Re: [Classicrendezvous] Maillard Helicomatic question

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In-Reply-To: <F2741gcljD2E2044cY600002638@hotmail.com>
References:
Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2000 23:12:18 -0400
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
Subject: Re: [Classicrendezvous] Maillard Helicomatic question


c crocoll wrote:
> I have heard scattered references to failure of Maillard
>Helicomatic hubs. I would like to ask:
> 1) How do they fail?

The right main bearings are undersized, and the cones are prone to wear out unless you're very careful to keep them well lubricated and perfectly adjusted. These cones are unobtainable. The design of the Helicomatic hub didn't leave room for a standard 9 x 1/4" bearing on the right side.
> 2) Are there any warning signs that this is about to happen or
>has begun to happen?

Same as any worn-out cone. This is not something that will suddenly break and strand you far from home, but when the cone wears out, the hub is "pain grillé" (that's French for "toast.")

Thomas Adams wrote:
>I can't recall exactly where or from whom I heard it, but the reuptation of
>the Helico's is that they break spokes of the freewheel side of the rear hub
>with alarming regularity.

No, it was left side spokes that they were most prone to break.
>Something about the hub flange being too far inboard and wrongly shaped.

Both flanges were 1 mm farther left than other contemorary 6-speed hubs. If you wanted your rim to be properly centered, you either had to over-tighten the right spokes, risking rim failure, or the left spokes would be so loose as to be prone to fatigue failure. There used to be a lot of these on Treks. The only way I was able to cure this problem was by doing a half-rebuild, replacing all of the left side spokes with a heads-out radial pattern. With this pattern, the spoke breakage problem could be overcome.

The Helicomatic hub was a loser all around, and was a major contributor to the low esteem in which many US cyclists currently regard French parts.

Sheldon "Much French Stuff Is Quite Good, But The Helicomatic Hub Is Best Suited To Making Into A Candlestick" Brown Newtonville, Massachusetts +------------------------------------+ | France, France...if not for you, | | the world would be alone! | | --Victor Hugo | +------------------------------------+
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