Custom machining hub end caps???

I bought a new of lovely newmen wheels (2nd hand) for my road bike without first checking that you can get end caps to use the rear with a QR. It turns out they did once make the part but only as a special order item and now there are none left. 🙁

Rather than sell these wheels on again I’m wondering if there is another solution, like finding someone who can machine some custom ones?

The Newmen ones looked like this:

And here’s an exploded view of them on a hub:

Is this a ridiculous idea or could this be done for a reasonable cost?

The normal thru axle end caps are a push fit at both ends (like a DT Swiss hub).

Beyond custom machined end caps, is it possible/likely that any other QR end caps from Dt Swiss, Hope, etc might fit? I’m guessing not but who knows.

The exploded diagram looks like a dt swiss hub with their ratchet freehub. I’d guess dt end caps would fit. Worth a try and if they dont you might be able to work out what size you need.

That’s going to be an expensive ballache imho. Those end caps(the ones you’ve pictured) look like they can be used to adjust bearing preload. Custom machining like that won’t be cheap.
Whether or not you could use DT end caps (agree it looks like DT internals) is another matter

@submarined – interesting, because their previous generation hubs DID require you to adjust bearing preload. The hubs I have are generation 2 and don’t require that.

I’ll try to find some DT Swiss QR end caps and keep my fingers crossed.

Mavic endcaps might fit. Or hope. Axle dia is what we need to know.
You nag have to turn em down – To adjust the length.

I’d get some Hope QR caps and see if they go on, then turn them down on the lathe if needed.

Given you say they are just push-fit, then all you need is for the cap to fit the axle, and stick out the right amount, basically.

If they really are Newmen’s own design then there’s a chance they’ll be able to supply the drawing for them. If it’s DT Swiss’, then not so much

The Gen1 Newmen wheels can be upgraded to Gen2 – these kits for their road hubs looks like they will sort you – first one is rear only, second is the full set. They call it a “Gen 1.5” upgrade, you don’t quite end up with their Gen 2 hubs as yo can’t fit microspline,the axle is too large. I think you can then use the QR endcaps from the Gen 2 range.

Give Newmen a call/email, they’re dead helpful.

https://r2-bike.com/NEWMEN-Update-Kit-15-for-Gen1-Road-Rear-Hub-Center-Lock-12×142-mm

https://r2-bike.com/NEWMEN-Update-Kit-15-SET-for-Gen1-Road-Hubs-Center-Lock

I suspect other brands of end cap won’t work with the Gen1 internals as one of the end caps thread on to the axle IIRC

Can you not find a universal through-axle adaptor, the sort that’s basically a 12mm axle with qr ends?

They’re not DT internals.

DT’s ratchet patent ran out in 2018 and Newman are one of a number of brands that sprang up to take advantage of this by making hubs that are, shall we say, ‘inspired’ by DT’s design with just enough changes to get around any ongoing patents.

Spank make one, I guess the issue is that he’s 142×12 as is, removing the end caps doesn’t necessarily leave him at 135mm

SPANK 12 to10mm Step-Down Bolt-On Axle

unclesomebody

The hubs I have are generation 2 and don’t require that.

Ignore everything I said above, I assumed from the pic of the caps that you had Gen1 internals.

Ah good point on 142. Though, it’ll probably be a very simple machining job to correct that (2 minutes in a lathe, but you could do it carefully by hand)

I made frankenstein’s monster endcaps for my rovals out of some 20mm caps and some 15mms from some random other wheel- shortened both, and turned the 15s down so they’d fit inside the 20s, stronk like ox and easy to do even with my tiny lathe and tinier skills. There’s always a way

Good info. I’ve just pulled it apart and got the calipers out.

The axle itself is 17mm OD with a total length of 127mm. So the ID of the endcaps is also 17mm and then steps down to 12mm (where the axle ends inside the end cap). The length of the endcaps themselves look totally standard. One is 15mm and the other is 22mm. The rear “flange” is 25mm on the short end cap and 25.5mm on the longer one.

Are QR end caps shorter by 7mm to get from 142mm to 135mm? If so, then I think some DT Swiss end caps might solve this as they look very similar visually (assuming DT swiss are using 17mm axles too).

Give Newmen a call/email, they’re dead helpful.

I did try this but I got a response that said there is no solution.

Just to add, the newmen hubs use 6803 bearings and hope pro 4 use a 6903 bearing. They have the same ID so the axle diameter is probably the same, which makes me think I could use some hope end caps as shown on this diagram: https://www.hopetech.com/_repository/1/documents/Pro-4-Rear-Hub-Assembly.pdf

I’ve not read all the details of exactly what you need, but if you want some standard end caps modifying, let me know. Happy to shave a bit off on my lathe. Need to justify its massive presence in my garage occasionally!

Made some spacers to run a QR-only front hub on 12mm recently, using some very dubious thin-section bearings…

Give @kayla1 a shout on here or through Projection Components, she sorted me with a 15mm conversion for my old Hope XC hubs so that should be easy enough with the right measurements.

EDIT: Sorry @mowgli I never read right through

@mowgli – thanks for the offer, it may turn out to be the only viable solution. I’ll PM you with more details.

@squirrelking – thanks for the suggestion too.

I tried some Hope end caps (for Pro4 rear) which I found in the garage and they don’t immediately work. They do fit on the axle but they aren’t the right depth so they don’t reach the bearing. The other issue is that they don’t have a rear flange like DT Swiss end caps so they wouldn’t cover the bearing much. Machining them wouldn’t help.

DT Swiss appear to be more likely to work but we’ll see.