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Vintage Bike Hub Halocramatic? Spelling?

Old 08-02-22, 08:16 PM
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StarBiker
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Vintage Bike Hub Halocramatic? Spelling?

I am butchering this word. What is this hub called. It looks like you use a can opener like tool to remove the hub?
I had a bike like this once it was a Gitane Performance. Figures I have several pics of the bike but none of the hub.


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Old 08-02-22, 08:21 PM
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Helicomatic....I think.
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Old 08-02-22, 08:22 PM
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Helicomatic. Made by Maillard. Not for removing the hub, it's for removing/installing the lockring that held the freewheel on. I have one of the tools somewhere, it has a bottle opener on the other end. I've opened way more beers than removed freewheels.
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Old 08-02-22, 09:28 PM
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Yeah, I was trying to explain it to an experienced bike mechanic today and was surprised he didn't know what it was. Me butchering the word didn't help.

The bike I had above the hub came loose and the front wheel was moving about 3 inches side to side. The bike had some modern Campy Bits and that's why I snagged the bike. Paid $50, sold for $250 in two days..........I double checked the Campy stuff before flip, so I was pleased with the sale.
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Old 08-04-22, 09:32 PM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
Yeah, I was trying to explain it to an experienced bike mechanic today and was surprised he didn't know what it was. Me butchering the word didn't help.

The bike I had above the hub came loose and the front wheel was moving about 3 inches side to side. The bike had some modern Campy Bits and that's why I snagged the bike. Paid $50, sold for $250 in two days..........I double checked the Campy stuff before flip, so I was pleased with the sale.
I know a lot of great mechanics who don't know crap about some of the older stuff. I run into it a lot. They can do a lot of great work but that older stuff you rarely see and some compatibility issues they can be clueless. I have several times gotten a "you are the first person who knew what I had and I have been to a bunch of shops" because a lot of mechanics don't always go deep into the old and sometimes rare or oddball stuff if they don't need to. It is rare that any of my shop mechanics are going to work on a Girvin Pro-Flex or see a Maillard hub and generally between myself and our GM plus a couple old heads who sometimes have little nuggets we can handle that oddball stuff or at least know enough about it to help out and they can usually figure out from there. I am a mediocre mechanic but I have a decent amount of knowledge in my head for oddball stuff or have come across the strange problems they haven't yet.

I mean I will see 1000 standard HG freehubs to every Helicomatic I might see so if I weren't such a bike nerd and lover of my craft I probably wouldn't bother to learn it, I would be more interested in learning how to work on the new DI2 stuff or Fazua or Bosch Smart System or all the new stuff coming out.
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Old 08-05-22, 06:15 AM
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The Helicomatic Museum is the best place for information about these hubs.
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Old 08-05-22, 09:46 AM
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I would have had the bike serviced, and maybe road it, but honestly I find vintage roadies uncomfortable. Road several over the last 20 years, and had one in the mid 80's that was bought new in a bike shop.

I was going to flip this (I rarely find anything worthwhile anymore) but decided to hold onto it. I could find 20 decent older road bikes for every 80, 90's steel mountain bike find....nothing really shows up cheap anymore.


Sorry, off topic.
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Old 08-05-22, 11:32 AM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
Yeah, I was trying to explain it to an experienced bike mechanic today and was surprised he didn't know what it was. Me butchering the word didn't help.
I got my first job as a bike mechanic in 1990, worked in that roll on and off (mostly on) for the next 16 years. I saw two (2) Heliocomatic hubs during my career.
I think their rarity was primarily a result of their exceptionally poor durability... AFAIK they were included on bikes from the factory up until the mid 80s, but almost none remained by 1990.
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Old 08-05-22, 11:40 AM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
I got my first job as a bike mechanic in 1990, worked in that roll on and off (mostly on) for the next 16 years. I saw two (2) Heliocomatic hubs during my career.
I think their rarity was primarily a result of their exceptionally poor durability... AFAIK they were included on bikes from the factory up until the mid 80s, but almost none remained by 1990.
After I wrecked my Maruishi in 1987 I bought a used Trek 660 from a guy at my college. Don't know what year the bike was from or if the wheels were original, but the rear was built with a Maillard heliocramatic. I was pretty new to riding as an adult and had no idea what that even was. IIRC, I took the bike for some hub work and found out then.
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Old 08-05-22, 02:30 PM
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
After I wrecked my Maruishi in 1987 I bought a used Trek 660 from a guy at my college. Don't know what year the bike was from or if the wheels were original, but the rear was built with a Maillard heliocramatic. I was pretty new to riding as an adult and had no idea what that even was. IIRC, I took the bike for some hub work and found out then.
I started the thread because of poor spelling/ pronunciation... Helicomatic.......

I had a beautiful Trek 660. What a neck breaker that bike was. Was one of the most attractive bikes I ever had though.

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Old 08-05-22, 03:14 PM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
I started the thread because of poor spelling/ pronunciation... Helicomatic.......

I had a beautiful Trek 660. What a neck breaker that bike was. Was one of the most attractive bikes I ever had though.

Mine was that burnt orangish red Trek used to use. Campy Nuovo drivetrain. Black Modolo brakes with aero levers. I felt like I had arrived as a serious cyclist. Rode the hell out of that thing. It developed a big crack in the head tube so it became a trainer bike. Dialed it up to 400 watts during a workout and snapped the right chainstay clean through near the dropout.
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Old 08-05-22, 03:21 PM
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Originally Posted by StarBiker
I started the thread because of poor spelling/ pronunciation... Helicomatic.......

I had a beautiful Trek 660. What a neck breaker that bike was. Was one of the most attractive bikes I ever had though.
Good god, hopefully you fixed the saddle and bar position at some point.
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Old 08-05-22, 04:29 PM
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I just can't ride vintage roadies. They don't work for me. Never have. That's why I blew off the Gitane.

I will set the bars anyway I please thank you.......Or the seat. It's what works for me, not another rider. (I had $140 in the 660 and sold it for $350 Locally)

Now if I could have only found the Giant in an inch bigger frame, and the beautiful purple I saw on an enormous Lotus Unique I passed on a couple months ago with meh components.

Anyway thanks for the info on the Hub in question.

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