Wheel bearing re-greasing

steve_kay
steve_kay Posts: 197
edited January 2014 in Road beginners
Hi guys, I've just re-greased my wheel bearings on my Easton EA30 wheels due to the ingress of dirt in one of them. They rotated freely but just made a clicking noise when they spun. Anyway, i used Weldtite Lithium bearing grease and now the bearings, although they still turn, do not turn as easily. Is this normal? Thanks in advance

Steve

Comments

  • steve_kay
    steve_kay Posts: 197
    The bearings turn ok now however there's a strange bumpy feeling if i hold the hub and spin the wheels now.
  • olake92
    olake92 Posts: 182
    I don't know about the bumpy feeling, I find that when spinning my deep section wheels with valve extenders, there is a noticeable 'bump' as the weight of the valve affects the spinning motion. This type of bump or is the bump in the hub/bearings?

    With regards to the ease of turning, when under no load, ungreased bearings will spin longer and with less effort, what's important is when they're under load, which is when greased bearings perform better. So I would say that freshly greased bearings shouldn't turn with no friction at all, and may (as in your case) offer more 'resistance' than ungreased bearings. I think!
    I'm on Twitter! Follow @olake92 for updates on my racing, my team's performance and some generic tweets.
  • Buckie2k5
    Buckie2k5 Posts: 600
    over tightened the bearing preload?
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Generally, if cartridge bearings get corroded / feel rough there's nothing you can do to restore them - so they really need replacing.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,317
    When regreasing bearings, make sure the conditions you do it in are A1. The kitchen is a good place. Keep everything as clean as possible.
    If the wheels spin with a grinding noise - it is either contamination or pitting on the cones/ball bearings. If it isn't grinding, then it is overloaded as said before. Spend lots of time doing bearings and tinker with the cup tension until it is spot on - no play but not stiff. Although greased up, the wheel should spin smoothly for quite a while.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    pinarello001 wrote:
    Although greased up, the wheel should spin smoothly for quite a while.

    This is sort of true and sort of not true. An unbalanced wheel WILL generally spin for quite a while. A really well balanced wheel will NOT spin for very long no matter how hard of a spin you give it. That is a good thing. While it may seem at odds with the idea that a wheel that will spin longer is better and easier to pedal, it's just not true.
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 51,317
    dennisn wrote:
    pinarello001 wrote:
    Although greased up, the wheel should spin smoothly for quite a while.

    This is sort of true and sort of not true. An unbalanced wheel WILL generally spin for quite a while. A really well balanced wheel will NOT spin for very long no matter how hard of a spin you give it. That is a good thing. While it may seem at odds with the idea that a wheel that will spin longer is better and easier to pedal, it's just not true.

    Pedantics. It should turn freely and it should spin for a few turns without crunching noises if they are ok.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    pinarello001 wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    pinarello001 wrote:
    Although greased up, the wheel should spin smoothly for quite a while.

    This is sort of true and sort of not true. An unbalanced wheel WILL generally spin for quite a while. A really well balanced wheel will NOT spin for very long no matter how hard of a spin you give it. That is a good thing. While it may seem at odds with the idea that a wheel that will spin longer is better and easier to pedal, it's just not true.

    Pedantics. It should turn freely and it should spin for a few turns without crunching noises if they are ok.

    Just thought it was an interesting observation. You're right in that it doesn't really have any meaning to the average, or even above average rider. However, there are still people out there who work on those kind of issues. If every second really does count to them, then balanced wheels it is. :wink:

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