Bicycle Mechanics - Cracked Vintage Hub- Safe to ride?

Well heck, I was cleaning the rear wheel on my Vintage Olmo after a ride and saw a crack had formed on my rear Nuovo Tipo hub. Now these are not rare or "overly" expensive but it may take a couple of weeks to find a new one at the right price. My question is is it safe to ride until then. I do have another wheel I could use, but I'd rather just leave this one on until I find the replacement hub and I'd like to run it by someone with more experience than me. Thanks

265361

It might be safe. It might crack through the flange tomorrow, letting the spokes go and instantly potato-chipping and locking up the wheel. Are you feeling lucky? Well, are you?

I'm thinking that's an odd place to a crack to start. Are you certain it's not just a scratch?

It will eventually crack all the way through. The question is when. While your going down a hill? When your 15miles from home? When your rushing through a traffic light during rush hour? Why take a chance. I would just get a new hub.

it look like a scratch to me , but photos can be misleading .

Get a new one anyway.

I'd have no problem riding that until a new wheel arrived.

Doesn't look like a crack to me either. Are you sure it wasn't always there?

- Mark

I'd have no problem riding that until a new wheel arrived.

+1, if it's a crack, it's probably a stress crack form excess interference in the bearings fit. Possibly someone rebuilt the hub, and cammed the baring pressing it in. In any case I doubt you just happen to have caught is as it was reaching the meatier part of the shell, sso it's probably been that way for a while (maybe a very long while).

There's not much reason for the crack to suddenly start extending, especially because there's lot's of meat in the shell under the flanges, and this is the left side where all stresses are just over half what they are on the right.

I'd ride it until I felt I had a reason not to or trashed the wheel, which I wouldn't rebuild on this shell.

I'm thinking that's an odd place to a crack to start. Are you certain it's not just a scratch?

Same here. Looks rideable to me.
You could take the hub apart, pop out the dust cap and look for a crack on the inside.

+1, if it's a crack, it's probably a stress crack form excess interference in the bearings fit. Possibly someone rebuilt the hub, and cammed the baring pressing it in. In any case I doubt you just happen to have caught is as it was reaching the meatier part of the shell, sso it's probably been that way for a while (maybe a very long while).

There's not much reason for the crack to suddenly start extending, especially because there's lot's of meat in the shell under the flanges, and this is the left side where all stresses are just over half what they are on the right.

I'd ride it until I felt I had a reason not to or trashed the wheel, which I wouldn't rebuild on this shell.Yes it is a crack (I changed the photo so the picture is not being 1/2 blocked by an ad; click to make it bigger). I tore the hub down and the outside crack is blocked by the bearing cup, which is like new. I also agree sso it's (the crack) probably been that way for a while (maybe a very long while). I have a set of hubs on the way, but I'm going to keep riding the hub and keep an eye on it; it's very unlikely the hub could fail catastrophically considering it's location.