fixing a bent axle
 

first of all, yes i did a search and found nothing that was related to my question but i hope one of you can hlep anyway. Thanks in advance.

I bent my rear axle after taking my road bike off-roading. Is there any way to fix it other than to replace it? It's a QR hub btw.. I have a Novara Big Buzz if that matters. I only swaped the tires out, rest is stock.

Tools are not an issue, i work at REI and one of the employee perks are to get free use of the bike shop. I actually work in the shop 10% of the time (cashier other 90%). I would just ask the master-tech but i'm hoping to do this job myself instead of asking him like always.

Thanks for the helllllllp

No other way, you will never get it straight. Its only $10 for a new one.

Well, you can usually straighten it out well enough to use. Remove the axle from the hub, take off the cones, clean off all the grease and stuff. Lay it flat on a piece of wood and rotate until the bent-spot is aimed directly upwards. Smash that spot down with a hammer until the axle's straight again, don't overdo it and bend it in the opposite direction.

Then re-install in hub with the axle flipped around so that the bent portion is in between the bearings. This then exposes the stronger unbent end on the freewheel side.

For the effort though, you're better off just getting a new chromoly axle. :)

I would NOT suggest straightening a QR axle. Think how thin the metal is at the bottom of the threads cut into the axle. It doesnt' take much working of the metal to get it to crack. Replace it.

Make your self a favor and just replace the axle.

So much for the expertise of people who work in the bike shop section of large stores :(

You don't learn unless you ask.

The idiot is the one who thinks he already knows it all.

Actually, it's doable. I bent my axle by installing my cassette wrong and then torquing the retaining piece too hard. The result was a wobble in the cassette which drove me nuts.

They were boutique wheels, and a new (titanium) axle was an expensive and lengthy option.

My LBS mechanic carefully and gently put the axle (while still in the hub) in a vise, did some tightening, reinstalled the cassette, checked for wobble, then repeated the process 3 or 4 times until the wobble was gone.

I don't know exactly what he did, but it worked.

Most of the time, however, replacing the axle makes more sense.

Bob

I have straightened solid axles using the method described above, but a bit more gently. I took the cones off, and positioned hex axle nuts at the ends, with the bent portion up. Place on a sturdy surface. Then, using a piece of hardwood for padding, tap the thing straight with a hammer and rather gentle strokes. Be patient.

Dunno about a hollow QR axle, as the lads say, you wouldn't want a catastrophic failure. The only reason I did this one was that it was an oddball French Maillard job that I couldn't readily find a replacement for.

A good way to test for straightness is to roll the axle on a sheet of glass. Obviously you shouldnt attempt to bash the axle on the glass (<disclaimer> OR YOU WILL SMASH THE GLASS!!!!).

Thanks for the input people. Now my second question is.. are axles very specific to bikes? I just replaced a derailleur hanger and it was a pretty specific item (so i had to order it)... so i was just wondering. Or is it a pretty standard thing

They're hub specific.

Every hub on the market has an axle. Very small amount of bikes have replaceable derailleur hangers.

You just need a standard axle for a QR rear. QR axles are pretty much universal, the lenghts might vary slightly, but not much.

True, but the difference is important. A QR axle has to be long enough to nestle in the dropout but not so long that it extends, even a little bit, beyond the dropout. You need to duplicate the length of the one that you have.