On Nov 29, 3:46*pm, Chalo wrote:
Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:





Tom Kunich wrote:

Well, I've only broken an axle once and it was on an old Raleigh. Perhaps
even though I'm 6'4" tall and 200 lbs I ride easier than some people?
[...]
But you have to admit that being able to use anyone's
rear hub and anyone's freewheel was a heck of a lot better than having to
match shifters, derailers, freehubs and cassettes.

C'mon Tom, gotta buy that new gadget NOW. Must show up at the coffee
shop with the latest gizmo, like oversized handlebar, carbon
everything, 1.5 inch lower headset bearing, compact frame..blah, blah,
blah...or ya can't ride with us-so there!!

I have NEVER owned a freehub type hub. I weight .1 offa ton and I
haven't broken an axle for a decade.

I have several bikes with freewheel hubs and 3/8 rear axles. *At much
closer to .2 of a ton, I haven't busted an axle in a long time. *I
take some special measures to help me in this goal:

I almost always respace my hubs to have as little freewheel-side
spacing as I can get away with. *When I do this respacing, I swap to
large-diameter, large cross-section steel spacers and/or locknuts, to
stiffen the axle stack and better couple it to the dropout. *I admit
this is easier when there is a lathe available, but any packrattish
bike shop will also serve the purpose.

If the axle spacers and nuts are steel and very tight, and if a
cartridge bearing hub is used with a spacer in between the bearings,
then the axle can function in bending as a much thicker and stiffer
structure. *When a loose-ball hub is used, the axle within the hub
becomes stiffer and stronger on the basis of being shorter between
supports.

Chalo

AND make sure the droputs of your frame are parallel and the same
spacing as the hub.

I also space the hub before building to no more axle overhang than the
freewheel stack I am using.

Like lots of things 'bike', different design because of poor wrenching
(like english threaded BBs).