A Shimano M730/32XT hubs question. 6spd or 7spd on a 130mm rear spacing?

Thanks for all the replies to this thread. There's a wealth of knowledge here on Retrobike so I know this was the place to ask the question!
The xt m730 was available in 130 with a 6 speed fhb, or 135 with a 7 speed fhb, up to 88. Both with the smallest sprocket screwing on to the fhb to hold the cassette on.


https://velobase.com/ViewComponent.aspx?ID=3eeb73a2-62d9-45ae-bf03-10180114bcd6&Enum=110
I think the alloy hub was the same casting, so the difference in width was made by the axle and fhb, meaning you couldn't fit a 7 speed cassette (and correct fhb) onto a 130 hub without some bodgery and compromise.
In 1989, the xt hub was now the m732 in 135/7 only.

So the frame should be 135 (if the catalogue states 7 speed) meaning:
Either someone's run it with a 130 hub and it's bent the stays in.
Its much more common the other way round for us where a 126 racing frame has had a 130 wheel fitted, or god forbid even a 135 (cheap and wrong amazon rubbish), and the frame takes, or is givenšŸ¤” a set.
Or it was an earlier production frame and the jig was still set for the 130 (6 speed) but built up for 1989, and either nobody noticed, or it was a factory 2nd stuck in a store room for a decade or 2, which might explain the great paint condition.

You can't fit a 7 speed cassette on a 130mm xt hub, and it seems unlikely the bike went out 6 speed - too many components wouldn't be right.

Definitely some possibilities of why the rear end is 130mm. I've just added the Catalogue to the build thread rather the familiar Freewheel Catalogue pics and there's differences in spec between the 2.

So essentially....from all the useful posts here.

130mm is 6spd 'Uniglide'

135mm is 7spd 'Hyperglide'

7spd won't go on 6spd without modification

......but
Iā€™m selling some Nos XT hubs, rear is 130 7 speed

They do exist? - I'd be all over these Mark....but with correct rims now purchased and en route....I now need 36H hubs.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26664042...Hgwr3rfR1i&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I've seen these on eBay. Bought from seller before and seems knowledgeable on the subject....but thought this might be a typo error. But having seen Mark's post....they could be legit 130mm 7spd?

Cheers all. Thanks for all your responses.

boy"O"boy
 
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<patiently skip reads thread, thinks about the 8 speed freehub body on a 130mm (Deore uniglide with a later 9spd Deore freehub body) hub and the bike it's on, sips coffee, looks at time, gets ready for work>

<then suddenly remembers there's also a 130mm road (600 uniglide converted to HG) hub with a 10 speed cassette in the shed of delight and wonders why there are so many pages devoted to 2.5mm>

<then is reminded that humble bragging is not considered a positive - finger hesitantly hovering over `delete post` option>

<then is further reminded that he was supposed to be taking some time off RB as no bugger turned up for the 2023 Gates ride, but has got over that even though it was also his 50th birthday...

Wipes away single tear, dies a little more inside, shifts uncomfortably in seat, is also reminded to buy more anusol - am I still typing on RB? Oh, shit, bugger! Disregard that last remark! Buy more protein shakes, yes>
 
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Iā€™ve got a few 7 speed wheel sets that are 130 rear spacing, DX m650, XT m732 even XT m950 8 speed. I think most hubs can be 130 or 135, itā€™s the axle length that counts. You can get Nos XT m735 130 axles on eBay I think. Iā€™m selling some Nos Araya RM17 32h rims in grey tooā€¦..
 
Definitely 7 speed m732 in 130 available as mark has above but they are hyperlide. So yes they will be original as shimano made them like that in answer to bikeworkshop.

The ones in ebay advert are uniglide......

Somebody on the forum must have a spare 130mm xtii m732 hub or body in 36h you can use.....its hardly a uncommon item.....!

As for the axle length swap....just to be totally clear....the hub body is a different length between 130 and 135 on xtii hubs. 130 swapped to 135 good. 135 swapped to 130....just await wheel failure on first corner....as you would have a 29/100% tension left to right!

I wouldn't go uniglide either if you can avoid it....they are pita....imho.
 
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So I've looked at probably 10,000 fhbs in the decades of a busy shop and at a glance, the length of the fhb on these German ebay numbers make them a 6 20240229_082135.jpg
And then the ones in a bag are 7: Screenshot_20240229-081846_Firefox.jpg
If I pulled them out of the drawer (blindfolded obvs) I would say the top one is 130/6 and the bottom 135/7
... but we've been looking for the unicorn of 130/7, and see a vision in the clear morning light that is hard to deny!
 
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Just to be clear, you can not fit a 7sp HG cassette on a 730 (6sp) hub without modification. The freewheel may have the same width, but Shimano made one of the alignment teeth a little bit wider to make sure the older hub is not compatible with the newer HG cassette. Of course you can file the alignment teeth of the HG sprockets, but itĀ“s a real pain.

Good point that, something I forgot - UG has symmetrical teeth /ridges on the freehub body - unlike HG with the thinner one to align the shfting gates on the sprockets.
 
The hub bodies are different shapes between m730 and m732. The shoulders are square on m730 and rounded off on m732. Also the grease port is different.

The top pic is m730...bagged m732.

They are not rare.....m732 with 130 spacing 7 speed are all around us. Most people just don't realise as all they read is m732 and assume its 135mm.

These below are all 7sp 130mm m732 hubs......i would give the spare to @boy"O"boy but its earmarked for some wheels sadly. So thats 4 of them, and those are just the ones laying round my house! Unicorn.....donkey......as most want 135mm to fit their frames.
 

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When did this change from 130 to 135 happen? Iā€™ve always wondered if the spacing on my 1990 (I think) Kili Flyer Comp was meant for a 130 hub or just badly made/checked.
It has always made a mockery of the term quick release. I have to heave it upside down and wrestle the back wheel in by getting one side in and then sort of pull against the chain stays whilst pushing the hub down into the dropouts. Not much but, to my eye it could easily be a couple of mm per side. Once in place, everything looks and feels nicely aligned.
 

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