noise from wheel hub; ok to ride till serviced?

johnnyL

Hi all,

After last ride I noticed that there is a slight grinding noise from the front wheel hub. Sounds like some dirt has worked its way in and it needs a service after 2500 miles. The wheel spins ok, but not quite as freely as the rear. There doesn't seem to be any play.

I already have a full service booked in a week which will include servicing the hubs. Just wondering if I am going to cause any serious damage if I ride the bike till then?

Cheers

ugo.santalucia

Difficult to say... only you know it. If it's still quite smooth, maybe, otherwise I wouldn't risk it... the front should spin a lot more than the rear, as you've got no freehub...
Definitively not suitable for long rides

keef66

Do you know what kind of hub it is? If it's cartridge type bearings they should be replaced at the service so keep riding it. If they are adjustable cone / ball type bearings you could conceivably make things worse by continuing to ride it. I'd be tempted to have a look myself. With most front hubs you just need a couple of cone spanners, and somewhere clean and well lit to work (the ball bearings will fall out and attempt to hide)

johnnyL

Thanks for the advice.

It's a Shimano r500, adjustable cone/ ball

Would normally have looked myself, but all my tools are still back in the UK (together with spare wheels, he!).

I inspected the wheel today and noticed that the grinding noise has gone completely. It's smooth, but doesn't spin quite as long as the rear if I push it with my hand.

I haven't done anything to it; however I washed the bike after my long ride the other day, so maybe this has dislodged some grit/sand near the seal? The route was up a very windy west coast of NZ with a stretch stop at a beach, so it is possible that sand had worked part way in.

Think I'll take it for a short spin and keep a close eye on it. Any noise and I'll wait till it's serviced.

Cheers