Pro Lite Cones & Bearings

Headhuunter

I've got a set of Pro Lite Como wheels and the bearings and cones in the rear need replacing. After a hard winter's riding, the cones are pitted and the bearings need replacment.

I have found sources of Pro Lite bearings (CRC and other sites), however not the cones. I have contacted Pro Lite and a company listed on their website as some kind of official dealer. I got a reply from Pro Lite pointing me in the direction of the bearings on CRC but they said they would get back to me about new cones, since then I have heard nothing...

It seems pretty fundamental to be able to replace wheel cones! I am very surprised that spares like these are not readily available! I know Como wheels can be had for about £80-90 but it seems ridiculous that I should have to chuck the entire rear wheel out for want of a little piece of metal!

My dad cleaned out and retightened everythnig for the time being but it's not ideal!

On another note, does anyone know which wheels/hubs are better buys in terms of having replacement parts easily available? Looking at the net Shimano doesn't seem a whole lot better for replacement cones and bearings... Unless I'm missing something...

Are we just meant to spend several hundred quid on wheels every year or so when the cones wear?!

keef66

TBH I bought my Shimano wheels because they have cups, cones and loose bearings, and I like the idea of being able to clean them out, regrease and adjust them periodically. But I'm now starting to doubt the wisdom of my decision. Sounds like if I need new cones they'll be a faff to get hold of

Seems the safer option would be to choose wheels with commonly available cartridge bearings. Or do they then require special tools to replace them?

Headhuunter

I'm a bit new to repairing bike wheels but my dad said that I need new cones and bearings. I've never actually heard of cartridge bearings. I can see by Googling that they are sealed units that can simply be removed. Is it far easier to get cartridge bearings replaced? What hubs use cartridge bearings?

keef66

I think the lower end Fulcrums and Campags do; I've read threads about them.

Thing is, you'd have to be certain they are a commonly available bearing size, rather than something proprietary which could be as hard / expensive to get hold of as your Pro-Lite cones.

I'm sure somebody who knows what they are talking about will be along in a minute.

Headhuunter

Thanks. I've also got a pair of Mavic Open Sport wheels on Shimano Tiagra hubs and I did a bit of Googling to see how easy it was to get replacement cones for them and again it seems pretty tough! Do manufacturers just expect you to replace your wheels every winter?!

unixnerd

Sealed bearings cost about a pound each for the common tyres and are sooo much simpler to replace. I can't be bothered with the hassle of cup and cone bearings. Fiddly and messy.

Headhuunter

With a bit of Googling it seems that higher end wheelsets tend to use cup and cone but that cartridge systems are better in winter. Sounds like some people think there is more friction in the hub with cartridge and that cup and cone are better in wheels but cartridge are better for BBs.

My cup and cone hubs are all supposedly sealed but the Pro Lite ones have had a hammering over winter and grit and muck seems to have got in through the seals anyway...

keef66

To be fair to Shimano my RS10's have now done 3 winters (please God tell me this one's finished!) and I had the front hub apart yesterday for it's second ever clean / regrease / inspection and it's still pristine inside. I only looked at it cos I'd spotted some rust on the locknut.
Going to have a go at the rear tonight, but it's still spinning freely and silently on it's 2008 factory grease.

UndercoverElephant

If you cange your bearings in time, you shouldn't need to change the cones for many, many years. Cup and cone bearings also have the advantage that they can handle an axial load better (for example, when you're out of the saddle) than cartridge bearings. Changing them isn't too much of a faff.

I would be interested as to why your Dad said you needed new cones, unless they're severely pitted, new bearings and grease normally suffice.

Edit: And your Tiagra hubs will most likely have very good sealing, mine seem to. I'm less sure about the sealing on my Pro-lite wheels, but what the hell, they're on a mainly good weather bike.

Headhuunter

UndercoverElephant wrote:

If you cange your bearings in time, you shouldn't need to change the cones for many, many years. Cup and cone bearings also have the advantage that they can handle an axial load better (for example, when you're out of the saddle) than cartridge bearings. Changing them isn't too much of a faff.

I would be interested as to why your Dad said you needed new cones, unless they're severely pitted, new bearings and grease normally suffice.

