One vs Two Piece Axle?

Question

After finding out my bike has a road rear (130 mm) & disc brakes, it's been difficult to source rear hubs. Cyclocross allows disc brakes, and more commuter/cx frames are appearing but all seem to use the 135 mm spacing... Chris King's Universal Disc rear tandem has a 130 mm option, but as a two piece axle?

Could someone explain the difference, and provide pros/cons?

Answer 1

Chris King hubs have two different axle designs, both unique to Chris King. The difference is in how bearing preload is set. The one-piece axle uses an adjusting clamp that lets you lock the axle into place against the bearing. The two-piece axle instead uses a doubly-threaded adjusting cone - once it is threaded correctly between the two, the two pieces of the axle tighten together to hold it in place. The only functional difference between the two otherwise is that the two-piece axle must be used with a skewer; the clamping force of the skewer is required to handle some forces across the axle. The one-piece axle can be used with the Chris King Fun Bolts instead of a skewer if preferred.

The overall design is based around using a large-diameter aluminum axle which necessitates handling stresses differently from a more traditional hub and axle.

Answer 2

If you have a steel bike, a good shop can "cold set" it to 135 mm.

This PDF on the Chris King website illustrates the 2-piece axle.

Answer 3

I can't give you a direct answer, because I have no idea what they mean by "two piece axle" either. Here's what I do know:

1. Chris King components are crazy expensive, and they often require special tools (also crazy expensive). It might be cheaper to buy a new frame and a regular hub.

2. If your frame is steel, you should be able to manhandle a 135mm hub in there. If it's aluminum or carbon, I wouldn't recommend that.