Repeated play in rear wheel.

RupertCommunicator

My rear wheel often develops play in it. I've tried tightening up the cone nuts by hand and by bodge, which fixes it, but only works for a few miles. Do I need to invest in some proper cone spanners to get them really tight, or is my rear hub fooked.

It's a Shimano QR hub. Not expensive, OEM with my bike.

cooldad

You need to do up the lock nuts properly. Cone spanners are easier, but any spanner thin enough will work.

Anonymous

Just had the same problem with some second hand wheels I'd brought.

Kept tighnting them up but a few miles, same problem.

You I needed two cone spanners, one to tighten the first cone and then hold it whilst I tighnted up the second to lock it in place.

It took me a few goes to get it right as I'd never done it before.

buckmulligan

Woah woah woah woah woah. Slow down. Firstly, if you want the wheels to last, buy a cone wrench (usually 15mm for rear wheel cones, 13mm for front) and do the job properly. Follow this guide and you can't go wrong.

I serviced my hubs for the first time a couple of weeks ago and they feel a lot better for it. The cones don't want to be that tight otherwise you'll knacker your hub in no time, same goes for if it's rattling about when you're riding. CRC were cheapest for cone wrenches with cheapy combi ones for £7 and individual Park ones for ~£8 each. You almost certainly be able to use a normal 17mm spanner for the lock nuts, but you really do need a cone wrench to hold the cone steady whilst you tighten them.

cooldad

BuckMulligan wrote:

Woah woah woah woah woah. Slow down.

?

Dirtydog11

The lock nuts need to be really, really tight.

If all else fails try a bit of threadlock on the lock nut. My Park cone spanners are scarred from tightening Shimano hubs, they're a pain in the arse to service/adjust IMO.