seypat

So I've just about got the LeJuene TDF frame and parts cleaned up and ready for reassembly. I go to overhaul the hubs and it looks like they need new axles and cones. The front one is a Normandy and a Pelissier is out back. Both are high flange 36H. (I haven't acquired a matching set yet) 100mm and 120mm respectively.

So I go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheapo digital micrometer/gauge. Then I pull up the Wheel mfg. chart and start looking.

First of all, are keyed axles even available anymore and are they important?

Second, I know the Micrometer is a cheapo, so the measurements might be off some. But I'm not finding anything on this chart that comes really close to the cones. I might have found a match for the Normandy ones. But the Pelissier is a different story. The problem is I can't get both measurents close to something on the chart. If the diameter is close but a little small the the thickness is way too big and visa versa. I can get the thickness close to something on the chart but the diameter is .5 -.7 off.

Which is more important, matching the outside diameter or the thickness? I would think the diameter is more important.

Thanks in advance for the advise.

due ruote 

What matters is the threading and the bearing race. You can always use different spacers to work out the overlocknut dimension. Your best bet is probably to paw through some drawers in local bike shops.

bikemore 

Normandy hubs axles are notorious for being kind of soft. I have a box of empty hubs. According to my Sutherland's
French fronts solid are 8 mm x 1.0. Hollow 9 x 9.0. Front is the same as Italian and Japanese fronts.
Rear is 9.5 by 1.0 Similar to Italian from that time, however I don't think the Axle type has survived to the modern times.

clubman 

The thickness of the cone will be a factor if you can't get a wrench on it to tighten the locknut.

I'd think replacement hubs are more abundant than cone and axle assemblies.

bikemore 

As you can see from lack of response, there just isn't much interest in French hubs. I've certainly been burned by the poor quality of both the axles and cones.
I got my front Normandy out. I measure the 16 mm. But then I measure the axle at 8.5 so I guess I need to do more looking.

The keyed axle washers are required. Just makes it easier to tighten the nuts without spinning the cones.

I am with clubman. If you don't want to rebuild the wheel, bet on ebay a full hub and use the internals (if good) and use those as replacements.

Note the high hubs out of France are more durable, or at least that is what I've heard.

conspiratemus1

I have a single surviving Normandy (rear) hub from the two Peugeots my sister and I had in 1972. Long ago I replaced the axle, cones, and nuts with a Japanese set (can't remember the maker now) found, yes, by pawing through a bike shop's drawers. The problem was finding a pair of cones that would make a close fit through the dust caps in the hub shell. On the drive side, the freewheel keeps most of the water and grit out of the hub bearing and I was able to live with the large gap. For the exposed non-drive side, believe it or not I found one cone that had a rubber sealing flange on it. When I flipped the seal over, it fit nicely against the inside of the dust cap: as the cone is screwed onto the axle the seal sort of pops down through the dustcap and fills the gap. This was just a stroke of luck of course, but it has worked well on my winter commuting bike. The arrangement is as hard to disassemble as it sounds, so I don't bother. With only oil lubrication squirted in through a 1/16" hole drilled through the barrel of the hub shell, and very occasional ball replacement, the cones will probably survive to the end of my commuting days (a couple of years from now I hope!)

I don't recall being able to find Normandy cones even in the 1970s.

seypat

Thanks for the responses.

I have another set of Normandys that I got to use with some Super Champion rims. The hubs that were in the original post were for the ones on the steel rims that were on the bike when I got it. I was going to use these until I get the Super Champions on the other hubs. (That may take a while)

I'll visit some of the shops in my area and dig around around in drawers.