Harvey,
My experience was that, for a riders who were not too heavy -
let's say less than 68 kilos (i.e. 149 pounds) - the bearings were not a p
roblem. Also, the people I know who used them seriously - myself included
- were diligent about maintenance.
That might explain why Maillard ne
ver saw serious problems while testing with professional racing teams. I.e
. the riders were typically not too heavy (even if they were powerful), the
technicians were the best and maintenance schedules could be scrupulously
maintained.
Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)
> Currently
building a 650 b wheelset. 3x rustless 14
> gauge spokes (cut phil wo
od spoke cutter that Peter Stull
> owns), Vintage Weinmann rims and now t
he tough choice NOS
> first generation shimano 600 cassette UG hubs or Ma
illard
> Helichomatic.
> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> I keep
a Helicomatic wheel around (and a Helicomatic beer
> opener), but my sens
e was that there is a consensus that
> this "missing link" between the FW
and the cassette had a
> real weakness: undersized right bearing set tha
t was prone
> to fail (Oddly enough, this "feature" affected the later
> off-topic Sachs 8-speed Cassette hub, too). In contrast, I
> think that
the alternative was a much better design. But, I
> could be wrong, and I
do enjoy playing with the
> Helicomatic. Several years ago, I somehow
acquired a
> stack of 40 or so loose Helicomatic cogs that I spread amon
g
> listmembers, don't think I have spares any longer.
>
> Perhaps,
like the Cinelli M-71 "widowmaker" pedal, it
> should go in a collection
of Great Ideas that Needed Just a
> Bit More Thought
>
> harvey sach
s
> McLean va
>
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