Greetings -- I'm a new guy on the list, lurking and learning. After too long a break from riding as a kid (back when "ten-speed" == "racing bike", and the cool high school kid in the neighborhood rode his Rudge (with chainguard ) to school and wasn't a dweeb), I restarted several years ago and have a newer bike. But my passion (obsession?) has become rediscovering the vin tage or old school bikes.
Anyway, while collecting parts for a rebuild of a '72 PX-10 frame (7-dig it serial, first is a 2 ... so it's probably about that year) I got a Mai llard 5-speed freewheel. Ah, the phrase 'caveat emptor' jumps to mind. Th ere was a single shot of it on eBay (face view, head on to the small gear ): looked right. Listing failed to show or mention that the gears' inner diameter, and that of the freewheel hub, is a few mm larger than the expe cted thread-on mount to the hub. Also, instead of a threaded female end b y the large gear, there is a segment of what appears to be a hub/axle con nection. It extends a few centimeters beyond the gear base, has 4 segment s with roughly equal size gaps between them around -- as if it was intend ed to connect to a similar splined end to complete the cylinder/shaft. Ar ound the beginning of the shaft, at the interface between the gear and th e shaft, is what appears to be race for ball bearings ... On the other, o uter-end (small gear) the small inner bearings are actually visible. Pawl sounds good, spins well. Sorry for not having a photo or two, but have no place to post them --
However, while this is not help for my rebuild (I'm calling it "rehabilit ation" not "restoration" as I'm getting generally period parts to get it ride-able while I find more original matches, e.g., using Mafac 'Racer" b rakes while hunting for the correct "Competition" version), it has become one of those little mysterys I'd like to solve.
Any ideas?? Bob Hillery retro-roadie, Stratham, NH
rhillery@hawksi.org