Wheel grease

AK_jnr

Hi guys,

Not the best diy bike mechanic but gradually learning more things! Something I am stuck on is the servicing of the bearings in my cheap shimano rs500 rear wheel. It was a bit notchy turning the cone (?) so I gave the bearings a good clean and re grease which got rid of the notchiness but the wheel just doesnt roll/spin well at all and possibly worse than before!
Could it be the white lithium grease or just user error.

The wheel has probably done about 3000 miles maybe a tad more.

Thanks.

sungod

assuming you are spinning the wheel by hand, if the bearings are ok and you correctly reassembled/adjusted, it may simply be that you're noticing the effect of grease vs. no grease

when riding you won't notice any difference and after a short period any excess grease will be squished out of the way

keef66

Assuming the cones and the cups were nice and shiny, is it possible you might have overtightened the cones on reassembly? Ideally you should have the tiniest bit of play with the wheel out of the bike, which then disappears when the wheel's in the dropouts and the QR lever clamped shut.

If you've nipped up the cone too far, when the added compression of the QR takes effect the bearings will be overloaded and wear rapidly. Far better slightly too loose than too tight.

AK_jnr

Ah ok thanks guys that makes sense. Didnt think about the QR.

dgunthor

worth replacing the ball bearings while you are in there too

Bobbinogs

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19692699#p19692699]keef66[/url] wrote:

Assuming the cones and the cups were nice and shiny, is it possible you might have overtightened the cones on reassembly?

Yepp, gets my vote. It can often be a bit of an art/trial and error getting the tension right to reduce play and yet spin freely.

Then again, the newly packed grease can often make a wheel a little tougher to spin but that is just a red herring. My Zonda front wheel span really well before servicing (albeit that it felt 'grainy') but when I checked the bearings there was no grease left whatsoever (I do ride in all weathers, btw). Hence, afterwards it was a little tougher to spin by hand but it did feel really smooth...and on the bike the wheel was back to it's best.

As an aside, I don't always change the ball bearings themselves but they are so cheap that it often makes sense. Some folks say that if the cups are really worn then the balls should be retained as they will be worn the same way but I try not to let things get that bad. A lot of stuff gets written about the grease itself but I think any decent grease that a bike shop sells does the job.

drlodge

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19694646#p19694646]Bobbinogs[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19692699#p19692699]keef66[/url] wrote:

Assuming the cones and the cups were nice and shiny, is it possible you might have overtightened the cones on reassembly?

Yepp, gets my vote. It can often be a bit of an art/trial and error getting the tension right to reduce play and yet spin freely.

Then again, the newly packed grease can often make a wheel a little tougher to spin but that is just a red herring. My Zonda front wheel span really well before servicing (albeit that it felt 'grainy') but when I checked the bearings there was no grease left whatsoever (I do ride in all weathers, btw). Hence, afterwards it was a little tougher to spin by hand but it did feel really smooth...and on the bike the wheel was back to it's best.

As an aside, I don't always change the ball bearings themselves but they are so cheap that it often makes sense. Some folks say that if the cups are really worn then the balls should be retained as they will be worn the same way but I try not to let things get that bad. A lot of stuff gets written about the grease itself but I think any decent grease that a bike shop sells does the job.

All the above. Just check the bearing adjustment again after the first few rides since I've found the bearings can loosen as the grease gets worked about. Its difficult to get spot on adjustment with new grease packed in the bearings (although quick release skewers will tighten the bearings anyway as you do them up).

g00se

Bear in mind that tightening up the quick release can nip cup and cone bearings up a tad more than when the wheel is not fitted - especially if they're over-tightened. See:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cone-adjustment.html

It's also why the bearing adjusters on the top-end campag and fulcrum hubs need to be set when the wheel is on place - and not out of the frame/forks.

AK_jnr

Thanks guys. I think I over tightened them like you all thought. Spin alot better now.