Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Problem with Mallard freehub?

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Problem with Mallard freehub?

Old 04-28-12, 08:54 PM
  #1  
old newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 767

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 470 Post(s)
Liked 304 Times in 160 Posts
Problem with Mallard freehub?

I was oiling the chain on one of my Raleighs and noticed the rear wheel didn't freewheel at first. When I turned the pedals and the wheel turned. When I stopped so did the wheel.
I oiled the hub- just to try something, and it freed up some. Then I noticed that while the real wheel was turning the cassette moved up and down instead of just spinning.
From some reading it seems as if the Mallard hubs used nylon bearings. Are these hard to find?
If I should just replace the hub, freehub and cassette what would be a good choice? I won't be racing this Technium so I don't really want to spend hundreds to fix it.

Jim
pepperbelly is offline  
Old 04-28-12, 09:00 PM
  #2  
What??? Only 2 wheels?
 
jimmuller's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Boston-ish, MA
Posts: 13,452

Bikes: 72 Peugeot UO-8, 82 Peugeot TH8, 87 Bianchi Brava, 76? Masi Grand Criterium, 74 Motobecane Champion Team, 86 & 77 Gazelle champion mondial, 81? Grandis, 82? Tommasini, 83 Peugeot PF10

Mentioned: 189 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1222 Post(s)
Liked 645 Times in 232 Posts
I hear the Mallard hub isn't all it's quacked up to be.

(Sorry. But not too sorry. )
__________________
Real cyclists use toe clips.
With great bikes comes great responsibility.
jimmuller
jimmuller is offline  
Old 04-28-12, 09:36 PM
  #3  
old newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 767

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 470 Post(s)
Liked 304 Times in 160 Posts
I should have seen that coming.
pepperbelly is offline  
Old 04-29-12, 05:07 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
randyjawa's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada - burrrrr!
Posts: 11,672

Bikes: 1958 Rabeneick 120D, 1968 Legnano Gran Premio, 196? Torpado Professional, 2000 Marinoni Piuma

Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,743 Times in 934 Posts
I hear the Mallard hub isn't all it's quacked up to be.

(Sorry. But not too sorry. )
A hard comment to duck, for sure!-)
__________________
"98% of the bikes I buy are projects".
randyjawa is offline  
Old 04-29-12, 08:51 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Grim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 2,992

Bikes: Cannondale T700s and a few others

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Damn near had to clean coffee off the screen LOL.

Is it a Helicomatic hub? Those have poor bearing placement and were prone to problems. Not messed with any of the Mallard traditional freehubs but They were trying to be on the cutting edge but had execution problems with their other 80's products.

Almost every Freehub I have seen has some wobble/run out. The better the model the less it seems to be. If its enough to drag the wheel down its likely something has bent, grease dried out or the bearings are crusty. Getting higher end freehubs is getting hard. Might check with Pastor Bob, he runs a cottage business rebuilding the better ones. Other alternative is you can still get cheaper models from Niagara but the couple I have used had a good bit wobble but seem to work fine.
Pastor Bobs freewheel site: https://www.freewheelspa.com/
Grim is offline  
Old 04-29-12, 08:54 AM
  #6  
old newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 767

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 470 Post(s)
Liked 304 Times in 160 Posts
It is possibly just dried grease. The bike was stored for about 15-20 years.
pepperbelly is offline  
Old 04-29-12, 08:55 AM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
Grim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 2,992

Bikes: Cannondale T700s and a few others

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Beat me to the edit. Just posted Pastor Bobs link in the other post.
Grim is offline  
Old 04-29-12, 04:54 PM
  #8  
old newbie
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Posts: 767

Bikes: Specialized Roubaix

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 470 Post(s)
Liked 304 Times in 160 Posts
I took it to my LBS today. The freehub is OK. I didn't have the rear axle seated completely.
pepperbelly is offline  
Old 04-29-12, 06:14 PM
  #9  
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,935

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,367 Times in 1,916 Posts
Originally Posted by Grim
Is it a Helicomatic hub? Those have poor bearing placement and were prone to problems. Not messed with any of the Mallard traditional freehubs but They were trying to be on the cutting edge but had execution problems with their other 80's products.
The bearing placement was fine on the Helicomatic -- outboard, just like on modern freehubs. It was the bearing size that was the problem. Rear hubs use 1/4" balls to carry the load, but unlike a modern freehub where the ratchet mechanism is part of the hub, the Helicomatic was actually a freewheel system, with the ratchet part of the cog cluster. This meant that 1/4" balls could not fit in the outboard location without compromising the freewheel's minimum cog size. Thus, 5/32" balls were used instead, which were less able to carry the loads of a typical rear wheel, particularly if not frequently repacked and replaced.
JohnDThompson is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
grall1126
Bicycle Mechanics
31
08-02-19 07:11 PM
yannisg
Bicycle Mechanics
2
07-11-18 04:14 PM
pdxtex
Bicycle Mechanics
6
03-09-11 02:58 AM
constant mesh
Bicycle Mechanics
9
09-13-10 03:34 AM
jdwright56
Bicycle Mechanics
15
02-09-10 08:51 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.