Heliomatic spoke shear
 

On Sheldons site he warns of the Helio-comical / Malliard hub combination shearing
spokes and sure enuff after reading this I sheared a spoke on my commuter !
The only thing that I did was take the plastic ring off and clean and lube the cluster
about 4 days earlier. The Chain has never gone into the spokes.........
I dont beleive(?) the article give a reason for the shearing but I want to do something
to make this NOT a regular occurance....Do you seasoned Peugeot veterans who still
run this stuff do anything to keep this from happening constantly ?? Is it something
with the cluster or just the design of the Malliard hub ?? I want to keep all my Pug stuff
original if possible so any suggestions would be appreciated !
T.I.A. :D

my girlfriend has one of those. she'd like to change the gearing on it and after looking at the selections available, thought of changing out the rear hub at some point for something that would accept a regular freewheel. hers is a pretty nice nos and has so far been trouble free. though now that i've posted this....

From Sheldons site:

"Both hub flanges were 1mm farther to the left than those of a normal hub, causing increased dish in the rear wheel, and persistent spoke breaage problems. Many loyal Helicomatic fans tout the ease with which the cassette may be removed for spoke replacement as a great virtue, but if the hub were better designed, it wouldn't break so many spokes!"

A friend of mine happens to have one of these hubs on his Motobecane. Although he doesn't ride it that much, I have the pleasure of replacing one or two spokes a year for him. He's a pretty big guy, so that doesn't help matters any. But like it says above, with the proper helico removal tool it's a breeze to remove the cluster, so replacing the spoke isn't a big deal. I just make sure to keep a good stock of spokes handy.

Thanks Nick !!
Your post and repost from Sheldons site confirms I am a dope. :p .
I do like the ease in which the Hell 'o-Komical can be washed and lubed
and have even found a huge pair of lock jaw pliers(??) remove the locknut
with no problems... Oh joy. Trying to find a local LBS that will have evenstock
or have the slightest clue about loose french spokes :roflmao: