# Anybody seen a Thor front axle?



## Wcben (Dec 10, 2014)

I have a Thor racing rear hub, haven't seen (or been able to find) a matching front... Have spoken with a few known authorities... No-one so far has seen a Thor labelled front.... Has anyone here seen one?


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## Balloontyre (Dec 10, 2014)

*1899*

I have a catalog pic if that helps, not sure if racing though


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## Wcben (Dec 10, 2014)

I'd love to see it... I have seen an illustration but haven't been able to see a real one yet....


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## Balloontyre (Dec 10, 2014)

1899


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## Wcben (Dec 11, 2014)

Thanks again, the illustration I'd seen was this one:


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## filmonger (Dec 12, 2014)

Didn't Nickinator have one? I know he had a rear - maybe he has a front to boot. I too - would like to see a picture of a real one. 

This is the only picture of a real one I can find - LOL
taken from 
http://www.fusionstudios.net/hill-climber/Album/hill-climber bicycle_story.html


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## bike (Dec 12, 2014)

*I thought the AXLE was special*

but I take it you mean the hub?


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## sam (Dec 12, 2014)

The illustration shows the Thor name on (the center) barrel of the hub. but on my thor hub(rear) it's on the side. Anyone know for sure how they were stamped?


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## Wcben (Dec 12, 2014)

All of them I've seen (maybe 5-6) they are stamped on the sides....


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## Wcben (May 31, 2016)

Yes, I did mean a Thor Front Hub... Has anybody actually got a picture of one?


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## Wcben (Dec 27, 2016)

I now have both the racing and the standard rear hubs as seen in the catalog illustration above, still haven't seen a front hub to go along with the rears.......Even an image of one!!


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## Earl (Jan 2, 2017)

Wcben said:


> I now have both the racing and the standard rear hubs as seen in the catalog illustration above, still haven't seen a front hub to go along with the rears.......Even an image of one!!




Attached are some pics of some hubs that I have. The rear is a 36 spoke NOS Thor rear bicycle hub, dated 1902. The front hub I picked up later, because it has the same Thor washers and axle nuts. Even the ends of the axle are curved and plated in the same fashion as the rear hub. It's 32 spoke, with no date and no markings. I'm thinking it's a Thor front hub.


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## corbettclassics (Jan 2, 2017)

A guy tried selling me this wheel set stating that they were Thor hubs.  I think I remember him saying that there wasn't any stamping.

You can see the front hub in these pics at different angles.  The only 2 pics he sent me.  I bought them and next day I went to send the money
 ---- then he changed his mind!  I even sold something that was a "one of one" in order to get them.  I would have never sold the piece if I knew he was going to do that to me.  I'll only say he's in Connecticut.


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## sam (Jan 2, 2017)

An interesting thing about the Thor hub I sold you was the tube inside it. It's the only hub I've ever seen made this way. You can see the same tube used in the axels shown in the adv. It held the bearings in the race.


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## Wcben (Jan 2, 2017)

Yes Sam, the racing version I have has the same tube.

Earl, that rear is beautiful, I didn't realize Thor had coasters in'02, I thought they were a little behind.  I'd say your method of determining it's a Thor may be as accurate as you can get on the fronts, haven't seen or heard of a marked front hub yet.


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## hoofhearted (Jan 2, 2017)

*The oil that was piped into the hub went directly
into that tube.  The tube terminated at the left and
right bearing placements.  Look closely at the illus-
tration in ENTRY 5 ... Thor Hubs ... of this thread.

No doubt the bearings got a decent bathing of oil
as the machine canted left and right during activity.

Of course ... no oil in the tube meant that eventually
those bearings would be thirsty.

To me, the beauty of the Thor Hub was in that  particular
design of oil distribution.
*
......... patric


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## sam (Jan 2, 2017)

Thor also seem to have thin flanges.


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## Robertriley (Jan 2, 2017)

I have a bike coming in tomorrow with the Thor rear hub, I'm not too sure about the front.


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## Wcben (Jan 2, 2017)

Would love to see it Chris!

Patric, neither of my rear hubs has oil ports, how would the tube have helped?  Any oil in the body of the hub would have had the same distribution capabilities.