Edit: And your Tiagra hubs will most likely have very good sealing, mine seem to. I'm less sure about the sealing on my Pro-lite wheels, but what the hell, they're on a mainly good weather bike.

Well he only took the cone out on the rear, non drive side and showed me it and it certainly looked rough and pitted and it wasn't smooth as he said it should be. He also said that the bearings were damaged but he had replacements kicking about for those. I've only had the bike (and wheels) since May 2010 so it doesn't speak volumes for the reliability of Pro Lite hubs! Having said said that, I do ride the bike to work and back every single day and rode it last Nov/Dec when it was snowy and the roads had been gritted. My dad said that the bearings were sealed but that grit had still got in and damaged them.

I have the same issue with the Shimano WHR550 wheels, I rode them through the winter, the rear cone was damaged and once again, no replacements seemed to be available in the whole of the UK!

UndercoverElephant

It can happen, road grit and salt is the enemy of your bike. I suspect you should be doing more preventative maintenance on your wheels, though. Hubs generally go on for ever, as long as you do. As soon as you feel any grinding when you're moving, it's time to change the bearings and fill up the grease.

You could try just replacing the bearings and grease anyway, they'll restore the cones a bit but not last as long as usual.

Headhuunter

UndercoverElephant wrote:

It can happen, road grit and salt is the enemy of your bike. I suspect you should be doing more preventative maintenance on your wheels, though. Hubs generally go on for ever, as long as you do. As soon as you feel any grinding when you're moving, it's time to change the bearings and fill up the grease.

You could try just replacing the bearings and grease anyway, they'll restore the cones a bit but not last as long as usual.

Yeah at the moment the old cone is still in place, repacked with grease and new bearings but I find it strange that for the want of a little piece of metal the whole wheel might be trashed! I've only had the bike/wheels since last May, how often am I supposed to be repacking it? My dad has been cycling for decades and he is very surprised that something like new cones are not easily available.... If I can't get them, my next set of wheels will have to be ones that have easily replacable parts! Not Pro Lite! At the moment I can't even get the UK distributor to respond to my emails despite several people recommending I try them....

UndercoverElephant

How often to service your wheels depends a lot on the mileage and conditions you're riding in, to be honest. I do the wheels on my commuting Orbea before and after the worst of the winter. I do about 5,000 miles a year on that bike. My tarty wheels don't go out as much, so don't need as much love.

Winter is bad for wheels, especially if the seals aren't particularly that good. The seals on my Pro-Lite Braccianos seem pretty good, but in all probability they won't be as good as the Tiagra hubs.

UndercoverElephant

Oh, and if you can measure them up properly, you may be able to buy cones to fit:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&si ... 1704a12cbf

Hope this helps.

Headhuunter

I suppose on the Ribble (with the Pro Lite wheels) I ride about 12-15 miles per weekday and then a few more every weekend. Probably around 70ish per week, so that's about 250-300 miles per month so in the 10 months since owning the wheels I've probably done 2500-3000 miles on them..... In that time I haven't repacked the hubs. Probably should have.

I just spoke to the UK distributor and he seemed sceptical that I would be able to get replacement cones. He said that Como are basically designed as throwaway wheels. Seems a bit ridiculous that £100ish wheels, although hardly top of the range, should just be thrown away after a year! I asked if cones and replacement parts were available for Bracchiano but he seemed a bit sceptical about that too.... Perhaps they're "throwaway" too... I would make sure you carefully repack your bearings on teh Bracchianos a lot coz it sounds like if you need replacement parts you ain't gonna get them...

Headhuunter

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Oh, and if you can measure them up properly, you may be able to buy cones to fit:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&si ... 1704a12cbf

Hope this helps.

Thanks, yes, I saw that website. They're based in the US.... May have to investigate further...

keef66

Just in case anyone's interested, Madison are showing the RH and LH cones + locknuts for the rear Shimano RS10 / 20 / 30, but not the ones for the front wheel. ??

£9 the pair for the rear which seems not too bad.

keef66

But I don't appear to need any Everything in there nice and smooth and shiny. Grease in the non drive side was a bit mucky, so I think I'm doing the hub service just in time. Still, 3 winters on the original lube suggests that the Shimano seals are pretty effective.

Freehub still seems factory smooth too.