Rotating and Translating Bicycle Dummy Hub

cults3d

This dummy hub is put in place when cleaning the bike to prevent grease and cleaner from slinging onto the wheel. It rotates to allow easy chain movement. It translates so you can change gears when cleaning and have the chain aligned. It can also be used to prevent the chain from clanging and banging when transporting the bicycle with the wheel off. To allow the cog hub to rotate and translate smoothly, a metal tube is used in the center. The design fits a 0.875in outer diameter and 0.032in wall tube. I used copper pipe cut to 120mm long for a 130mm wide hub. Change the pipe length as needed. Plugs add 5mm each side (10mm total). The standard dummy hub is for standard bike chain width. There is also a dummy hub with a 10mm gap for 9mm wide chains. Reuse the quick release mechanism from your wheel. The quick release rod needs to be ≈5.5mm or smaller in diameter (5.5mm is the standard size). Commercial dummy hubs are $15-20.