For everyone who's said they've "never heard of that before"

[helston90]

A few months ago I had a lovely accident when my front axle snapped throwing me to the ground breaking my collarbone and opposite arm and taking the knee down to the ligaments.

However everyone who asked me about how it happened suddenly became a bike technician and hadn't ever heard of it happening. So now I've finally got the bike back and taken it apart thought I'd throw up some photo's showing it does sadly happen (and it does hurt!)

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Hope u better soon.

Looks very badly corroded - I would replace it if I were you!

Seriously though, it looks like it hasn't been serviced in many a year and unfortunately rust has a nasty habit of shafting steel, especially if said steel is under high stress.
Did you ever get a full service on the bike as the axle should have been replaced?

 

[Hector]

I believe you Helston as I've had it happen to me. Not the front axle though but the rear one. As I was going around a corner I heard and almighty crack and the rear wheel moved side to side. Took the wheel off and had a look and the part of the axle, cup and bearings all spilled out.

Glad you are ok now.

 

[helston90]

The bike never got around to being serviced as it hadn't done a huge number of miles (although was pretty old) and was only being used temporarily until I got a new one on the cycle to work scheme.

I was out of the saddle on a fast moving hill climb when this happened so was a proper over the handle bars onto the floor jobby- would have preferred the back it has to be said!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've never broke a front, I've broken rear axles in the past, when we had six speed blocks the bearings were inboard of the frame with a section of unsupported axle and failures weren't uncommon, as Tony said it looks like age and corrosion were the culprits with this one. How has your recovery been going?

 

[Scoosh]

[makes note to check both axles when next at the bike]

That sounds an horrific incident and I hope you are recovering as well as better than can be expected and are soon back riding - on nice new axles !

Thanks for the heads up too.

 

[Crackle]

I've never broke a front, I've broken rear axles in the past, when we had six speed blocks the bearings were inboard of the frame with a section of unsupported axle and failures weren't uncommon, as Tony said it looks like age and corrosion were the culprits with this one. How has your recovery been going?

Yes, I've broken a rear.

 

[johnr]

Last winter I snapped a derailleur (?). 'You can't do that,' says LBS on phone. 'Oh, it's completely snapped', he say when I take bike into shop.

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

This accident only happens to people who don't look after their equipment. It's a bit like a motorist complaining that his engine one day "decided to seize completely" and discovering the oil hadn't been changed in 50,000 miles.

 

[mickle]

This accident only happens to people who don't look after their equipment. It's a bit like a motorist complaining that his engine one day "decided to seize completely" and discovering the oil hadn't been changed in 50,000 miles.

Bollocks.

 

[mickle]

In twenty+ years of cycle shop work I never saw a snapped front axle.

One of the contributory factors for rear axle breakage is misaligned drop-outs and I would be very surprised if it wasn't a factor here. Misaligned drop-outs subject the axle to permanent and unnatural loading. Combine this with time, rider body weight and a bit of out of the saddle argy bargy and - particularly if it wasn't the finest quality to begin with - it'll eventually fail.

Unfortunately it's impossible to know if this was a factor because as it fails the axle will bend the drop-outs....

 

[Browser]

Rear axle, once, on my old Falcon Explorer. This was in my 'fat Elvis' phase when I was approaching 17 stone. that's my excuse Was teaching Bikewise at the local primary school, noticed rear brake rub, checked when I got home and thought the axle nuts were loose, Tightening produced the strange effect of the nuts nots doing up and the axle rotating. With bike upended (didn't have a work stand then!) the reason for this soon became obvious
I put it down to cheap axles, never had it happen since.

 

[Gasman]

'Photos' not 'photo's'

A. Pedant

 

[GfromHull]

Looks like the bearings where not running true, you can see the wear marks are angled. ie loose cones????

 

[GrasB]

I've broken a hollow QR front axle before, thankfully it was when I was doing maintenance on the bike when it happened. Undoing the cone & suddenly the cone & a bit of the axle fell on the floor. Yay for cheap Chinese hubs