Group-- The discussion of the Normandy hubs rang a bell, so I dug into the box and lo-and-behold, a pair of new appearing hubs appeared. These are 36 hole high flange, no skewers, 122 cm +/-spacing on the rear, Embossed "Milremo" with a red label running around the barrel that says "NORMANDY luxe competition". These have been laced up before, but must have been take offs, 'cause they look brand new and are beautiful hubs.. If anybody has a use for them , $35.00 should be about right! Thanks--- Nelson Miller
PS The Schwinn Sports Tourer had these same hubs stamped "Schwinn Approved".
Couple of comments to Russ's notes:
Luxe Competitons usually (meaning not always) have chromed lock nuts, standard Sport hub locknuts where never plated.
Luxe Competiton cups and cones - in my experience - are always the same as the Sport hub and hence the general concensus that while a great looking hub they are not as smooth as other high end hubs of the period. In my experience, these cups and cones are not interchangable with any other manufacturer. 7th edition Cycl-ology catalog states "Same characteristics as Normandy Sport, but de luxe model with curved flanges, special S.K.F. ring bearing for smooth rotation, and slender, elegant lines specially designed for high-class racing machines." 1975 Bikecology catalog states " This is a very light alloy hub used on many European pro bikes. Though quite attractive and servicable, the quality level and price are below that of the preceding models (Campy, Phil, Shimano DA).
Maillard 700 series (Peugeot Trophy) were identical in appearance to the Luxe competitions but had superior quality cups and cones which are noticably smoother than the Luxe ones. Rgarding Peugeot's, the 700 series was first avalable on the PX-10LE when it was introduced as there top model, while the Luxe Comp remained standard on the PX-10E. The 700 series rivaled Campy NR of the period in regards to smoothness.
My experience and opinions, with a period catalog quotes thrown in...
Eric Elman
> I meant to send this to the list as a whole, and instead it went to just
> Gareth. Any additions greatly appreciated ...
>
> Russ
> >
> > I'm sure others will chime in on this one -
> >
> > There were two patterns of high-flange Normandy hubs. The basic Sport
model
> > was stock on some Schwinns, Peugeot U0-8s, and other basic bike-boom 10-
> > speeds. A fairly widely used hub, to be honest, and pretty much similar
to
> > the
> > basic Atom, Maillard, etc. hub. Basic quality - some folks used to
polish
> > the
> > cones with Simichrome or toothpaste to smooth them up, and I seem to
> > remember a
> > Bicycling! magazine article on that trick.
> >
> > Up until a year or so back, Third Hand/Loose Screws listed an axle set,
> > complete with cones, etc., for Normandy/Atom/Maillard hubs that (I
think)
> > was
> > the correct one for Normandy Sports. Unfortunately, it hasn't been
listed
> > in a
> > while. There are ZILLIONS of these around though, and probably enough
that
> > you
> > can safely cannibalize them to keep a few going.
> >
> > The nicer pattern was the Normandy Luxe Competition. These had wider
> > flanges
> > with more machining to them (the outer section is thicker than the area
with
> > the oval cutouts) and were nicely polished. The gold label ones came
stock
> > on
> > Peugeot PX-10Es. The red label ones seem to have been stock on Raleigh
> > Competitions, and possibly some non-Peugeot French bikes.
> >
> > Sheldon Brown has written about these before, and if memory serves me,
the
> > cones are shaped differently from anything else - and there are no
> > replacements
> > available from anyone. Sheldon was also correct in noting a while back
that
> > they do not appear to have been available except as OEM parts - the set
I
> > remembered seeing in a box at the '98 Cirque was in a Maillard box, and
were
> > take-offs, as I discovered when I bought them at the '99 Cirque!
> >
> > <Either Sheldon, Jerry M. or Larry O. is encouraged to chime in here -
how
> > similar are the Maillard 700 series hubs used on PY series Peugeots,
Raleigh
> > RRAs, etc.?>
> >
> > The Luxe Competition was meant to be a top-line hub, and there are some
who
> > would argue that adjusted and maintained, they are as good as old Campy
> > Record. I won't enter that argument, but I will note some quirks,
> > observations, etc. about variations I have encountered -
> >
> > No-label - I've had Luxe Competitions that either never had a label, or
it
> > fell
> > off. They're stamped with the same stamp used on Normandy Sport hubs,
but
> > have
> > the distinctive flange of the Luxe Comp.
> >
> > dustcaps - beware of the thin metal dustshields! They are fragile and
once
> > removed, often nearly impossible to replace without damage. Some of
them
> > appear to be a bit sturdier, but why take chances? I'd recommend
repacking
> > them with the shields in place.
> >
> > I've had gold label ones with thin and thicker dustshields; also white
> > plasticky dust shields similar to those used in the Maillard "Peugeot
> > Trophee"
> > hubs used on PX-10LEs.
> >
> > Red label ones will have either metal or red plastic/nylon/whatever
shields.
> > I've also encountered LOW-flange red label Normandy hubs - I think the
last
> > one
> > of those I had went to a fellow listmember in '99.
> >
> > My take on them - they're great for restorations, but hard to find
> > sometimes.
> > I've found several gold label rears, and a fair number of red label
fronts,
> > most of them in the course of raiding the back rooms of a couple of long
> > established bike shops. By comparison, I had a horrible time locating a
gold
> > label front, though - I have located exactly one loose front in nearly
four
> > years.
> >
> > Hope that answers some questions!
> > Russ Fitzgerald
> > rfitzger@emeraldis.com
> > Greenwood, SC
> >
> >
> >
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > I appear to have a high-flange Normandy front hub on one of my bikes.
> > I've
> > > seen this crop up here a few times, but have been unable through
searches
> > on
> > > the web to locate any information about these.
> > >
> > > Anyone got any basic info (who are they, do they still exist, what's
the
> > > quality like) ? That sort of thing?
> > >
> > >cheers
> > >
> > >G
> >
> >
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