I have some hubs that I took off a early 70's Mercier 100 and after a lot of google searching, I cannot find anything about them. They are New Star (never heard of this before), 36H, and are pretty heavy. They spin smooth (after repacking) and the cups and cones are pristine. I'm thinking about lacing them up to a set of CR 18 and using them for touring/commuting. Any thoughts about the quality of these hubs? Thanks in advanced.





https://www.flickr.com/photos/2682797...n/photostream/

-Dave

[edit by admin to fix photo links]

huh, tried to post some photos, will have to work on that

The original hubs on that vintage Mercier 100 are French Normandy high flange 36H and would have been laced to 27" steel rims with patterned braking surfaces. It sounds like the original wheels were changed out at some point. AFAIK Merciers from that era only used French brand hubs, and I've never heard of a French hub named New Star. Sounds Asian. Are the freewheel threads French?

I have it on the word from the original owner that these were the wheels that were on it when he bought it. That doesnt mean that the bike shop didn't put other wheels on it. They were steel rims w/ textured sides for brakes.

So, what brand of freewheel was on the rear hub?

They look real similar to Pellisier hubs. I suspect that there were other small manufacturers that made something like that. I would guess that they are comparable quality to the basic Normandy hube, and if they roll smoothly it's worth building a wheel around them. They are not as cool as something higher quality, but the the three-piece look is very retro.

I'm not sure what kind of freewheel it is. The photos are here, im having trouble reading the brand logo.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26827976@N08/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/26827976@N08/4304791899/

I thnk it reads "Cyclo 64".
Not familiar with the brand. Looks vintage/old to me, pre 80's??

Chombi

OK. AFAIK, Cyclo is a French brand. The important thing is that it is "Made in France", which means it is probably French threaded as is the hub, and the hub is probably French as well, such as Pellisier as Slugo suggested. So, you will either have to use the same freewheel if you build up your hubs into a wheel, or find another French threaded freewheel. Your best bet would be an Atom or possibly a Regina with a French body.

Thanks for the advice. Are the axles differently threaded as well?

Fixed the hub photos for you.

I've worked on a few bikes with Cyclo freewheels and they were all British threaded.

Maybe. Thing is, there are variations in axle diameter and thread pitch within nationalities just as much as there are between them. For example, your rear axle could be 9.5mm x 1.0mm or 9.5mm x 26 TPI or 10.0mm x 1.0mm (ISO). Also, there are variances in the curvatures of the bearing cups and cones. So, if you need to replace or use a piece of axle hardware, you are probably best off replacing the entire set.

Were they on French bicycles with French hubs and early 1970s vintage? I have no doubt that Cyclo made freewheels with English/ISO threading, just as Regina made freewheels with French threading, however, it is my experience that French bicycles (Mercier,Peugeot,Gitane) made prior to the early 1970s used French threading thoughout their bikes. The only way the OP can tell will be to try an Engish freewheel, and if it is a sloppy fit, then the hub threads are most likely French. Since the difference in thread diameter is only 0.1mm and the thread pitch is nearly identical, it is near impossible to determine this by measurement.

1. thanks for fixing the photos.

2. I think that the axle may be bent on the rear also, i would need to get a longer one to go to 6 speed as I a almost certain that this hub was made for 120 mm spacing. So if I need to replace it, how would I go about finding cones w/ the correct pitch?

Thanks again, you all have been wonderful help.

also, I found a pic of Pelissier hubs and they look pretty much identical. Thanks again.
https://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...ssier_main.htm

-dave

Noah and TT, you're both right. Cyclo, originally Le Cyclo, was a French company. When Britain went off the gold standard in 1931, high duties were placed on imports. To prevent lost sales, Le Cyclo persuaded their British importer to go into partnership with them and establish an English manufacturing facility, Cyclo Gear Co, Ltd.. From that point onwards there were French Cyclo and British Cyclo products. I don't know how long they lasted, but both were still operating during the early 1970s boom.

I don't recall New Star hubs. However, they look like they could part of that incestuous relationship between the Atom, Maillard, Normandy and Pellisier hub lines.

Well, if your cones are still in good condition and you can retain them, I'd first see if perhaps the axle is 10mm diameter, in which case it is most likely ISO 10mm x 1.0mm and should be easy to find. I have two French Normandy hubs with French freewheel threading and they both have 10mm axles.

Yes, they were 70s French bikes. I don't disagree that the hubs may indeed be French threaded, just wanted to put it out there that the OP shouldn't assume they are French threaded.

I think I have some New Star hubs, I'l be back

In case anybody was wondering, I brought the hub to a shop and they guy threaded on a freewheel for me and he felt that it was ISO. Thanks for all the information, you guys know a crazy amount of stuff.

dave

Not to get you worried here, but it is possible to screw an English/ISO freewheel onto a French hub. It will be a loose fit and will screw on most of the way before showing resistance due the very slightly finer French threads (1.000mm vs 1.058mm). Everything will seem fine until you put some hard effort into the cranks, and then strip out the hub threads. I'd only feel confident if you tried a known French threaded freewheel, and it would not thread onto the hub by hand. Remember, there is only a 0.1mm difference in diameter between English and French threads, and 0.22mm between ISO and French.

Here is my front hub, a low flange 'new star'. I can't remember what bike these wheels came from since im away from my regular computer. Intrestingly google seach didn't come up with much when I seached for new star hubs, I found your resquests, and this photo on flickr, (on sale) giving more evidence as to the date these hubs were built.

prettyshady - The hub bodies are steel (magnetic) and not aluminum, right?

Pretty sure its steel, ( can't find a magnet in this house!)