Kinesis Crosslight Disc Rear Hub Bearings Reaplcement

alesupper

Hi

I have the v3 of the above wheelset and I need to replace the bearings in the rear hub. Can this be done at home without specialist tools or do I need to take it to a LBS?

I've been very unimpressed with these wheels by the way. The Aluminium nipples crumbled away after only a few months of use so I had to get them replaced with brass niples, and now there is loads of play in the rear hub. I've taken the freehub off and there is still lots of play so I'm fairly certain that the hub bearings (2 x 17287) need replacing.

Cheers.

ugo.santalucia

Yes you can, but if you are ham fisted you'd better not... the old bearing and sockets help if you ned to mallet the bearing in place.

Poor bearing life + nipples crumbling sounds like the bike is being left wet and dirty for long periods... if that's the case, I would steer clear of fancy components

The Rookie

Not familiar with that exact hub, but usually once the axle is out you can just ping out the bearings using a screwdriver and a hammer (without using much force!), on some wheels one bearing comes out with the axle (Novatech).

Alloy nipples on my MTB (DT Swiss) are still perfect after 3 years.....

alesupper

@ugo - No I clean my bikes (including the spokes and nipples) after ever ride unless its a perfectly dry summer's day when there is no need to. Maybe I have just been unlucky with mine!

@The Rookie - Thanks, I think I will have a go at doing this myself.

comsense

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Poor bearing life + nipples crumbling sounds like the bike is being left wet and dirty for long periods... if that's the case, I would steer clear of fancy components

I maintained my set the same as any other wheels I ever had but all the nipples seized, spokes broke randomly and the bearings in the back wheel went in no time.

Tbh, they were the worst bike related product I ever bought and put me off Kinesis for life. First time out the freewheel went "fixed" and I was lucky not to rip the derailleur off the frame. KINESIS were fully aware of this issue by the time I bought the wheels but they happily continued selling the wheels.
Took months then to get warranty replacement.

Anyway, lesson learnt. Good reviews on the websites are of limited use if the product isn't tested over reasonable period.

ugo.santalucia

comsense wrote:

ugo.santalucia wrote:

Poor bearing life + nipples crumbling sounds like the bike is being left wet and dirty for long periods... if that's the case, I would steer clear of fancy components

I maintained my set the same as any other wheels I ever had but all the nipples seized, spokes broke randomly and the bearings in the back wheel went in no time.

Tbh, they were the worst bike related product I ever bought and put me off Kinesis for life. First time out the freewheel went "fixed" and I was lucky not to rip the derailleur off the frame. KINESIS were fully aware of this issue by the time I bought the wheels but they happily continued selling the wheels.
Took months then to get warranty replacement.

Anyway, lesson learnt. Good reviews on the websites are of limited use if the product isn't tested over reasonable period.

Yep, that's the bugbear of the industry... most reviews deal with little more than delivery and quality of packaging/stickers

alesupper

Ended up doing this myself and it was fairly easy to do.

- Remove end cap on drive side
- Remove freehub (just pulls off)
- Hit spindle through from drive side
- Remove plastic washer that sits behind the ratchet where the freehub sits. I did this by putting a thin screw driver head under it and it just popped out
-Removed the old bearings using a large screw and hammer. knocking them out from the inside out (obviously!)
-Installed new bearings carefully using the old bearings and a hammer

The wheel now spins nice and smooth with zero play. I bought Enduro MR 17287 LLB - ABEC 5 Bearings - £14 for two at Tredz. I am hoping that these will last a good bit longer than the original cheap crap bearings!

I hope this helps someone!

FPDave

alesupper wrote:

Ended up doing this myself and it was fairly easy to do.

- Remove end cap on drive side
- Remove freehub (just pulls off)
- Hit spindle through from drive side
- Remove plastic washer that sits behind the ratchet where the freehub sits. I did this by putting a thin screw driver head under it and it just popped out
-Removed the old bearings using a large screw and hammer. knocking them out from the inside out (obviously!)
-Installed new bearings carefully using the old bearings and a hammer

The wheel now spins nice and smooth with zero play. I bought Enduro MR 17287 LLB - ABEC 5 Bearings - £14 for two at Tredz. I am hoping that these will last a good bit longer than the original cheap crap bearings!

I hope this helps someone!

Can you (or anyone) elaborate on how to knock the old bearings out, ie "Removed the old bearings using a large screw and hammer. knocking them out from the inside out ". Do you mean "large screw" or "large screwdriver"?

This bit seems to have me stumped and I'm really not sure how they would come out even with some specialist tool as the gap between the bearing and the aluminium tube between them (that also rotates) is neglible. I think I must be missing something.

alesupper

Yes that should have said large screwdriver. If you are unsure about anything I would take them to a your LBS and get them to do it for you.

FPDave

FPDave wrote:

alesupper wrote:

- Remove end cap on drive side
- Remove freehub (just pulls off)
- Hit spindle through from drive side
- Remove plastic washer that sits behind the ratchet where the freehub sits. I did this by putting a thin screw driver head under it and it just popped out
-Removed the old bearings using a large screw and hammer. knocking them out from the inside out (obviously!)
-Installed new bearings carefully using the old bearings and a hammer
...

Can you (or anyone) elaborate on how to knock the old bearings out, ie "Removed the old bearings using a large screw and hammer. knocking them out from the inside out ". Do you mean "large screw" or "large screwdriver"?

This bit seems to have me stumped and I'm really not sure how they would come out even with some specialist tool as the gap between the bearing and the aluminium tube between them (that also rotates) is neglible. I think I must be missing something.

Actually, I managed it

The trick is that the ali tube between the bearings can be moved to one side (a bit of force may be required, using a screwdriver and hammer), and then a big allen key can be used against the inside surface of the bearings to push them out.

the bearings felt a bit stiff/rough when in place, but now they are out they feel smooth and free running. The ali tube was quite tight in place, perhaps it was constraining the bearings from rotating properly.

(I'm not sure what version of the wheels I have - how do I tell?)

I have to say that I've had reasonable service from these wheels. The spokes were really really tight and I loosed them off a little a year ago or so. Theyve stayed true and I hadnt had a spoke break until last week, when a nipple end popped off. They are also pretty light for the money, and have taken punishment on road and off. I would recommend them despite every one elses bad reviews.

veronese68

FPDave wrote:

The spokes were really really tight and I loosed them off a little a year ago or so.

Why would you loosen spokes? Tight spokes are preferable, unless they are tighter than the rim can handle.

FPDave

Veronese68 wrote:

FPDave wrote:

The spokes were really really tight and I loosed them off a little a year ago or so.

Why would you loosen spokes? Tight spokes are preferable, unless they are tighter than the rim can handle.

I thought they were excessively and unnecessarily tight - they were really pingy and significantly tighter than any other wheels I have ever owned in 35 years of cycling. Anyway, after a little loosening they stayed true and didnt break spokes. Maybe I lost a bit of performance.

Back to the hubs:
that ali tube is my problem I think. I think its just a tiny bit too long, and so is pushing the bearings out and making them feel rough, when they felt fine out of the hub. I've taken a tiny bit off its length and will see how that does.

In other wheels (eg hopes) its been free floating around the axle, but in these its fixed in place by the bearings at either end of it. Am I missing a washer between the bearing and the hub on the axle side maybe?

alesupper

I didn't put the Ali tube back in the hubs. I couldn't see what it's purpose was?

FPDave

Ha! They all seem to have it, which makes me think it must have some purpose. It should be sealed from the elements in there tho, so its not like its protecting the hub body from grit.

I'll leave it out and see what happens.