Originally Posted by
c_m_shooter
So, those who complain of broken axles, why not just replace the hollow axle with a solid thru bolt axle? I have one wheelset that I bought used 20some years ago with a 7 speed Specialized Hardrock. Eventually bent the rear triangle of the frame, but the wheelset has been on my old schwinn for at least 15 years since then. I did replace the 7 speed with a bmx freewheel and rearrange spacers to line up with the chainring on a 120mm width frame.
In order to use a thru axle, you need a frame that is designed to handle a thru axle. This Ozark bike is not designed to handle thru axle hubs.
The bike could handle a freehub instead of the cheap quality and poor design freewheel it has.
But that would cost like $4 extra, probably. They don't want to pay the cost, whatever it is.