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## Robertriley (Jan 2, 2017)

Wcben said:


> Would love to see it Chris!
> 
> Patric, neither of my rear hubs has oil ports, how would the tube have helped?  Any oil in the body of the hub would have had the same distribution capabilities.



I will get some photos posted by tomorrow evening.  Also, any help identification of the badge-less bike would be greatly appreciated.


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## Blue Streak (Jan 3, 2017)

1897-1902 Tribune front and rear hubs also have tubes connecting the bearing cups and covering the axle. Per the catalog the tubes lead the oil directly to the bearings.


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## Robertriley (Jan 3, 2017)

No marking on the front hub but I'm assuming it's a Thor because they are matching rims.  Both rims have unusual straight sides that come to a point.  The cross section  would look like a triangle.


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## Wcben (Jan 3, 2017)

Thanks Chris, I think those would be Fairbanks racing profile rims.....


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## hoofhearted (Jan 4, 2017)

Wcben said:


> Would love to see it Chris!
> 
> Patric, neither of my rear hubs has oil ports, how would the tube have helped?  Any oil in the body of the hub would have had the same distribution capabilities.





*Wcben ... oil pumped thru the oil ports went directly
into those tubes ... the tubes are now the oil ''tanks''
as opposed to using the hub-shell for the ''tank''.

Once inside the tube ''tank'' .. the oil cannot leak out
of the port, even if the port is on a machine with the 
port facing Earth, while parked.

There may be sources of oil leakage where the tube 
ends touch the bearing vicinity ... and some oil may 
leak down the spokes.

As an aside ... while all of my Thor hubs, fore and 
aft match each other architecturally ... only two are
stamped, Thor ... the others bear no stampings at all.*

*Also ... does the Thor rear-hub, cog-threading match 
any known thread of the day ?*

*Could use a Thor-threaded cog or three.* 

.......patric


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## Robertriley (Jan 4, 2017)

hoofhearted said:


> View attachment 404696




That badge is amazing.  Is that from a motorcycle or bicycle?  Do any of you have a nut for the front hub?


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## hoofhearted (Jan 4, 2017)

Robertriley said:


> That badge is amazing.  Is that from a motorcycle or bicycle?  Do any of you have a nut for the front hub?




*Robertriley .. thank you ... Badge is an original .. stamped
using male and female dies ... badge is same as that on 
the motorcycle.  Am very unfamiliar with the bicycle ver-
sion ... was the bicycle version same as motorcycle badge ?

Hope to see a Thor bicycle one day.  Not referring to Thor-
badged bicycle distributed by H.S.& B.  See foto below ...
not my bicycle or badge.

Am also in need of a small number of nuts, fore and aft.

*
........ patric
*



 *


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## Robertriley (Jan 4, 2017)

is that badge also yours?


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## Wcben (Jan 4, 2017)

Thanks Patrick, I understand what you were saying about the oil and tubes, what I was asking is that both of the rears that I have have tubes but neither has oil ports.


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## hoofhearted (Jan 4, 2017)

Robertriley said:


> is that badge also yours?





*Robertriley ... no, the H.S.&B Thor badge is not mine.

Seems like a fellow CABEr owns the entire machine.

*


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## hoofhearted (Jan 4, 2017)

Wcben said:


> Thanks Patrick, I understand what you were saying about the oil and tubes, what I was asking is that both of the rears that I have have tubes but neither has oil ports.




*Wcben ... don't know what to say ... 

If you take each Thor hub you encounter ...
and compare / contrast it with others of same
manufacturer, I would bet you will find variations.

Regardless ... How the heck you gonna get 
oil in those tubes ?*

*The quality-control captain ... on deck the day 
your hubs were built ... must have been asleep 
at the wheel !!* 

*It is highly possible a machinist could drill and 
tap for a replacement oil-port door.   If you don't 
trust the new threads to avoid chipping / flaking 
as they are being made ... Ace Hardware has loads 
of authentic tapered corks in a multitude of sizes.

A tiny cork in the oil-entry is certainly going to be 
less heavy than any metallic-door of sorts, used to 
retain pumped oil.

It beats runnin' dry when you're ''on the rivet'' !!

........ patric


*


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## filmonger (Feb 17, 2017)

1896


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