Wheel - RARE Maillard Helico Matic Hub - French - BikemanforU Collector's Item
Vložit
- čas přidán 20. 10. 2013
- / bikemanforu A rare Maillard Helico Matic hub with an early cassette reveals a glimmering history. Free Shipping www.bikemanforu.com on new bicycle parts, tires, tools, accessories and all your cycling needs. BikemanforU takes matter into his own hands, running the camera himself - without our favorite cameraman SonofA - to share this moment of history from the bicycle industry. While Maillard spells it hub Helico Matic - viewers may also recognize Helicomatic - this hub represents one of the earliest, if not the first, versions of the cassette that is now commonplace on a bicycle drivetrain. Check out the unusual finely machined diagonally splined hub that's left after BMFU removes the cassette. To get the thing off, he has to use a special tool, which was sold with the wheel more than three decades ago. Many of these hubs showed up on Trek road bikes of that era. This cassette has six sprockets, which means it originally drove a 12-speed road bike. The ratcheting mechanism to install it is inside the cassette, making it more like a freewheel. Bearings installed outside the finely machined hub. Made in France, the Helicomatic hub also appeared, naturally, on Mototebecane and Peugot bikes. This bicycle part is truly a collector's item. Watch more videos from CZcams's how-to guru of DIY bike repair. / bikemanforu Subscribing's free, so have some laughs with new videos every week. You can even learn how to save money by fixing and maintaining your bicycle yourself.
I have an original Helio Matic in absolutely pristine condition on the Trek 610 that I bought yesterday for $60! I feel so grateful to have this bike in such good condition. It has the Rebyolds 531cs frame, 600 series shimano and lots of other vintage goodness
I think the rarest version of this was the one on the Raleigh Record Sprint. Helicomatic, GOLD PLATED. Mine still hasn't worn out after 29 years, original chain too.
I actually have one of these on my Peugeot. I remember removing the lockring by hand because it was so loose to reveal a strange looking hub. Never knew I had a collector's item sitting in my garage...
Hell yea BikeMan I love old bike technology and the ideas of yesterday recycled and improved for modern bikes of today. Thanks for the history lesson.
Glad we could help and thx for the comment
woh that's cool to see! love all the obscure finds from time to time!
I just found a wheelset in the dumpster today at my apartment complex. And much to my surprise and amazement, not only did they both have Maillard hubs, but the rear is a Helicomatic. The lock ring wasn't even on tight either. The hub's bearings are pretty trashed and crunchy, I may just be able to nurse these back to life. The rear rim unfortunately may be trashed beyond repair. I still can't believe I found these!
Looks so special.
Cool wheel, i love seeing old tech.
Thank for this great Video. Thats helped a lot :) Do you have any advice to remove the inner body party? I think one of my pawl ist broken.
Bikeman4U, I have a question: are there replacement cogs available? You see, I now have my beloved old heelie sitting by itself in a little box in the corner, with some pretty bad tooth wear on most of the cogs, and I hope to someday see it working like new & laced up to a touring rim.
i have the exact same freewheel.
It's a project bike and im thinking of changing the rear derailleur since it's just trashed...
Do you know what kind of derailleurs i could use for a project like that. staying with 6-speed??
Got this exact heli setup on my 1984 Raleigh Quasar ❤
I just bought a set of wheels for $25 . I needed 27 inch wheels for a Raleigh I have . The wheels have the mallard helomatic hubs. Cleaned and repacked grease. Wonder how they ride?
I used to have 2 or 3 of them, I imagine I still do. They were used on early Trek also. I never thought about it being a collectors item, just a big PITA! :-) It increased the wheel dish which caused spoke problems. But yeah, they only ran a few years in the 80s so I imagine they will become very rare.
I am rebuilding an old trek and it has those wheels. When I pulled off the cassette I was pretty excited to see what the helicomatic was all about. Question, is there a way to lubricate that hub internally or do I just spray with lubricant and hope for the best?
the freewheel or the hub? One takes grease. The other mainly clean oil
Cool vintage stuff!
The helical splines (rifled) were to keep the freewheel from locking onto the hub due to torque. The whole idea was to make it easier to remove and change freewheel assemblies without damaging them.
Problems were the spoke breakage I mentioned (the lockring tool included a spoke wrench and bottle opener, and it has to be said that changing spokes on the drive side was made easier by the hub) and also the use of smaller bearings that proved less durable. That and cost.
if I don't have the tool how can i remove the sprock, I have an old 1985 trek 720, and it seems the hub needs service but I want to be cautious
Cool I bet that has instant direct lockup from cranks.
BM you have new glasses ?
I am rebuilding right now a vintage bike with some really nice wheels Ambrosio Elite rims and Maillard hubs ( last video ), I was really happy there were not Helico Matic so I could chance the cassete:)
Hello, how can i get the tool and any new hubs, as i'm rebuilding my old 34 year old trek!!
Thks for any help
Don
Great to find i just couldn’t work out how to remove many thanks
It's actually pretty cool, as no chain whip is needed to remove the cassette. Also I would think the hub bearings are more protected as the hub is all one solid piece.
Wow. late model tool. all the ones I used were flat. Well, I stopped being a bike mech for a living in the late '80s. One shop I worked at had them around by the pound. Yeah, it was an old Peugeot dealer, and once bought out another old shop with all kinds of stuff and they had boxes of the things.
