1) the axle caps are pressed in place. Unless Hi-E widened the body for the 130 hub (ever a possibility) it should be relatively easy for a good machinist to disassemble and shorten the end cap, but the press fit clearances will be critical.
2) the cartridge bearings can be easily replaced. After you dissasemble the wheel. In part the flanges are held in place by the spoke tension. In Microsoft land, this would be considered a feature. :-)
harvey sachs mcLean va
PS: you know who you are, guys, and I'll try to send the promised materials so you can do posts and copies.
Jerry Moos wrote:
I just received this Hi-E wheelset, outed on the list recently. There was some confusion about the rear spacing, but it turns out to be 130mm as the revised listing said. I bought this wheelset on the blind faith that I could adjust the rear spacing, which may have been optimistic. Did Hi-E use threaded end pieces like Phil Wool to set the spacing? Will Phil or Mavic or others work? Any suggestions about how to convert the rear to 126 or 122? Also, the rear bearings seem tight, but I seem to recall some horror stories about how difficult it is to change Hi-E bearing. Can someone give me some info on replacing, adjusting or lubricating the bearings?