Anyone ever replaced their ball bearings (wheel)?

Bike-Rich

Hi all,

Was just looking at some maintenance bike videos on youtube and came across one for replacing the ball bearings in wheels - anyone ever done this here? If so, was it easy/hard and did it make much of a difference?

Thanks,

smiley_boy2501

Yep. Fairly easy once you've got the (sometimes) stiff cassette off. You need to right tools though.

Cassette remover, couple of spanners. Cone spanners are useful but tbh I just used a mutispanner jobby that was very thin. Worked fine. You also need plenty of grease and rag to get rid of the previous gunk.

I wouldn't suggest doing it unless it needs it though. I could tell it needed doing because the wheel was grinding as it span. If you take off the wheel, take out the skewer and then spin the wheel holding the axle/nuts and it grinds then it could need doing. Otherwise can't see the advantage.

centimani

Hub maintenance is one of those things you want to practice on, its not easy to get it right at first, but with practice..it is easy. I suppose a good thing would be to practice on an old wheel, any old wheel.

Replacing the balls is sometimes neccessary, but if it is, its almost certainly going to be neccessary to replace the cones as well, you'd likely see some pitting/scouring on the cone surface.

Replacing the cones is easy, just make sure you measure the drive side cones distance from the end of the axle and make sure the new one goes back in the same place.

But even then, ive overhauled old wheels (cheap MTBs) that have had signs of worn cones and bearings...just left them, clean and grease, adjusted up, they work fine usually. Not what you want on a best bike, but nothings going to self destruct in minutes if you did take a chance on using the old bearings.

Either way, its good to practice, replacing bearings and cones isnt expensive, its good bicycle maintenance to be able to do it.

Wirral_paul

As above really - its a job you really ought to learn. If the bearings have packed up in your wheels then I guess this is a pretty good time to learn. I found a rumbling bearing in my rear wheel only yesterday although this is the cartridge type (Fulcrum Racing 7) and so not serviceable - just replace.

What sort of hubs have you got?

MichaelW

It is a pretty standard bit of maintenance for cup and cone wheels.
The dangers are:
Trying to prize off the metal retaining ring from the hub: leave it in place and work the balls out with a toothpick.
Re-using balls. These squish and wear so re-use with caution. It's best to use new ones (grade 25) all from one packet. Dont mix batches.
Obtaining replacement cones. Every few years they change the dimensions. Many have special rubber seals that are hard to find. You can use the cone without a seal.
I pack extra grease in to prevent ingress of winter road gunk. Racers advise using less grease to roll better.

Getting the cone compression just right takes practice. Try finding an old front wheel from a skip to practice on.

sungod

there's a very good guide here with plenty of pictures...

http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-hel ... adjustment

if you ride in the wet, it's worth cleaning and regreasing every now and then, this will extend the life of the bearings

Herbsman

Piece of cake and made loads of difference. I do it every 6 months*.



*Well, I'd like to think I do. The truth is, I do it whenever I can be arsed. Which, ideally, would be every 6 months.

thescouselander

I've found changing the bearings can make quite a difference. I could never get the shimano 2200 rear hub on my bike to run smoothly. I changed the bearings and now it runs perfectly. I can only assume the original bearings were fairly low grade.

Bike-Rich

Many thanks for replies guys,

Wirral_Paul wrote:

What sort of hubs have you got?

They are shimano type, both front and rear. Am I right in saying that on shimanos I actually need to expose the balls? I notice with Hope wheels you seem to be able to replace just the holder:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BEARINGS-HOPE ... 2eb7f5fc44

Is that not the case for shimano?

sungod

there are two main types: cup and cone, with loose bearings; cartridge, where the bearings/races are replaced as a unit (like the hope ones that you picture)

most wheels are cup and cone, cartridge bearings are more common on more expensive wheels

if you look at the park tool article i posted earlier, you'll see how cup and cone bearings are done, it's really not a difficult job, just go step by step and keep track of all the bits and which way round they go, threading them onto something as you remove them from the wheel is a good way to ensure you don't lose track

if you can identify your hubs, with shimano the hub model is often etched/printed on the hub, you can see which type you have by looking it up here...

http://techdocs.shimano.com

Herbsman

use a pencil magnet to pick the balls out and keep them in a tub with a lid

Twostage

As smiley says - do you have the tools ? If you want to start easy then 'just' do the front hub. I'd get the cone spanners, they are only about 10 quid a pair.
Just disassemble, clean, assess wear, re-grease and stick back together. If the cones are damaged or bearings rusty you can order new ones. Cleaning and greasing will help in the meantime.
By the way you can clean up rusty bearings considerably by using the end of the hub to hold the bearings whilst rubbing them in circles on fine wet n dry.
Taking a grundgy wheel and sorting it so it runs smoothly is very satisfying. It will, however, fail to impress the missus.

Bike-Rich

Ha many thanks Twostage - and all others,

To confirm my wheel type is: WH-RS10 Shimano

- I guess I am right in saying this will be the exposed ball bearings type rather then the ones in the holder unit, right?

So, tools needed are cone spanners and grease for front but a chain whip for the rear also?
What type of greese would you recommend please? Is copper based stuff too thick?

Thanks

balthazar

Bike-Rich wrote:

Ha many thanks Twostage - and all others,

To confirm my wheel type is: WH-RS10 Shimano

- I guess I am right in saying this will be the exposed ball bearings type rather then the ones in the holder unit, right?

So, tools needed are cone spanners and grease for front but a chain whip for the rear also?
What type of greese would you recommend please? Is copper based stuff too thick?

Thanks

Copper grease is not suitable for bearings- it is meant for high temperature anti-seize application (when the grease is burned off, the copper -a soft metal- remains, to prevent galling in steel fixings).

If you have a tub of general motor grease or bearing grease, use that. Bicycle bearings aren't a challenging application, so anything sold as grease in a motor factors will do. A lifetime tub is about £5-10.

When you readjust the hub, remember to leave the tiniest amount of play... The axle and cones will be compressed a little when you fit the wheel, and this should be allowed for. Good luck

Herbsman

Sheldon has a good guide for adjusting the bearings under compression so that you don't have to guess the correct amount of play... you'll have to search for it if you want it, 'cause I'm too lazy.

keef66

I've done my RS10's a couple of times in 4 years. Disappointingly clean and shiny upon disassembly, but I cleaned and repacked with grease anyway. Pretty simple procedure. Just be careful not to destroy the clip-on plastic covers on the front hub; prise them off carefully.