Cleaning out our old parts shelves I just found a couple brand new Maillard cassettes.
need one.
The other reason the Helicomatic didn't last very long besides the price. If the hub is opened up for cleaning the bearings, you'll find there are 13 5/32 ball bearings in each side. Normally there would be 9 1/4 inch ball bearings. Due to the smaller size, smaller bearings were used resulting in faster wearing of the cone bearings. Short trips, no problem. Long treks on the other hand? Not recommended.
I just purchased a Puegeot PN10 with this hub in the rear. Bikeman, what is the best way to lubricate that freewheel/hub assembly? Soak out the old grease and then inject fresh? Thanks! That blasted tool is expensive!!
what did you end up doing for lube?
@@jamesmedina2062 Sorry, I dont' remember how I did it.
@@SinnerSince1962 no not how just asked what lube you used? an oil or what
Dig this new setup, but you're right, Son-of-a will be missed! +1 For the bottle opener on that specialty tool ;)
Ok I have one of these I'm trying to take off. I bought the tool, but it is flat instead of like the one you have. I keep trying and sprayed penetrating oil and still not moving. Do I have the wrong tool? Any tips or tricks on getting this off?
Arri Castro try a quick crack with a hammer on the tool if you can hold it on there
Today I purchased road racing bike with Spidel Helicomatic, with bearings inside . Rare and interesting thing. And Yes first cassette!
Hi what bike did that come off ??? thanks Big Guy
Is it possible to convert this rim to a single speed
This is the one on my 30 old peugeot which I use daily.
have this on my 84 trek 420. Looking for nos at a reasonable price. the wheelset is made in Belgium. Seem to be indestructable.
Post removed, I got you. I don't know the physics behind it but it worked. I suppose pure perpendicular grooves stand the chance of being more easily messed up by torque? Don't know...
for one thing you get more surface area if spiral wound. You also get self-stabilization laterally. Really its not that important what system is used as the finished quality of both mating surfaces and in this case they got very tight tolerances, yielding more durability.
Where r u bikeman??
I have the same hub on my 30 years old Staiger bike with 6 sp. Freewheel on it.. It's German frame
My favorite bike is Motobecane Vitus 888, he got this Maillard system and it gives me a lot of trouble. If anyone knows the way to buy this tool somewhere on the internet please give me an info. Lovely video btw :)
Sorry mate, it's practically impossible to get Maillard Helicomatic stuff anymore. The tool, freewheels, hubs, and such are all incredibly rare. Your only option is to scour online classifieds (Craigslist) or Ebay. The hubs and freewheels themselves are a bit easier to find by buying an old road bike for parts.
Now you can easily convert the bike to a standard freewheel system by buying a wheelset and a freewheel. Most road bikes of that era used 27-inch wheels, so you can pick up a wheelset and freewheel on Bikemanforu's website. Keep the Maillard stuff though.
nigahiga6400 Thanks for the help
nigahiga6400 I will consider that option, thanks a lot for a reply, cheers!
BikemanforU Glad to help.
Cune Lastavica No problem.
Im pulling my hair out trying to get a old rear axle hub to have no play and spin freely, i almost think its impossible at this point.
Jacob Roberts Stay with it you can do it
Jacob Roberts Replace the axle, check the cones for pitting, the cups for pitting, and ensure the bearings still have a chrome-like shine underneath your lubricant of choice.
Alex Paulsen its mostly a matter of doing an advanced job without proper tools, i made it work though.
you know that bottle opener is there so after rifling through the tool and service area for like a hundred hours looking for the little hoothamadangle you will need to quench a little thirst with a well deserved brew.
You can drink it while you true the wheel with the tool's built-in spoke wrench on the tip
.
The "special" tool looks to have a bottle opener on the other end!
It is to open that beer you need after you find out that this thing in you hand is old and you can't get parts for. thx for the comment
@@BikemanforU Yeah, in the USA for sure. Where I live, in Poland, You can find people selling it cheap. Folks here don't give a single f about worth of this items, sometimes they don't know what they've got.
@@BikemanforU As you know, they are all over eBay. And they aren't all that expensive as most people find they aren't worth their trouble and replace their rear hubs with more common components.
One thing about doing the vid yourself, you do wait a couple of seconds so we can see the closeup of whatever before you move on to next thing.
Thats neat
tengo una Motobecane Jubilee sport con un set maillard, helicomatic :-)
I want that tool!!!!!! where i can find one???
GOOD Luck
+Elias Nikas
ebay.
They are about $20.
These hubs aren't as rare as you think, and even though the cluster replacement is easily done, the bearings aren't a reliable size, and the drive side flange is spaced inward too far, drastically increasing spoke breakages.
The easy removal of the freewheel is the exact reason why the thing needs to be removed! It's like owning a tin of self-scratching paint.
One of those failed French products that the company insists is worth putting more of their time and money into. Mavic Ksyrium wheelsets come to mind, the carbon spoke variety. Too many times the French have developed faulty goods, refused to admit it, and after recalls and reattempts, also refused to give up on them. They wonder why the English think they're arrogant...
*****
Yes, but a good rim/hub combination shouldn't be breaking spokes at all. You also missed my comment about inferior bearings, which isn't a roadside fix.
So much American like a rifle
There is No way I can be First again !!!
rare lol, i throw tons of those in the garbage.