Originally Posted by
Chuckles1
I broke a freewheel axle years ago before I learned bike mechanics. I think it was because the cones had loosened and I was negligent in having them adjusted. Maybe it was just heavy mileage and the inherent weakness of the design, but I suspect it was made worse by a rideable but slightly wobbly wheel.
I doubt bearing adjustment or cone/lock nut tightness has anything to do with your axle breakages. FW hubs have been known for many decades to stress the RH half of the axle to a greater degree then the LH. That's why nearly all the many dozens of broken axles I've seen are broken at the RH cone edge. It's an issue of leverage not moving on the axle cones. As to a wobbly wheel contributing to axle breakage I would say that both a wobbly wheel and a broken axle can (and often are) common results of a rider's manor (weight/load, bump avoidance skills). To suggest that one leads to the other isn't how I look at it. Andy