Grubee HD Axle/Brake a Mess!!

[Demosthenese]

thanks guys, good to know what we can expect out of the kit. At least you guys are vouching for the part of the kit that solves the problem I'm trying to address The brake would just have been an added bonus. I'm going to see what i can do with it though; from looking at the pictures, i can all ready think of mounting hardware that might address the "floating" problem. If it's just a bad brake though... lol we shall see.

 

[reclaimer]

Yeah, the brake side is weird. the freewheel side has 2 locknuts on it. The brake side has 1.

As it came, it didn't hold the brake far enough from the drum. When tightened down it just bound against the drum, locking the wheel.

I needed to add another locknut to the brake side. Even then a washer was needed to move the brake away from the drum just a bit more.

 

[dudeman]

Grubee HD Axle Threads

I am also installing this kit. I think it is normal to spread the frame. The way I plan on doing it is by heating the frame to bend it out, but I am only doing that on the left side to keep the rim centered on the frame. All the extra mass of the sprocket and brake drum seem to be on the left side of the hub. Hope that might help. The other problem I have run into is the threads on the right side of the hub. Grubee instructions call for a 35mm X 1mm pitch Freewheel sprocket and there is not such a thing out there. All Freewheel sprockets are English 1.375" X 24 TPI. I have had people tell me just to force it on, but I think if you do that, you probaly won't be able to get it off again. Has anybody had this experience ?

 

[wheelbender6]

If your frame is steel, spread it. Don't spread an aluminum frame.

 

[Irish John]

I am also installing this kit. I think it is normal to spread the frame. The way I plan on doing it is by heating the frame to bend it out, but I am only doing that on the left side to keep the rim centered on the frame. All the extra mass of the sprocket and brake drum seem to be on the left side of the hub. Hope that might help. The other problem I have run into is the threads on the right side of the hub. Grubee instructions call for a 35mm X 1mm pitch Freewheel sprocket and there is not such a thing out there. All Freewheel sprockets are English 1.375" X 24 TPI. I have had people tell me just to force it on, but I think if you do that, you probaly won't be able to get it off again. Has anybody had this experience ?

Yeah it's because the whole HD axle sprocket kit is so badly designed - see
http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?p=191157#post191157
This 'optional extra' sounds like it's a part meant for motorised scooters.
The amount of stay spreading seems to show that is was never designed with a standard bicycle in mind. The fact that the threads on the pedal sprocket side are non compatible with any bicycle freewheel all of which are standard and identical dia. & pitch (except the smaller ones for BMX bikes) is pretty much proof that it was never designed for bicycles in the first place but was hastily cobbled together in China from scooter parts and offered as an optional extra in the hope that us suckers liked the sound of it and bought it. I think I can conclude from this thread that I'm lucky not to have bought one and if I ever need to then I will have to throw out the drum brake in order to make it fit and I'll also have to buy all sorts of additional washers and thin nuts to get the thing to perform in the way it should have in the first place.
These guys in China are the pits and I reckon we need legislation to protect us from their worst excesses.