefully bent) to take wider hubs.

In general anything marked 26 x1 3/8" will be the old utility bike size. MTB 26" is very different, come in larger decimal inch sizes like 1.5" and will probably be marked with the ETRTO 559 bead diameter.

[rjb]

In addition as well as spreading the fork to accommodate the wheel you may find the fork slot is too narrow which will entail some work with a file to enlarge the gap. Older bikes in particular raleigh 3 speeds came with front wheels with thinner diameter axles than modern standards. It may be possible to fit thinner locknuts which may mean less spreading of the fork. Post some pics which may be a help to replies to your query. :wink
Is the rear wheel a sturmey archer 3 speed by chance? If its a tight fit in the dropout you could place the anti rotation washers outside the dropout.

[Mike Sales]

This sounds to me as if it may be a hub/dropout interface which is rather different to the usual.
Is the slot in the frame for the axle keyhole shaped?
Do the cones have locknuts?