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Old 08-31-09 | 02:03 PM
  #11  
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Sixty Fiver
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
 
Joined: Sep 2007
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From: YEG

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wOOdie - The front wheel is nice but that rear is a Maillard Helicomatic... this in itself is a good reason to get a nice set of 700c wheels built as the Helicomatic is notorious for spoke breakage on the drive side when subjected to typical touring loads.

The design was brilliant in that it allowed for easy cassette removal with pocket sized Helicomatic tool but flawed because the offset of the hub causes drive side spoke breakage ,the bearing support is also weaker on the drive side and causes premature wear, and replacement parts are not readily available.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html#helicomatic
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