[mcoplea]

I have a set of XTR 952 hubs that I am considering using to building up on a set of cross wheels on. The hubs seem like a great option for cross wheels, but I am not sure how the spacing will work out. My bike is a Redline Conquest Pro with 130mm rear spacing.

Anyone have any experience or thoughts on doing this?

(sorry if this questions has been asked before, but I could not find anything in my search)

 

[deuxdiesel]

While 5 mm isn't a lot, I would not spread an aluminum frame that much to get the rear wheel in (I assume your hub is 135 mm). It can be done safely with steel frames, but Al is not as compliant. You might be able to replace your axle jamb nuts with something thinner or remove some spacers if there are any. The front should be fine, as they are 100 mm.

 

[seahuston]

Hey,

I just spent a bunch of time working on a similar project so hopefully I can help. I wanted to build a wheelset with XTR M970 hubs since I got them real cheap but needed to respace them. With this generation it was pretty tough with some machining needed. Luckily the 952 is much easier.
Check out this doc here:
http://www.paul-lange.de/fileadmin/paullange/downloads/ARCHIV/fh/FH-M950-EV.PDF
Its for the 950 but the two should be very similar. You can very easily change the spacing by removing spacers from the NDS. I think the spacer labeled 10 will get you pretty close but I dont know for sure. Just measure its length and if its more than 5mm go to the bike shop and get spacers to put in a bring the spacing out.
You will need to shorten the axle since the 5mm that you took out of the locknut dimension will still be on the axle. To do this you could take it to a machine shop and have them remove 5mm, see if a bike shop has an axle of the right length and thread pitch or (i think) order a dura ace axle from that same generation.
Good luck with the project and keep us posted. Its a cool project and nothing beats the trickery of custom.

 

[fallzboater]

I just did this with a set of XTR M965 Centerlock hubs (I'm running a front disc). I replaced one ~6mm spacer on the left side with a ~2mm one. Works fine, since this frame (Kona Major Jake) has thick dropouts. I did center the nuts and cones up so I had the same overhang on both sides. If your dropouts are thinner, you might also have to narrow the axle a bit (or use a road axle).

If I switch to a frame with a disc tab and 135mm spacing (or use the wheel on a 29er MTB), I can just replace the spacer and re-dish the wheel.