Broken axle rear wheel

[RhythMick]

Hi all. Did my first 30 mile run Friday Inc 2500ft climb and a 35mph descent to Holmfirth. Brilliant day except I have a worsening problem where putting a lot of power down instead of dropping a couple of gears flexes the wheel and it drags on the frame.

Took the wheel off for a closer look today. Turns out the axle was sheared inside the hub! That 35mph descent looks a bit scarier now.

I have the axle out of the wheel and will take both off to find a replacement tomorrow. Are they fairly standard or should I expect trouble getting a replacement?

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[Herzog]

I have the axle out of the wheel and will take both off to find a replacement tomorrow. Are they fairly standard or should I expect trouble getting a replacement?

Newish bike = no problem
Oldish bike = perhaps a visit to bike shop's 'bits box'

 

[accountantpete]

The axle should be straightforward to replace - keep the cones safe as they are the important bits.

 

[RhythMick]

OK new axle and also new quick release skewer which was bent.

Not an easy job putting it all back together is it. My book says it's all about getting the right amount of pressure of the cones on the bearings. Crikey. 20 attempts later and I still can't find somewhere between stuck solid and very loose. Guess it's just practise so I'll have another go tomorrow.

If necessary I'll take it to a pro but I feel I ought to be able to maintain this myself.

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[apollo179]

OK new axle and also new quick release skewer which was bent.

Not an easy job putting it all back together is it. My book says it's all about getting the right amount of pressure of the cones on the bearings. Crikey. 20 attempts later and I still can't find somewhere between stuck solid and very loose. Guess it's just practise so I'll have another go tomorrow.

If necessary I'll take it to a pro but I feel I ought to be able to maintain this myself.

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Shoudnt be that dificult - just tighten by hand to corrct tightness then maintaining the position of other movable parts tighten the tightening nut. Does take a few goes.

 

[BSRU]

One question, do you have a freewheel or freehub?

 

[gbb]

OK new axle and also new quick release skewer which was bent.

Not an easy job putting it all back together is it. My book says it's all about getting the right amount of pressure of the cones on the bearings. Crikey. 20 attempts later and I still can't find somewhere between stuck solid and very loose. Guess it's just practise so I'll have another go tomorrow.

If necessary I'll take it to a pro but I feel I ought to be able to maintain this myself.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

If its a QR wheel, you need to adjust the hubs a little loose, then when you fit the wheel and fasten the QR, it takes out a small amount of play.
If you adjust so there's no excess play, when you fit the QR, it'll make the whole thing too tight.

I tend to adjust, feel the wheel for how much play there is, fit the wheel and fasten the QR. If it's too much play, wheel off again and slightly tighten the cones. If its too tight, slightly loosen the cones.
It helps to remember what amount of play you had with the last adjustment (before fitting the wheel), then use that as your benchmark next time.

 

[RhythMick]

Thanks all will have another go. Have a sponsored ride on 16th so if I don't get it right today I'll get it done. It doesn't feel right even before I put the wheel on the bike, there's either enough play that I can pull the axle a few mills through or it feels stuck and grindy. Doesn't feel like smooth rotation on ball bearings. Tempted to strip it right down again.

It's a standard rear wheel, freewheel.

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[BSRU]

Thanks all will have another go. Have a sponsored ride on 16th so if I don't get it right today I'll get it done. It doesn't feel right even before I put the wheel on the bike, there's either enough play that I can pull the axle a few mills through or it feels stuck and grindy. Doesn't feel like smooth rotation on ball bearings. Tempted to strip it right down again.

It's a standard rear wheel, freewheel.

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The reason I ask is that freewheel hubs have an inherent design flaw that means rear axles are more likely to break or bend.
I broke/bent three rear axles on the same climb before deciding to change to wheels with freehubs.
Have not had any problems since despite riding lots more than before the change.

 

[Poacher]

C,mon BSRU, don't beat about the bush! Shimano bearings are nearer the RH dropout, and tend not to break axles, Campag bearings are further away from the dropout and tend to break axles. So fat barstewards like me use Shimano hubs and don't suffer that particular problem.

 

[BSRU]

C,mon BSRU, don't beat about the bush! Shimano bearings are nearer the RH dropout, and tend not to break axles, Campag bearings are further away from the dropout and tend to break axles. So fat barstewards like me use Shimano hubs and don't suffer that particular problem.

I use Shimano hubs now but the one's that caused me problems were Quando, the ones the bike came with but then they are cheap for a reason.
I have to remember not to bother with Campag hubs if they have the same design flaw.