Bearing Up

It was only a matter of time before the Univega’s UN52 finally succumbed to slop. Mercifully its swansong commenced at the close of a fifty mile saunter, some sixty metres from Stenningrad.

Largely superseded by external cup designs, 8,000 miles plus isn’t outlandish from these venerable square tapers so long as jet-washing and similarly destructive habits are avoided. 

However, as component designs evolve, or indeed fall from vogue; supplies of older mid-range stuff often dwindle, leaving the market polarised between bargain basement and top drawer.     

Within two minutes of powering up the laptop and entering “68x113 square taper” into Google’s search bar, we’d scored a brand new, unboxed UN55 for the princely sum of £12.50 including postage! I’d been fishing for an XT grade UN72 but these have become rarer than hens’ teeth and I didn’t fancy playing the ebay lottery.

Without taking a grinder to their shells, aluminium alloy cups and hollow axles separate the 50s, saving a few grams without sacrificing strength; though avoid lithium based greases when speeding them inside ferrous frames, or risk the joy of seizures many miles hence.

Less than 48 hours after adding to cart, transplant surgery proved very straightforward given the existing unit was introduced with lashings of stout ceramic prep, complimented by copious quantities of home brewed corrosion inhibitor. Curiously enough, the UN55 has also reduced the Q-factor slightly but this is pretty academic on a tubby tourer. Now for some self-extracting M8 crank bolts methinks…