Worksman Hub Question

[jcsmith]

I accidentally put this in the "Fresh Finds" forum and I meant to put this here. Sorry about that.

Hello all, Hopefully one of you can help me. I have a Worksman bike that I bought awhile back. (It is the one I am working on as the Woody Build.) I am trying to figure out why the front hub is so large? Does anyone know? Could it be that it is so large, because it is suppose to be a drum brake, and it is just missing the plate brake assembly? Let me know what you think. Thanks!

 

[blsm]

Its just a heavy duty hub with huge bearings made to handle industrial-sized loads in the front baskets.

 

[SSG]

It's a pretty cool hub, I believe it uses cartridge style bearings with a slide out axle, rather than cup and cone. The Drum hubs are even larger.

 

[jcsmith]

Well it is definitely still cool. I would like to eventually upgrade it to a drum brake hub. I know I can get it direct from Worksman. I think it costs a bit though. The other cool thing is the spokes are 11 gage according to my "LBS".

 

[StephenH]

I'm not sure what the advantage is. It MAY be that it uses the same size bearings as a coaster brake, which would simplify parts supply. Or maybe they can't get a smaller hub that fits the heavy spokes.

The bearings are regular ball bearings, not anything fancy. I think they're adjustable with the two-prong thingamahingy tool, rather than cone wrenches. It's been a while since I had mine apart. The axle is just a long bolt.

Here's a size comparison, hub-brake version in front, my bike wheel behind it.

 

[Uncle Stretch]

Its because worksman is smart. If you look I think the front hub is the same size as the back coaster hub...same size spokes. They wanted $1.00 per spoke. I have a front drumbrake hub and spokes that you could lace to your rim. Get with me if your interested. :wink:

 

[jerrykr]

Where I work, there are a lot of these heavy duty bikes due to the size of the buildings/distance etc.

There are some really "sizeable" people pedaling around on them.

 

[jcsmith]

Hi All. I really want to thank everyone for their knowledge and help. When you start out only knowing how to put air in your bike tiers, it is really great to have a community that is always willing to lend a helping hand, knowledge and opinions. Thank you!