Re: [CR]Re:Hi-E - Still in Business???

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli:Laser)

Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2005 09:13:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]Re:Hi-E - Still in Business???
To: Eugene Powell <radfin@SpiritOne.com>, George Allen <jgallen@lexairinc.com>
In-Reply-To: <f2ad2448bcfb4698904c6f4865a229a4@SpiritOne.com>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

So, does anyone know the answer to whether Hi-E is still in business and whether Harlan is still involved? Several years ago I bought some not-so-quick release skewers from them, but even then, I understood that Harlan was trying to retire. I was a little disappointed in the skewers, BTW, as they had plastic wingnute, not the original-type alloy nuts.

Regards,

Jerry Moos

Eugene Powell <radfin@SpiritOne.com> wrote: Hey George,

Harlan sent me a pile o' spacers (I have both the steel and alloy ones) and a few axles years ago, I've got the ones you need. Or, as you've got the shop to do it, I could take some pics and measure them. They look pretty straight forward, duplicates should be no problem.

To get it apart,

Use an old QR skewer to gently tap off the end cap by inserting from the opposite side and allowing in to rest off center and tapping gently. Mine came off very easily. If yours are more stubborn you might have to rotate and repeat several times. I know of no bonding agents or other adhesives used on the axles, nor are there any threads. All slips together, and often slides apart if you don't keep a QR in place.

All in all, pretty much what Marks Stonich and Bulgier said..............................

On Jul 13, 2005, at 6:33 AM, George Allen wrote:
> I have a Hi-E wheelset. The front is 28 spoke radial-laced. The rear
> is 32 spoke, 4 cross. The rims are the super-light Super Champion
> Medaille d'Or. The rear hub is currently spaced at 120 mm. I'd love to
> change the spacing to 126. I obviously have no 126 mm axle for HI-E
> hubs. Does Hi-E still exist or is there anyone that can make this
> modification? I have a full machine shop so I could machine my own
> axle. However, I can't figure out how to get the darn thing apart as
> it appears to be a sealed unit. BTW, I am impressed with the quality
> of these hubs. They're extremely light and spin beautifully with
> absolutely no play.
>
>
>
> George Allen
> Lexington, Ky
>
>
> At 03:52 AM 7/13/2005, Mark Bulgier wrote:
>
>> Hi all, I'm back on the list after being an archives-only reader for
>> awhile.
>>
>> The recent discussion of weird Hi-E spoking patterns interested me,
>> partly because I have a 40-hole Hi-E rim and I'm looking for just the
>> right rear hub. Er I mean, correct rear hub - it's not for a
>> tricycle.
>> ;) I'm hoping to find a Hi-E rear hub with 24 holes right and 16
>> holes
>> left. Any spacing, but 120 is 1st choice. Or actually I could make
>> do
>> with any Hi-E rear hub that has 24 holes on the right, as long as it
>> has
>> at least 16 holes on the left - more holes on the left would be OK.
>>
>> The front wheel for this set has the elusive, some might say insane,
>> Siamese Spokes. Anyone seen those? The fact that they are aluminum
>> not
>> steel isn't even the weirdest thing about them. This wheel has 40
>> holes
>> at the rim (and they all have spokes in nipples in them) but only 20
>> holes at the hub. How's that work? The spokes are threaded for
>> nipples
>> at both ends, and instead of terminating at the hub, they just do a
>> dog-leg bend through the hub and keep on going to the rim on the other
>> side of the wheel. Picture here if that helps envision it:
>> http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Parts/Wheels/Siamese_Spokes.JPG
>>
>> The rims, in case you haven't held or beheld one, are also near that
>> border between wacky and insane - not sure which side they're on.
>> Made
>> from a thin sheet of high-strength aluminum alloy that's bent around,
>> as
>> Larry Black put it, like making rain gutters, the two edges overlap so
>> that the part of the rim that the spoke nipples pull on is double
>> thickness. There's a pretty good view of that at
>> http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Parts/Wheels/Hi-E_rim(1).JPG Look inside
>> the valve hole, you can see the double thickness; also what appears to
>> be glue between the two layers, unless that's just spooge. My cheesy
>> little scale can't really be trusted but it shows my 40-hole rim as
>> 220
>> grams, anyone know if that's the claimed weight or near what others
>> have
>> weighed them as? I think that would make it the all time lightweight
>> champ, even lighter than the Scheeren Weltmeister. There's another
>> picture, showing the riveted joint opposite the valve hole, at:
>> http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Parts/Wheels/Hi-E_rim(2).JPG
>>
>> My next Hi-E question is: Who knows what is missing from my Hi-E
>> pedals?
>> I bought them recently from a reputable dealer, and they came with
>> threads (for the crank) looking like this:
>> http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Parts/Cranks_Pedals/Hi-
>> E_pedal_threads_clos
>> eup.jpg
>>
>> I think the problem shows clearly in the photo: The shoulder at the
>> base
>> of the threads is recessed down inside the bearing housing, so the
>> bearing housing hits the crank long before the thread shoulder
>> tightens
>> against the crank. No way this can work; my only thought is there
>> must
>> be a bushing that's missing.
>>
>> Notice the Hi-E pedal on Dale's website (are those your pedals Dale?)
>> http://www.classicrendezvous.com/USA/Hi_E_pedals.htm (upper photo)
>> Those threads stick out past the bearing housing like they should.
>> Dale, or whoever owns those pedals, do you know or could I get you to
>> look, are those separate bushings over the threads, or are yours
>> designed different than mine?
>>
>> Final question for the night: Does anyone know if Harlan still
>> operates,
>> still sells Hi-E parts? OK one more question, a follow-up if I may,
>> got
>> any contact information for him? (or the new owners if he sold the
>> business - I know he wanted to sell it a number of years ago)(Hard to
>> imagine anyone but Harlan Meyers running Hi-E though!)
>>
>> Thanks, to anyone who's still reading, for sticking it out!
>> _______________________________________________

Gene Powell
Rad Finishes
Portland, OR