slightly bent axle

[alecstilleyedye]

i have a wheel for my fixed that i have started stripping the hub down as it felt gravelly. it seems that the axle is slightly bent. is it a write-off, or can i just regrease and carry on? it's a spare wheel btw.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I had the same dilemma recently when I had to replace a broken rear axle on my hack-bike... the spare one I had was very slightly bent (It had come out of my fixie years ago). All my fixie rear axles seemed to take on a slight bend with time. I recall replacing them several times when I commuted. As the wheel in my case was hugely old I figured it wasn't going to be the end of the world.
If it was my best-bike wheels I might have thought differently.

 

[potsy]

I'd be more worried about scoring 5 goals away from home and still not winning

 

[alecstilleyedye]

I'd be more worried about scoring 5 goals away from home and still not winning

i'd be more worried about being 1 up and losing…

 

[swee'pea99]

Personally I tend to ignore anything that doesn't actually seem to be affecting anything. Pretty much everything on my bikes is 'more or less'. This might help http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300470037355&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT - it might not.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

i just stripped, degreased, re-greased and put the thing back together. the bearings looked ok. if it's a problem in future i'm sure local lbs can sort it out...

 

[gbb]

Worst case (and eventual) scenario is that it could excessively wear the cone (or worse still) the cup. It'll tend to slightly change the point of contact of the bearings from all round the faces...to one point.

I've also noticed on a couple of cheaper wheels, they've become harder to keep the axles/bearingss adjusted, as in kept going OUT of adjustment. Eventually realised it was down to a bent axle.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

Worst case (and eventual) scenario is that it could excessively wear the cone (or worse still) the cup. It'll tend to slightly change the point of contact of the bearings from all round the faces...to one point.

I've also noticed on a couple of cheaper wheels, they've become harder to keep the axles/bearingss adjusted, as in kept going OUT of adjustment. Eventually realised it was down to a bent axle.

ta, i'll bear that in mind. good job i had a better wheel with a sachs hub and mavic rim which i put on the bike instead of the one with, as it turns out, the dodgy axle.

it'll do as an emergency spare.

 

[snailracer]

Bent axles have been known to crack the tubes in the rear triangle and rear dropouts due to fatigue stress. A new axle costs less than £10, how much do you value your frame?

 

[RedBike]

For the cost of a new axle £10 it's not worth the hassle. A bent axle will put additional stress on the bearing and your frame and if it snaps while you're out riding it's going to be a rather difficult road side repair.

 

[02GF74]

it should be posswible to buy a new axle - best to have the cups with it as I have found that the trheads o nthem seem to vary - I ahve some spare cups that come of axles with seemingly the same thread but are not interchangeable.



Depending on where the axle is bent and by how muccuh, clamp it in a vice and give it as couple of whacks with a hammer - that should straighten it - put an aluminum tube over it so the hammer does not damage the threads. Should be no probs doing that with steel - I've straigthened skeweers in much the same way.

 

[jimboalee]

At every strip down, I roll the spindle across a surface plate. ANY bend in it, it goes in the bin.

Bent spindles,

place an uneven load on the ballrace because the cones are not concentric with the cups.
promote faster wear of the cones.
promote faster wear of the cups.
bend more when the tracknuts or QR is tightened. This throws the ball race evenness out of the window - tightens one side and loosens the other.
can crack and break during riding.

Chuck it.

 

[jimboalee]

Sorry RedBike, I'm repeating what you've already said.