![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2235/2441007198_c86d19edaf.jpg)
I replaced the axle, then tried to adjust the rear brakes. I then noticed that the rear brake cable was about gone - only two strands of wire left.
Bike is now in the shop getting new cables all around and a new chain. I bought the bike in 1995 and shamefully neglected it.
It should last me for a while now. Boy, that ride yesterday was awful.
Careful maintenance is the lesson here. Still, would checking the axles for stress cracks be something I could have caught? This was a new one for me.