Snapped rear axle again.

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Colin_P

Guru
Hello All,

I'm a large chap, 6'2" and 110kg and give my bikes quite a hard time off road.

Today the rear hollow axle snapped again. I say again as I did this last year also but on a different back wheel. I limped home just with the skewer managing to squish everything together just enough.

Obvious questions are;

1, Is this to be be expected due to my size and moderately hard terrain I cover?
2, Are there any heavy duty hollow axles available? I'd assume they are all 10.9 grade or higher high tensile steel anyway?
3, Would I be better off moving over to a solid axle and carrying a spanner? If I did, the limp home I was able to do would not be possible.

Any thoughts, views or suggestions welcomed.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
1. I'm heavier than you, never snapped one.

2. Yes, at least axles of better finish and tougher materials.

3. You've already sussed it. The risk of breakage might be lower, but that said if it does let go you're screwed. Nevertheless, hundreds of millions of porkers ride bikes with solid axles and only a relatively small proportion ever break them.
 

Tojo

Über Member
I bet you a fiver they're bent - and the right one's bent more than the left.


knocking bet put me in for a fiver as well....:thumbsup:
 

DaveReading

Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
Location
Reading, obvs
Hello All,

I'm a large chap, 6'2" and 110kg and give my bikes quite a hard time off road.

Today the rear hollow axle snapped again.

Wimp. :smile:

I'm only 85kg and I managed to snap a solid axle a couple of years ago, pulling away from the lights in too high a gear.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
As has already been said, if it is a freewheel then the length of unsupported axle on the drive side will lead to many bent and snapped axles purely due to the physics of the situation. If it is a freehub then snapped axles are not normal unless, like Mickle says, something else is amiss.
What make/model hub is it that has broken? I suggest that if it is a freehub then make sure to replace the axle with a genuine Shimano item rather than a generic far-east made of putty copy. The Japanese know a thing or two about metallurgy and making tough steel so the Shimano item is usually the best.

The other thing to consider is your riding style. Riding hard doesn't have to mean battering your bike. If you are crossing bumpy ground of jumping off stuff then your stance on the bike is critical to the bikes wellbeing. You need to be stood on the pedals with your legs slightly bent and your weight lifted off the saddle. This allows the bike to track the terrain and move around beneath you. If you remain seated then everytime you hit a bump or land after a jump the bike is wedged between the ground coming up and your bodyweight going down, something has to give and the axles are the obvious victims.

There's nothing wrong with standard quick release axles. I am quite an exuberant mountain biker and weigh in at around 95kg but the last time I snapped or bent an axle is a dim and distant memory from my younger years when I was riding bikes with generic components rather than the mid-high range Shimano parts I favour now.
 
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