Rear wheel Hub

[jhg1958]

I knew my rear wheel hub had a crack in it but decided it was more to do with the retaining ring than the bearing, so I have been riding around with this fault. (see picture).

I managed to get of eBay 2 hubs (one by accident) and I am wondering if I should be changing the hub.  If so should I get the hub powder coated and should I get the inner part turned?

Then who would be best to get it built with a new stainless steel rim near me (Shropshire).

John

[Joolstacho]

DIY John, good skill to learn, not so difficult at all.

[Adler]

Hello John, check this video. There are others on YouTube as well. I managed to do it myself and am very happy with the result.
https://youtu.be/pW2LpGkmPJc?si=HUAcdiqUxtBN25kk
Best regards, Manfred

[Adler]

Hello John, check this video. There are others on YouTube as well. I managed to do it myself and am very happy with the result.
https://youtu.be/pW2LpGkmPJc?si=HUAcdiqUxtBN25kk
Best regards, Manfred

ed: not all hubs sit central between the forks or the frame ends, so check the offset dimension first ...

[chaterlea25]

Hi jhg,
Do not skim the braking surface until after the wheel is built,
The hubs distort as the spokes are tightened.
I found that after powder coating the spoke holes needed opening up, because of the coating thickness. I used an old spoke heated with a gas torch to melt its way through rather than drilling which can chip off the coating

John

[Swarfcut]

  That failure of the hub casting is something I have never seen before. If it was not down to accidental damage, could the use of a similar but incorrect thread on the locking ring be the cause?

  These thread are fine, so easy to cross thread. They should screw  down easily with no real resistance until they contact the bearing face.

 Swarfy.

[Rex]

Do any similar but not interchangeable threaded rings exist then?
I've come across a cracked hub like where someone thought that the bearing could be bashed through from the other side without removing the bearing retainer first.
I've also seen a rear plunger hub where the thread wasn't holding the retainer in place very well, and Mr Bodge had hammered the hub thread inwards to grip the retainer better, and that split it too.

[jhg1958]

When I first found this crack I was looking for a replacement on eBay.  I was in contact with a seller called "hutcht140bonnie" in Kings Lynn.  He was not surprised at the cracked hub and stated that they were common. In trying to buy a replacement I have seen at least one other cracked hub.  I am not saying this failure mode is common but certainly known.

I have run the bike for 2 years with this fault including a trip to Spain and have not had any problems but I feel that I should sort this out before next spring.   

thanks for all the encouragement to do it myself but apart from not having the experience in this job I am pressed with time from various other commitments.  It got so bad last year that I only rode a few hundred miles on my Golden Flash.  I feel that this is one task I can easily farm out to somebody else possibly with better results.


hutcht140bonnie is offering a rebuild with a chrome rim for £219 + £15 P&P. The cost of the bits (WM2 or WM3) from Devon Rim Company is £190 (£245 for stainless) and I would still need to get the hub powder coated around £40. Seems a no brainer to me.

Staffordshire Wheel Works is offering  £380 although surprisingly stainless is a bit cheaper at £340.

John

[JulianS]

Seen similar damage just once when an attempt was made to unscrew the left hand thread retainer the wrong way.

[Swarfcut]

Rex... Dunno about other ring types available but that is one other cause along with poor casting, big hammers, well intended misguided mayhem and simple idiocy.

 As stated the locking ring screws in without resistance until it tightens down on the bearing. BSA used right and left hand threads over time, so to echo Julian, make sure you have the right part. Many are butchered trying to undo with a punch turning it the wrong way until the penny drops.

 Swarfy.

[RichardL]

To me, it looks like you could carefully remove the piece that's breaking off, give the retainer a very light coat of vaseline and thread it into the remaining (oh, say) 13/16tths of the collar's circumference. Then, using JB Weld, carefully refit the broken piece, being sure to mesh properly with the threads on the retainer. In theory, the vaseline would prevent the JB Weld from cementing the retainer in place. In any case, even if you forgo replacement of the broken bit, the remaining 13/16ths ot the threaded circumference would (OK, guessing) serve for many years. Maybe more than I have to hear of a future failure  .

Richard L.

[Radlan2]

If you know someone with a lathe who can make a retaining ring to fit over it (solong as it doesn't foul something in the brakeplate) that could be held in place with JB weld.

[chaterlea25]

Hi All
An important detail that is very often missed on the rear hubs on the later A7/10 is that there is a tiny split pin to keep the ring from coming undone 
It is very often difficult to find the drilled holes through the ring and hub, but believe me they are there
That makes the rings individual to their hub unless you can drill a 1mm hole to do the job 

John