How should I handle a broken bearing cup on a vintage ten speed?

Question

It is a 1978 Schwinn Traveler 3, original "Normandy" rear hub (reads Schwinn 'Approved' 36-78 Made in France).

The bearing cup has broken into four pieces that fell out. I just stuck them back in, reassembled it all and I'm riding on it (30-40 miles per day (50-65 km)). The wheel has a bit of lateral wiggle and increased drag, but neither is noticeable while riding.

This damage was likely caused when the axle broke and subsequently worsened when the temporary repairs failed. I got 165 and 120 miles (265 and 195 km) on the first two and the third is on the bike now. The new axle appears to have been lost in the mail.

A new wheel is $63, but the bike was valued at $75. I'm ordering a new bike, but I plan to ride this one for groceries, etc., until it fails completely.

It looks like there isn't any way to replace the bearing cup, so is this wheel (and bike) just 'totaled'?

The opening in the hub is 25.7 mm, so maybe a sealed bearing would fit, but I'm guessing I would need a different axle that likely doesn't come in the right size. Unless someone knows how to do this, I'm assuming it's not an option.

I'm considering trying to glue or epoxy the pieces to keep them from moving around, in the hopes of reducing wear a little and getting more miles.

Any better ideas?

Is there a chance of this failing catastrophically or am I just looking at wobbly grinding that will gradually increase until it's intolerable? I've been scared to go more than 4 or 5 miles from home.

Answer 1

Indeed a wheel with a broken or severely damaged bearing cup needs a new hub since the cups of a wheel's hub are not replaceable. Because the cost in time and effort--whether through a wheel builder or even if you're able to DIY it--to lace a new hub into that wheel is not cost effective. It would be far cheaper to purchase a different wheel--even new--than would be the cost to replace the hub.

There is some danger in riding the bike like that. Should you be up to speed and race decides to disintegrate and that locks the wheel up, the sudden and unexpected skid could easily cause a loss of control. If this happens in traffic, it could be very bad even if the loss of control was momentary. I just don't see an upside to taking such a risk.

I advise spending the $63 (and I believe one for that model of bike could be had for less), and enjoy safer and reliable biking. What price for peace of mind and the freedom to go further from home and riding safely back?

Answer 2

Most basic cup and cone hubs have cups that are pressed into a cylindrical bore in the shell. You could use a punch to knock out what's left of the cup on yours to corroborate that's how it's put together. If so, you could find another of the same Normandy hub to use as a donor, remove the cup carefully with a punch or whatever bearing extractors you have handy, and press in the new one.

Cup and cone hubs aren't convertible to cartridge.

Not wanting to pour money into an old bike is understandable, but using the $75 dollar number as a litmus for whether the bike is totaled is false logic when the basis for the $75 in the first place is the assumption that the bike has junky, old wheels on it. Putting new wheels on bikes of this sort is a normal and reasonable thing, because the ones they came with wear out and weren't great in the first place.