Re-spacing rear hub FH-M737?

[begrip]

Is it possible to re-space an FH-M737 from 135 to 130 mm OLD? The hub is for a steel bike, but I don't want to widen its stays.

Looking at the exploded diagram, the left hand 5 mm spacer could be removed, but then I'm not sure if the rubber seal would fit properly.

Has anyone tried with this hub and know if it'll work? Many thanks!

 

[Woz]

From memory, that larger diameter 5mm washer (#13) is at the lock nut end of the seal and is used to hold the seal on. It
can be replaced with a skinny 1mm washer like some early LX I believe.

There maybe another work around to use a front rubber seal which are much shallower. I'm too busy heading towards my food
and wine coma to check in the attic and go through the boxes to give you a definite answer right now.

 

[Takingabreak]

I have managed to reduce the spacing on a M560 hub but they are non parallax hubs so slightly different. I needed to buy a shorter axle as well as tinker with the spacers. Maybe the answer is to buy the wheels I respaced from me as I don't have a use for them at the moment without respacing them back to 135 and redishing the wheel to suit

 

[foz]

Yes, with a little fettling and a selection of spacers and washers it's easy. But unless you have exceptionally thick dropouts, you will need a shorter spindle, if you use the current one with thin dropouts you might not be able to tighten the QR enough. If it's a bolt on hub, then no problem.

 

[ishaw]

Pretty sure I had an m900 rear hub that had been spaced to 130mm and I needed a 135mm so reverse of your needs. It had smaller spacer washers so reverted back to normal ones. Should be fairly straightforward. Iirc and I might not, I might have had to have my wheel redished as you need the clearance on the freehub side so the soaceing was on the other end. Don't recall an issue with the drop out/axle interface, it was an alloy rear end so pretty chunky dropouts.

 

[legrandefromage]

as above, dont forget to shorten the axle otherwise the QR wont do up

you could just put the wheel in and not worry about it

 

[Woz]

This should help you get going.

The STX-RC MC33 was a Parallax hub available in 130 or 135mm. #12 is a thin skinny washer, #11 is the optional washer for 135mm.

 

[begrip]

That's exactly the info I was looking for - thanks, Woz (and others).

 

[failure]

I would like to ask if it worked out for you.
The shown stx-rc hub is a 7-speed version having a smaller free hub body. I didn't know before that there was also a 130mm version very interseting...
For fun and for just checking it out i have once converted a fh-m737 by just replacing the original 8-speed free hub body with an old 7-speed free hub of a defective fh-m732 hub.
That gives you 130mm without changing anything on the left hub side of the m737.
But you have to live with 7 gears...