[dvn]

So a while back, I bought a set of wheels on ebay to run as a summer set-up on my 2013 salsa Mukluk. It turns out that the front hub (Paul Whub) is 135 front disc spacing and not 135 rear disc spacing. It seems if I want to run these wheels, I need a new front hub, right? If I were to get a new Salsa or Fatsno front hub, would my existing spokes work? I would have to have a shop re-spoke it as I am not experienced at wheel building. I don't really want to throw a lot more money at this. I'm open to any and all suggestions and advice.

 

[jschnelk]

I just did the same thing on my 2013 Beargrease and had the same problem. I purchased a summer wheel set with 616 hubs on Velocity Dually rims. I was able to make it work by drilling about 2mm out of the caliper mounting bracket so that the caliper could be aligned properly. A friend helped with it as he had access to a drill press with stops that could be set so that each drilled area could be milled down the same using a flat head drill bit. By drilling the bracket down you are able to move the caliper away from the wheel enough to get it to align properly. Attached is a pic of the bracket after the modification:

Without this modification, my understanding is the only other option is a different fork (example: Carve Carbon) that will allow the caliper to be mounted at the proper spacing.

 

[dvn]

Thanks jschnelk. I saw that thread right after I posted mine. I think I will go that route as well but wouldn't 5mm need to be machined off the bracket as that is the difference between front and rear disc spacing? I don't think 2mm would be enough in my case.

 

[Anthem1]

Bike man sells a 5mm spacer that mounts between your hub and rotor.
It worked for me, but I did have to add 3 of the thin stainless spacers as well.

 

[Saul Lumikko]

^ That only works if you have a fork with front spacing and hub with rear spacing.

I've seen people mate rear spaced forks and front spaced hubs with modified adapters. Apart from getting a new fork or hub, that's pretty much the only way.

Because you apparently will be switching wheels as a winter/summer setup, I'd steer away from modifications to the bike. Rather just get rid of the front wheel and get a proper rear spaced one. Maybe you'll find someone with the opposite problem who is willing to trade?

 

[Anthem1]

My bad, my situation was rear spaced hub front spaced fork.

 

[dvn]

The only thing I'll have to swap when changing wheels is the adapter. Not a big deal to do twice a year. I'm heading to the machine shop today.

 

[jschnelk]

Thanks jschnelk. I saw that thread right after I posted mine. I think I will go that route as well but wouldn't 5mm need to be machined off the bracket as that is the difference between front and rear disc spacing? I don't think 2mm would be enough in my case.

I was able to make mine work without the need to shave a full 5mm. It makes it a bit trickier to adjust the caliper, but my wheel is spinning freely with no braking issues at all. Perhaps it has something to do with the difference in mounting brackets on the forks. When I switch back to my winter wheels I'll just swap out the adapters (the one I modified was an extra, not the original bracket) which is a five minute job so I like this fix as opposed to getting an entirely different fork.

 

[Bacons]

A full 5mm is shaved off of mine. Pairs up nicely with the Beargrease fork. No spacers, adjustments, etc. needed.

 

[jschnelk]

Brake difference maybe? I'm running Avid Elixir 5's with a 160mm rotor on the front. Maybe need to shave more to make room for a larger caliper and/or rotor?

Interesting.

 

[Bacons]

Running XT hydros with a 180mm rotor.

 

[dvn]

$20 at the local machine shop and I'm all set. Worked great and I only had to take off 4mm. Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[VeloRyan]

I am in the same boat with this issue, anyone know if the BB7's (since these have inboard and outboard pad adjusters) are able to adjust without needing to modify the adapter?

 

[dvn]

I am in the same boat with this issue, anyone know if the BB7's (since these have inboard and outboard pad adjusters) are able to adjust without needing to modify the adapter?

No. I have BB7's and had to modify the adapter.

 

[nbwallace]

I am thinking of purchasing the On One carbon fat fork to use with my Vinson. Needless to say I have a front spaced 135mm hub I am also running 180mm front rotors. Any ideas if this can be accomplished using a machined iso mount adapter?

 

[Triggsie]

Looks like I'm in the same boat as jschnelk. 2013 beargrease with front disc spaced hub. Has anybody looked at this adapter from Shimano to see if it would work on the front?

 

[Velo Celt]

A bit late replying to this thread, but I have a similar issue. I have a 135mm Surly Ice Cream Truck fork that is spaced for 135mm rear, while my front hub is for 135mm front. So, I'd need to do something similar to this. I can't stay with a 0mm adapter and the 160mm rotors, as the way the Surly disc bracket is designed, I'd have to cut into where the bolts go that attach the caliper to the adapter. However, I could take a 20mm I.S. adapter and grind it to fit the clearance issues and go up to a 180mm front rotor and keep my 160 rear. Question is, do any of you guys feel that these brackets are compromised in their ultimate strength by cutting into them like this? In other words, do you think at some point under the extreme forces of braking, these adapters could fail?

 

[Velo Celt]

Got my own question answered. An engineer friend says he thinks cutting up a disc adapter is a BAD idea, especially because of the sharp angles around where the material is removed. That apparently really weakens the material and allows for cracks to propagate. Best advice - buy different rims/wheelsets, or buy different forks. Don't try to mix and match standards. The only one that works is matching rear spacing hubs to front spacing forks. At least there you can shim out the disc rotor.

 

[Triggsie]

A bit late replying to this thread, but I have a similar issue. I have a 135mm Surly Ice Cream Truck fork that is spaced for 135mm rear, while my front hub is for 135mm front. So, I'd need to do something similar to this. I can't stay with a 0mm adapter and the 160mm rotors, as the way the Surly disc bracket is designed, I'd have to cut into where the bolts go that attach the caliper to the adapter. However, I could take a 20mm I.S. adapter and grind it to fit the clearance issues and go up to a 180mm front rotor and keep my 160 rear. Question is, do any of you guys feel that these brackets are compromised in their ultimate strength by cutting into them like this? In other words, do you think at some point under the extreme forces of braking, these adapters could fail?

I ran a hacked up adapter for a couple of months but I never felt safe with it. Luckily I upgraded to a bluto fork and don't have to worry about that anymore.