hub refit gone wrong

garethjones
garethjones Posts: 57
edited November 2013 in MTB workshop & tech
Hi,

I took my xt hub apart for a clean and regrease and put it back together in the same order it came off. The wheel fits in the dropout, but as soon as I tighten the quick release the wheel becomes hard to spin - any ideas where I might have gone wrong?

thanks,
G

Comments

  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    Overtightened the locknuts on the cones - it's a balance, you don't want to be just nipping them up as tight as you can.
  • garethjones
    garethjones Posts: 57
    thanks, do you mean I need to loosen the very last nuts on each side of the axle?
  • majormantra
    majormantra Posts: 2,094
    Google 'hub servicing'. The inner 'nut' on each side is the cone that pushes against the balls, that's your adjustment. The outer nut is the locknut that holds it in place.You must hold the cone with one spanner whilst tightening the locknut with another.

    Install both on one side (freehub side if rear) and tighten against each other, then make the adjustments on the other side. It's much easier if you have something to hold the axle like a soft metal axle clamp, but you can live without it.
  • njee20
    njee20 Posts: 9,613
    ^^ that. Make sure the axle is central though - you can 'walk' the whole hub off to one side if you're not careful.
  • garethjones
    garethjones Posts: 57
    great, thank you.
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    And the cones have _got_ to be locked by the nuts that fit inside the dropouts, otherwise they'll wind themselves in (jam the bearing) or out (loosen the bearing) with the rotation of the wheel.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Adjust the cones until they feel perfect, then back-off a touch, about 1/8th turn then tighten down the locknuts against the cones - when you tighten the wheel QR it snugs everything back to perfection. It can take a few attempts to know how much you have to back-off the cone or locknut to get it to tighten snugly at the right point.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Mccraque
    Mccraque Posts: 819
    Inner locknut- tight enough for no play.... Loose enough to not crush the nuts out of the new bearings. I've taken to thread locking the outer locknut as the damn thing kept working loose on more challenging terrain
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Mccraque wrote:
    Inner locknut- tight enough for no play.... Loose enough to not crush the nuts out of the new bearings. I've taken to thread locking the outer locknut as the damn thing kept working loose on more challenging terrain

    If you're not tightening the locknut against the cone, then the cone can still move - the QR exerts more pressure on the bearings, not compensating for this will lead to bearing overload.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Mccraque wrote:
    Inner locknut- tight enough for no play.... Loose enough to not crush the nuts out of the new bearings. I've taken to thread locking the outer locknut as the damn thing kept working loose on more challenging terrain
    The inner locknut isn't it's the cones and not a nut nor does it lock anything per se.....

    Correctly done up locknuts don't work loose and are crushed by the Skewer between the dropout and the back of the cones anyway, to come loose requires a degree of poor building beyond most people's inabilities.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • kevinharley
    kevinharley Posts: 554
    [
    The Rookie wrote:
    Correctly done up locknuts don't work loose and are crushed by the Skewer between the dropout and the back of the cones anyway, to come loose requires a degree of poor building beyond most people's inabilities.

    Hmmm ... On my MTB, I regularly (after every 3-4 rides) have to take the wheel out, tighten up the cones and then the locknut (using two cone spanners - one on the cone, one on the locknut) so the wheel runs nice and smooth, with no play, but after 3-4 rides, it goes loose and I have to do it again. The QR is also always done up nice and tight.

    It may be that the bearings / cones are a little worn now ... but what am I doing wrong / what should I do to make sure the cones don't keep loosening off after a few rides. And what do you mean about "a degree of poor building"? Does that relate to the original wheel build, or my ongoing tweaking! I don't think I'm a complete numpty - and have managed to service all the other bearings on all of the other wheels on all of the family's other bikes without them then coming loose ... :?

    Thinking about it :idea: , one of the rear dropouts got slightly bent months ago (stick-caught-in-rear-mech-twisting-mech+hanger+dropout moment) ... I've straightened it out a bit, and its much better than it was, but if the axle isn't sitting 'ideally' in the dropouts, presumably the QR woun't be acting optimally in terms of clamping the whole thing together to stop any cone/locknut lossening? Does that sound a plausible explanation ... or am I a complete numpty after all?! :oops:
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    Sounds like the damaged dropout is the issue.

    The M475 Hubs on my commuter haven't been touched in over 3500miles and free running with no play.

    I thread lock the cone and locknut on one side and then after nipping up and checking do the locknut up good and tight on the second side.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.

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