I broke my rear axle, apparently it's an old style. Is it easily replaceable? My rear axle broke so I took my bike into a shop to see what they suggested. I had read a few posts that had said it should be fairly easy to replace the axle. The guys in the shop said that because my frame is fairly old (1980s) it would be hard to find one that was the right length and connected in the right way (apparently there are 4 different types?). I think they might have said that because the current wheel doesn't have a free hub it means you need a longer axle to fit over the cassette, which might also make things harder?

They said the easiest thing to do would be to buy a new wheel and suggested the Halo Retro (http://www.halowheels.com/products/part/RMHAR76S).

My two questions really are:


Would it really be so hard to find the right axle if I know what the length of the old one is?
If I should get a new wheel is the Halo Retro a good choice? A few reviews I've seen say it's pretty good and it sounds like it would suit the bike but I was just wondering if there were any cheaper options.
I have replaced probably three or four axles like yours in the last few months. It is fairly easy; the only special tools that you need are usually cone wrenches (very skinny wrenches to hold the cone-nuts in your hub). The axles are cheap (maybe 10 bucks or so online). You will also need a regular 17 or 16mm box wrench.

Is your axle a quick release (it is hollow inside) or solid? If it is solid, the length does not matter really, as long as it is longer than your old one. If it is quick release, then you have to get it within one mm or so so that the quick release skewer still holds properly. The thread pitch also matters, and is somewhat harder to determine on your own.

I would think that any decent bike shop would be able to tell you exactly what you need. You can order a cone wrench and new axle for probably ~$15 online and do the repairs yourself, and have the original wheel still on your bike.

I'll look around for instructions on how to change out an axle. BTW, this is pretty common for hubs that take freewheels.