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Incompatible hub/qr skewer?

by marcin79
Sun, Dec 27, 2020 09:35
3

I wonder if you can advise me what can be done. I bought a new wheelset for my Cannondale Synapse. I wanted to have a tubeless setup. I didn't research it much and left the wheels in a garage for over a year. In hindsight I should have checked it more thoroughly straight away and actually choose other wheels. Recently, I finally decided to fit the new wheelset.

First it turned out that I need to buy new disk brake rotors as the new wheels have a centre lock system as opposed to 6-bolt as in the old wheel. Done.

Then I realised that the new wheels need a 12-mm through axle (not a 5mm qr skewer as the old wheel and the bike frame needs)

I googled a bit into adapters from 12mm through axles to 5mm qr skewers and found one (Incidently, most QR adapters seem to 9mm skewers not 5mm.

So I got the adapters:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12mm-Thru-Axle-to-5mm-QR-Hub-Conversion-Adapt...

The problem is that when I insert the adapters, the rear wheel will not fit in the frame. The adapter, due to its build, makes it impossible for the rear wheel to fit in. The rear forks seem not wide enough ( not spread apart sufficiently) for the wheel to get in. It's a question of millimetres but it won't. It's a carbon frame.

Two things that I can think of:

- try to grind the adapters sides a bit for it to fit in

- as I couldn't find any other 12mm to 9mm adapters, I could research a 12 to 9mm adapters and get new 9mm QR skewers. What's the difference between 9 and 5mm? Most of the adapters come for 9mm ones.

Any other ideas?

It's been almost 18 months since I bought the wheels so I cannot return them. The wheels are Mavic Cosmic Elite UST Disc Wheelset 2019.

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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3 comments

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kil0ran | 4 years ago
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I don't know what the rear spacing is on your bike but that's probably the issue, and it's also probably easily solved.

Road disc spacing (OLD) is usually 135mm or 142mm. There's also 148mm Boost spacing but that's MTB or a few gravel bikes. You should be able to find out what it is by googling Synapse OLD for whichever model year your bike is.

You need to find out what the OLD is for the Synapse, and what the spacing is for the Mavic rims. The thickness of the QR shouldn't matter as it's specific to the hub, not the frame - unless there's is something unusual about the Mavic hubs it should just be a case of finding a 12mm to 9mm QR adapter for whatever spacing the Synapse is.  

Mavic have all the adapters listed here - admittedly this might be the 2020 version of your wheels but they will be able to advise you if anything has changed, which I doubt - https://shop.mavic.com/en-gb/cosmic-elite-ust-disc-rr1103.html#1028=3283

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kil0ran replied to kil0ran | 4 years ago
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Alternatively, you can measure the frame spacing with a decent straight edge metal ruler - pop the rear wheel out and just measure between the inner faces of the dropouts. 

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marcin79 replied to kil0ran | 4 years ago
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kil0ran wrote:

Alternatively, you can measure the frame spacing with a decent straight edge metal ruler - pop the rear wheel out and just measure between the inner faces of the dropouts. 

 

Thank you. I ended up youtubing some videos about mavic hubs and how to take them apart to clean. I learnt that there was a removable cap/ring at the disc brake end of the hub. I didn't know it could be removed. I took it off, put the adapter in and put the ring back on, which made the total width of the hub smaller and made it possible to fit in the frame.

 

Thanks again.

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