Harris Cyclery lists them as "out of stock," and I haven't found them anywhere else. It's a flat spanner with a circular splined cutout on one end, and usually has a bottle opener on the other end. If anyone has one to sell, please send me a PM. Thanks!

I got mine from Ebay. YOu could also check yellowjersey.org

Yep, I got mine on eBay too. They show up there somewhat regularly.

If you really need one for an immediate job, let me know and I'll lend you mine.

I've got a spare peugeot hub with all the gears if you want. It seems like it will clean up nice... I still have spokes attached because I couldn't get the gears off.

You can have it for the price of postage. Send me a mail if you want it.

Yellow jersey seems to have them in stock. Last time I checked they do.

Channel locks work just fine if you have a light touch.

I know a guy that has some. I will forward this link to him.

BTW, you know you are really painted in a corner when yuo need that tool. Bail out now. Abort, abort!

I should have a few of them in my garage. I use them mostly as bottle openers more than anything else.
Send me a PM and I can get ya squared away.

I could use one, too, berrywise if you have more than one extra. Got a few hubs and gear sets and no tool. I'm happy to send you something for your effort.

Cheers,
Karl

Found mine on eBay a few months ago. Was mislabeled as a 'Maillard pedal tool' or some similar misnomer.

Thanks everybody for helping me out. I've got one on the way...

Is this a reference to their less than stellar reputation? I'm not going to be crossing the continental divide or anything, so I'm going to stick with it and see how it goes. My '84 Trek 520 is all original, including the Helicomatic, so I'm learning as much as I can about it. I must admit I was a bit saddened to see even Sheldon gave Maillard's effort poor marks. I actually like the fact that the freewheel is easily removed, compared to others of the same vintage.

Does anyone have any personal anecdotes to relate concerning the Helicomatic?

I had one on my late 70's Bob Jackson Super Tourist. It worked great for the 6 months I had the bike.

Aaron

I also have an original '84 520, but the hub and cogs are in poor condition. I've temporarily put another wheel on the bike.
I also snapped the rear Suntour derailleur overtightening the middle bolt and had to replace that.

Yes, I've done this! Just remember, channel locks can be really destructive, don't squeeze too hard.

I still have the Maillard/Spidel/Matrix wheels from my 1984 610. I used them for a year, then a few years ago some spare Campy hub wheels came along, and I switched to them. The Maillards spun and ratcheted fine, but now the grease in all the bearings is hardened and they all need ot be rebuilt. The Helico freewheel shifts poorly, even worse than a Regina, that was my main problem. Also I don't think Trek did a good job by specifying the 14-28 cluster pattern, in an ultra-6 spacing! It was never a good-shifting bike! Now it has a Sunrace 7-speed on the Campy hubs, tubulars, fenders, Noodles, and an Alias saddle, so its a totally different bike. Still a decent Trek frame, but a much better bike. The Maillards are not going back on.

Some people here love them.

Keep in mind that there are 2 different diameters of Helicomatic rings. Large diameter helicomatics are very rare so odds are, if you have a Helicomatic, its the smaller more common version.

Hmmn, call me crazy, but I'll happily collect all the Helicomatic hubs and clusters I can get my hands on. Been riding them for quite awhile now, currently they're the main wheels on my Trek 460, and I've had very good success with them. Love the ease of cluster changing depending on where I'm going to ride that day.

Does a very fast 30 miles in 100 degree heat this late morning and afternoon count? Real nice day, real good run, and I absolutely adore that bike - a mid-80's Trek 460. I swear I run faster in the hot weather, and as a transplanted Yankee, complain less about the heat than the locally born and raised.

I've been running Helicomatic for about a year and a half, and about a 1000 miles in that time. No broken spokes, no bearing problems, just a nice, solid set of wheels. Only have two clusters at the moment (looking for more), one with an average range, one corncob. Have been known to put the spare cluster in a plastic bag and in my tyre repair kit so I can swap clusters in mid-ride depending on where I'm planning on going. Overly obsessive, but I do enjoy that corncob when I know I won't be going near any hills.

I tend to give Sheldon's writeup of the Helicomatic the same kind of credence I gave Nader's "Unsafe at Any Speed" when I first read it (son of a Chevy dealer, and yes I loved Corvairs).

So far, all the nasty predictions have not come true.

I've had no trouble with the hubs at all after several thousand miles put to hard commuter use. As far as I can figure, the most serious reliability issue may have been due to the necessary use of smaller than usual ball bearings on the drive side which tended to wear a bit faster than those on other hubs. Just keep the wheel well maintined and you should have no problems. The actual freewheels are really very smooth. Here is a link to my Photographic Ode to the lowly Helicomatic - which includes scans of an original "instruction" card with which a replacement tool was once sold.

sykerocker....that was one of the intended design features. A rider could run a relatively tiight gear cluster and carry a spare, wider cluster thet could be changed out in a matter of seconds when you got to the hills.

stronglight....good points. Helicomatic dust caps have a nice sealing mechanism which helps to prolong maintenance intervals. I've never seen the larger diamter Helicomatic in person but I believe it uses larger 1/4" bearings.

Jim

The two bikes that came my way with this hub both had severely out-of-true rims.

It's like riding with a little bit of sunshine in your pocket.

I know where you're coming from--my dad owned three Corvairs while I was growing up. I knew that "Nader Was Wrong" even before I understood what the bumpersticker was referring to. Dad's well-practised rant in reply to the inevitible comment is an enduring memory of my childhood.

Thanks Stronglight. I enjoyed your Photographic Ode. I cleaned up the freewheel today and will service the hub bearings soon. I'm liking this system more and more.