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Pontivy · Last edited by Pontivy on Fri May 06, 2011 4:39 am; edited 1 time in total

In the process of overhauling the hubs on my TdF I have noticed the rear axle is slightly bent - a result I suspect of being misaligned in the dropouts.

Not wanting to destroy the bearing cups in my lovely Normandy hubs I need a new axle. One of the cones is pitted anyway.

I've exhausted all my LBSs and ebay doesn't seem to have any.

Is it possible use a non Maillard/Normandy replacement axle providing it's the right size - (being 120mm?)

I've read that campy Nuovo Record or Shimano will fit but wonder if anyone on here has any experience in this area.

Pontivy

Mike,

PM'd you.

Thanks.

Pete.

verktyg

Early Gitane Tour de France bikes came with Normandy Luxe Competition hubs. Around 1971 or 72 Gitane switched to Campagnolo Nuovo Tipo hubs with the round holes.

It was most likely caused by supply problems during the Bike Boom of the early 70s. Also Peugeot used the same Normandy Luxe Competition hubs on their PX-10 model bikes and maybe had more pull with Normandy.

Normandy Luxe Competition hubs

Campy Nuovo Tipo hubs

The Normandy Luxe Competition hubs are easy to identify. They don't have removable dust caps around the axles. This makes access to the bearings a lot more work. They also have a gold foil sticker around the center of the hub. They were decent hubs, better quality that Campy Nuovo Tipos.

Campagnolo used bastardo (Italian for bastard) sized threads on their hub axles:

Front 9mm x 26 TPI
Rear 10mm x 26 TPI

That's metric diameters with inch pitch threads. (TPI = Threads Per Inch) Rolling Eyes

French hub axles were all metric dimensioned.

Front 9mm x 1.0mm Pitch
Rear 9.5mm or 10mm x 1.0mm pitch

Standard Normandy hubs have removable dust covers. Axles and cones for those are still available.

Normandy Sport Hubs

I don't remember if Normandy Luxe Competition rear hubs used 9.5mm or 10mm axles. I have a number of those hubs. I'll have to measure them tomorrow.

The 120mm call out is the OLN measurement which is Over Lock Nut dimension or how wide the dropouts are. The actual axle length is around 130mm to 135mm long.

Axles that will fit are still available. Even back in the 70s, cones for these hubs were impossible to find. They have a very steep, almost straight angle on the bearing face and they have an odd sized diameter.

Wheels Manufacturing sells replacement axles and cones. You can view their catalog online.

http://wheelsmfg.com/content/view/780/1/

Hope this helps a little.

verktyg · Last edited by verktyg on Sat May 07, 2011 8:40 pm; edited 1 time in total

Somehow turned into a quote instead of an an edit... Embarassed

Pontivy

Chas,

That reply helps more than a little. I'd say it's a definitive resource for anyone confronted with the same problem.

My hubs are stamped 72 - which fits in with your dates (and your age estimate for my TdF).

I wasn't aware of the difference between the Standard and Competition models in terms of internals - thanks for pointing that out.

I love the look of these hubs and I'm determined to keep them rolling.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

verktyg

Pete,

Do you have the Luxe Competition hubs or Sport hubs?

If you have the Competition hubs you might be able to find some replacement cones that have a similar outside diameter and length.

If the OD on the replacement cone is a little too small, you can use a rubber O-ring on the cone to keep dirt out of the bearings. You could also use a few rubber bands or a pipe cleaner.

mountaindave

Reviving this old thread...

I've visited the above link, but nothing looks even close to what the Normandy cones looked like. Went to the LBS and they didn't have anything in their nooks or crannies. They did seem to think that the Luxe Competition hubs used different cones than most other Normandy hubs... yea. So not only are they different because they're French, but they are unique in the world of french hubs!

So the question is this, what style of cones have people used to substitute for the originals?

What they told me was to find a cone that allows the bearings to run in about the middle of the pitch.

zhulin

verktyg