Originally Posted by
operator
You should reread what he wrote.
He does not say that. It's primarily due to the inherent design of the freewheel hub that causes problems (exception - phil wood and others). Replacing the axle every year isn't going to prevent you from bending it going off a curb with a heavy rider.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/free-k7.html
About Jobst Brandt, I only wanted to say that he said freewheel axles typically fail in fatigue.
I agree that the design is weaker than a freehub, but you really shouldn't hop curbs on a road bike anyway. The higher stresses placed upon the axle also cause it to fatigue sooner than it otherwise would as well as making it more susceptible to damage.
However, provided you are a bit more careful than you'd have to be with a modern bike, it should work fine until it fatigues.
The fact that fatigue causes the failure does mean that if you simply replace the axle, it will be good until it fatigues again.