Cycle Repairing and Adjusting
With a Chapter on building a Bicycle from a Set of Parts

20 CYCLE REPAIRING When a hub is too small and the free-wheel drops in loosely, it can be fixed as follows : Clean the thread well and wind some brass, copper, or tinned iron wire around it, beginning inside after first fastening one end of the wire to a spoke. Wind so that the wire lies in the thread of the screw, and use a wire of sufficient thickness that one layer will make up for deficiency in size. Brush over with soldering fluid and tin well with a copper bit. It will then be seen that the layer of wire is firmly soldered to the hub, and forms by its winding a screw or thread of a diameter greater by twice the thickness of the wire used. Next screw on an old fixed sprocket of the same size and bore as the free- wheel, and when this is removed the free-wheel can be screwed on quite easily. This does not appear to be exactly a workshop method, but' its reliability has been proved. Free-wheel Clutch Slipping.—If a clutch slips when forward pedalling, it cannot be remedied by outside adjust- ment ; it must be taken to pieces, and the cause of slipping ascertained. The fault may be one of the following : A worn-out clutch, oil being clogged and thus rendering the light springs used in free wheels inoperative, or the springs themselves may be weak. The remedy is : Before taking the cycle to pieces squirt some petrol or paraffin through the free-wheel ; with the machine on its side, revolve the wheel rapidly, and let all the liquid drain out, then lubricate with good oil. If this does not effect a cure, take the clutch to pieces and see what is wrong, and send to the makers for any new parts required. Gummed-up oil and wear are frequent causes of trouble.