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Update: I had to choose between a full rebuild or a quick fix on a vintage Campagnolo hub

This customer brought in a 1970s road bike with a crunchy rear hub. The choice was either a full overhaul with new bearings and a proper polish, which would take me a full day, or just cleaning and re-greasing the old parts to get it rolling for a week. I went with the quick fix because he needed the bike for a ride the next morning. Big mistake. The old pitted bearings gave out after about 15 miles and he had to walk home. Now I'm eating the cost of the full rebuild anyway. Has anyone else had a quick fix blow up in their face like this?
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3 Comments
patricia558
Ugh, I saw a forum post about that exact thing happening.
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lucasschmidt
My shop's policy is to never do a band-aid fix on vintage bearings. The customer might be annoyed at the wait, but they're never stranded. You just learned why that rule exists.
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jake986
jake9861mo ago
Learned that lesson the hard way with my own old bike... still walking home.
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