Put wheel lower in fork dropouts using 'axle tabs'??

I'm getting a new frame and hoping to fit big tyres on the front. The forks can take a maximum of 40c, however I have heard that with the use of some metal tab the axle can be placed slightly lower in the dropout. This would then enable a bigger tyre to fit.

The problem is, I have no idea what they are actually called, and where to get them from. I have a pic below:

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Please tell me if you have any information at all on these 'axle tabs'??

Cheers

I think those are tabs designed to stop front wheels falling out if the bolts are loosened accidentally (can happen with disc brakes, 'parrently). I don't know if you could use them to mount the wheel lower; can't picture it. If you go to your LBS, they'll probably have some and you could at least give it a go.

ahh ok, I've heard that it is safe to use them the way I want to..

are they suposed to hook on to the drop out? I'd be wary of that, wouldn't want to drop the front wheel going up / down something

I have stupidly used a bit of rubber between the axle and the dropout to gain a couple mm and it worked ok..I think that might be a better solution but your fork needs to have a hole on each leg where that thingy attaches. cant find pics

They are an old version of what we now call "Lawyer Lips".

Sheldon has a page on these.

The idea is, some bikes have a small slot in the dropout to accept these tabs, the axle goes through the hole and the little bent bit hooks into the hole in the dropout. If, by some unfortunate accident, the nuts or quick release come loose, the wheel won't fall straight out, rather sit in the drops for a little longer, wobbling like mad.

Modern forks tend to have lips on the bottom of the dropout, meaning you have to loosen the qr skewer or nuts more to remove the wheel.

Lawyer Lips.

Sheldon article, and wiki page:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_l.html - scroll down to it, it's alphabetical...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dropout_(bicycle_part)#Lawyer_lips

They are an old version of what we now call "Lawyer Lips".

Sheldon has a page on these.

The idea is, some bikes have a small slot in the dropout to accept these tabs, the axle goes through the hole and the little bent bit hooks into the hole in the dropout. If, by some unfortunate accident, the nuts or quick release come loose, the wheel won't fall straight out, rather sit in the drops for a little longer, wobbling like mad.

Modern forks tend to have lips on the bottom of the dropout, meaning you have to loosen the qr skewer or nuts more to remove the wheel.

Lawyer Lips.

Ahh ok great, do you have any idea of where to get them? LBS likey to have them?

Freddie, these will not do what you're trying to do.
They are merely designed to keep the wheel in position in the dropout if the bolt comes loose. They are not engineered to bear any load.

The way you're looking to use them, in the event of the wheel slipping your entire weight would be suspended on those little tabs, which I imagine would fail very painfully. Someone said on here once, and this is very wise advice: Thou shalt not fuck with that which is load bearing.

What I can recommend however, is making a spacer by snipping off a small piece of spoke, (or you could use a ball bearing from an old headset or something) and placing it in the dropout. Put a little blob of blue tack on the back to help stop it rolling out while you're installing the wheel. Then just drop the wheel on top, make sure it's sitting snugly on the spacer so it won't roll around, and tighten it up like a beast.
The spacer doesn't actually need to support very much weight, but having your axle suspended in the dropouts will likely result in slippage, so it's just there to assist the bolts do their job. I've been riding on this myself for a while and it's rock solid.

Ahh ok, thanks a lot for the advice! Might give it a try...

I think for safety sake the front axle should be fully within the dropout, by dropping the axle lower in the drop out you could be on a short cut to the local casualty department. The tabs in an earlier photo are usually found on kids bikes or cheap bikes.

The tabs are not at all suitable for the purpose, so forget the tabs.
Using a solid spacer as I mentioned, so long as everything is nice and secure, is very stable. The axel can't go anywhere, you'd have to crush the spacer for it to slip, which is not going to happen.

I think for safety sake the front axle should be fully within the dropout, by dropping the axle lower in the drop out you could be on a short cut to the local casualty department. The tabs in an earlier photo are usually found on kids bikes or cheap bikes.

I'm getting a new frame and hoping to fit big tyres on the front. The forks can take a maximum of 40c

Get a fork which actually fits the tyre you want, and if necessary get a frame whose geometry works with the chosen fork.

You've done the first step of bicycle selection right by thinking about tyres first, so now carry it to its logical conclusion.

If you bolt the hub to the fork in any position other then the one it was designed for, you will be loading the fork ends, and possibly the axle, outside their design parameters. There isn't a lot of spare metal in fork ends.

"You've done the first step of bicycle selection right by thinking about tyres first, so now carry it to its logical conclusion."

I like this. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. Like when you wee yourself.