Where can I get wheel bearings from?

craker

You might want to help with my maintenance technique too - Specialized Langster fixie on stock wheels, ~6000 miles.

When I remove the back wheel, the axle is stiff and lumpy. Several times this year I've loosened it up, cleaned and regreased (well, just the once, but you get the idea) and tightened it up so it's slightly loose (idea being that it pinches up to no play once in the dropouts). Nice and smooth running bearings before the refit.

On removal, weeks later, the bearings are horrid and lumpy again. There was play in them last time I refitted the wheel, so I'm not overtightening them.

Next stop? Change the bearings I suppose. Can you recommend a retailer? They're cup'n'cone, same size that comes out of most wheel bearings in my experience, do I need to get the micrometer out?

Ta.

The Rookie

Any bike shop should have the main wheel bearing sizes available, even halfords do, take one along to make sure you get the right size.

gbsahne001

if they're already feeling lumpy, then the chances are that the cup / cone that the bearings are running in, have become pitted. If this is the case then the wheel is basically toast, as the outer can be replaced (if you can find the correct part) but the inner cannot, as it's part of the hub.

The cup/cone arrangement should not have play in it, it should be reasonably tight and free to spin; when it stops, it should fall back a little.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEGeLYPmem4 is ok as a guide but there are many to choose from

The Rookie

Usually the first to wear is either the balls or cones, balls are cheap to replace cones can be less so depending on the exact sizing, Shimano front MTB cones for example are unique to Shimano, in fact its often best value to buy a complete hub and use it to replace all the internals and then sell on anything that's worth something, even the shell of the hub you can get a couple of quid for!

That said with a good service I've managed to get 2000 miles more out of some heavily pitted cones so it can be worth doing (I marked the cone so the most heavily pitted bit I installed facing upwards where it doesn't bear any load).