Dear All,
I was unclear about what hub I regaled as bulletproof in my last post.
Snip <<<<<Actually I have been going back and forth since before Christmas. On one hand I have 3 bikes with this hub in either the 5 or 6 speed iteration that are bulletproof.>>>>>
The quandary is that I am unsure of the helicomatic.
The hub that I love is the Shimano 600 first generation UG cassette hub. It is not quite the hub of today because the free hub body is attached by a press fit spline system instead of the familiar bolt attachment.
I was drawn to them back in the day because of the bearing placement and the ability to really reduce the dish on a wheel. I have stuck with them because many miles have passed and I have not broken or bent axles, nor does the freehub connection with cassette body seem to have accumulated any sloppyness. I appreciate the value of the aforementioned benefits balanced with the uselessness but vintage look of the oil hole.
The only warning I might give is that since the largest cog is closer to the spokes the derailleur hanger must be straight if you run smallish cogs.
Howard Darr
Kinsman OH USA