Originally Posted by
Captain Blight
So carry a few dozen extra bearings and a couple-three extra cones with you. The hubs are a drug on the market on Ebay, you can pick them up literally for five bucks apiece. Buy them, salvage the cones and bearings if they're in good shape, polish them up and install them on your shelf, knowing you have the parts you need to keep your good hubs rolling for years to come.
They came as standard equipment on the good old steel Trek touring bikes. That doesn't speak to poor quality and Helicomatics have logged many many thousands of miles. Just... be aware that they have their quirks. If you wiegh much more than about 180 lb, though, consider another hub choice.
Most Helicomatics were designed to use standard axles and cones, but with smaller bearing balls.
Owners can swap their bearings and cones out every year, just to ensure they don't start to pit and wreck the cups with the metal that crumbles out of the pits.
Also, sprockets are worn by stretched chains. Why not keep your chain and sprockets very clean and spring for a new wal-mart chain every year, in order to keep the sprockets alive? It's only five bucks.