Rear hub advice please

[james7]

I need to get a rear hub with a derailleur gear cluster to fit into 105mm wide drop outs is this possible?
The only thing with this is that the original spokes and rim must be able to be re-used.

Or is it possible to cut the gear cassette down to a 4 or even a 3 speed to make it fit?

Ideally I would like to get a rear hub custom made to match the front one. Is there such a place to do this?

And if so how narrow could it be made? I sort of assume there is a minimum width which the spokes need to be to support the wheel.

I have had a look at various websites and not many list the width but the ones that do are all much wider and all seem to be a standard type of size.
I could widen the frame a little but from what I can make out it would need to be 15-20mm wider which is too much for my liking.

I have looked at some of the hub gears but the ones I have found seem to be much wider.

Any help or suggestions much appreciated

[Fastpedeller]

Getting a custom - made hub or freewheel will probably be more expensive than buying a new bike!
It may be worth putting your question to the CTC (Cyclists Touring Club) Forum though as they have a wealth of info and experts on there.

[ecsrobin]

What bike is this?

[james7]

Fastpedeller said:

Getting a custom - made hub or freewheel will probably be more expensive than buying a new bike!
It may be worth putting your question to the CTC (Cyclists Touring Club) Forum though as they have a wealth of info and experts on there.

Thanks for that. I will have a look at their forum.

I am not so worried about the cost, just getting it right is the main thing.

The bike is just over 58 years old. Just read the original receipt and the lifetime guarantee only covers the frame

I dont actually intend on riding it really, I just want to bring it back to its former glory and get it working again. It originally had 4 speed hub gears, that broke and was replaced with a 3 speed. But as the bike has been sitting for so long that is no good now and is not original so was looking at all the options.

[james7]

ecsrobin said:

What bike is this?

Its a 58 year old rusty raleigh

[julianm]

Beleive it or not you`ll be able to get an equivalent 4 speed hub gear if you try a cyclejumble - I did spot this on the CTC website: http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=58... & can see one which might suit at 108mm . Best of luck with it!