Off to Afan at the weekend, just gone to change the front tyre and the maxle is stuck!!!! I can live without changing the front tyre but can’t get the bike down there without taking the front wheel out!!!
If I unwind the maxle it forces the fork legs apart but it looks like one of the bearings is stuck to the maxles. The forks are almost new and when last taken out there was no corrosion or marks of any sort on the maxle.
Anybody come across this before? Any ideas as to how to get the maxle out without damaging anything?

Hammertime. next time a bit of coppaslip on the axle

If you don’t succeed at first, hit it with a hammer….

Mine did this & left me stranded.
Cure…Soft faced mallet & tap the other side as you unscrew with the Q/R.
A smear of grease has kept mine free for a year or so now.

had that with mine too..yes its hammertime, then if greasing doesn’t fix it (like it didn’t for me) try replacing your bearings..(that did work for me)

Mine does it now and again when one of the bungs gets stuck and doesn’t release. Tap it out using the threaded bar and grease it up and it should be fine

Thanks guys, I will give it a try. One thing i had ofrgotten was that on a previous ride it had worked slightly loose. That may have been enough to mark the anodising on the maxle.
Hopefully this won’t be too difficult to resolve. A lesson learnt.
Cheers

Just make sure the bung in the maxle is well greased. To get the maxle out try undoing the whole maxle assembly, pushing out the bung manually and then putting it all back together and removing the maxle normally, it should work.

OK, so the consensus seems to be to use a soft mallet to tap it out.
If i unscrew the maxle, the fork legs are forced apart and a gap appears between the cup on the hub nearest to the thread end. The hub stays in its original position relative to the maxle itself.
So the question is: what do i tap with the soft mallet? The hub flange? The maxle?

To me if i need to tap anything it should be the hub itself? Does that sound right? And if i do presumably i should hold something like a large spaner wrapped in cloth over the hub and tap the hub on the opposite side to the maxle thread?

If anybody has done this before can they verify what i am saying?

Cheers

The maxle is likely seized inside the hub. Is it a Pro2 by any chance…?
Release the maxle lever, slacken off the “nut thing on the other side a little also, then unscrew the maxle until the forks start to spread a tiny bit. Then tap the “nut” thing on the maxle as you unscrew the maxle lever. It might take a bit of a tap but its just to break the bond of the dry anodising.

takisawa2 – thanks for that!
that sounds quite straightforward now you have explained it. I will give that a try and hopefully I will be back in business.

It is a Pro 2 hub and a nearly new one at that.

Cheers

TandemJeremy

Not sure I would use copper slip anywhere on a Ali bike. Most copper grease will oxedise aluminium through time. Agree that you need a bit of grease, but a proper bike grease would be a better waterproof crease would be better.

I use the same TF lube I use for my headsets and hubs.

copperslip between dissimilar metals in places where you don’t want them to seize. That is the conventional wisdom is it not? I use it on all steel bolts in alloy castings and they always undo easily when wanted. I don’t suffer from seized components ever.

No. Copper slip on aluminium and steel will lead to electrolytic corrosion through time. If you google if you will see loads of forums and sights that back this up.Saying that there are others that will say it is ok. My mate is a fabticator/engineer and that last time I went to use this on my bike he nearly slapped me. He explained in detail why it is wrong (something to do with reaction between aluminium and copper, and certain other mixed metals inducing oxedisation)

IMO I would play it safe and not use it. If there are a number of mixed opinions are you not better playing it safe and using proper bike grease?

Hmmm – I shall carry on doing what I always have with coppaslip. Many years of using it and I have never had coppaslipped bits seize. From exhaust studs on motorbikes to caliper bolts on cycles

Proper bike grease is a total rip off anyway – castrol make a fine range of greases at much cheaper prices

Thanks folks! I just had this happen to me, for once I thought to use the search before posting too! 😆 all freed up now.

Starting to reconsider my love affair with Hope hubs though…