Originally Posted by
kroozer
I have had four pairs of Normandy Competition hubs, and on three of them the rear unit had pitted bearing surfaces (front units always good). One time I monkeyed around trying to fit cones from other hubs, but nothing I had worked. A good short-term solution is to just ride the pitted hub for a while. The Normandy Sport is supposedly a step down in quality, but there are lots of them around, and I've actually had better luck with the cones and cups. Maillard 700 is very nice, I would rate it about even with Campagnolo Record.
I run a 1960s version of the high-flange Normandy Sport front hub (all round holes) on my '51 Sun Wasp, and it spins reasonably well with fresh bearings and grease. As you say, there are plenty around for spare parts.
For my purposes with the Competition, I won an auction for a really nice Maillard 700 front in high-flange yesterday, so now I'll snoop around for a comparable rear hub.