Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
How often do you open up your wheel hubs and clean and grease the ball bearings?
How often do you grease your balls? 😳
- Thread starter Ming the Merciless
- Start date
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- Location
- London
by which time they will be wrecked of course.
For years i ignored hubs.
I now try to sort the hubs every year or so on bikes used a fair bit (I have close to ten bikes) - just started to keep records of when I have done this in order to avoid under or over maintenance.
The good news - at least loose ball bearings are better than cartridge bearings.
Top top marks to shimano for continuing to use them.
I would also, in addition to the annual service, recommend that folks take new ball bearing hubs apart, properly grease and adjust them.
OP
OP
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Do you have records of how many miles between greasing?
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Annually.
- Location
- London
no - i keep no mileage records of anything - i know some folks do - can tell you how many revolutions they get out of each chain - i can't be bothered - prefer to ride my bike.
I like Skol
A Minging Manc...
- Location
- Sunny Ashton-under-Lyne
Every few years, not too precious about it.
Nigelnightmare
Ãœber Member
Every year in autumn they'll get checked and if needed stripped cleaned & re-greased.
Quick 'n' easy.
Same goes for headsets and suspension pivots.
Quick 'n' easy.
Same goes for headsets and suspension pivots.
weareHKR
Senior Member
- Location
- North East Coast - UK
On a bike used fairly regularly, I tend to overall wheel & headset bearings yearly, on a bike I newly acquire I just replace them with new regardless. BB when it feels ropey & pedals when they spin too fast! 
Last edited:
- Location
- London
Where do folks get their bearings?. Seems to be a difference of opinion, some saying weldtite are just fine, others insisting that higher grade bearings from specialist suppliers are best. I have no idea whether the wheels and headsets can tell the difference.
Also, how often do folks change the balls? Every service?
Also, how often do folks change the balls? Every service?
weareHKR
Senior Member
- Location
- North East Coast - UK
Bearings used are generally Grade 25 which are accurate to 25/1,000,000 of an inch. Less expensive ball bearings maybe grade 300, which are less round, at 300/1,000,000 of an inch. ... Hardness scale is measured in Rockwell, a steel ball-bearing is likely to be over a Rockwell C of 60. Ceramic ball bearings can be a Rockwell C of 75, much harder than the steel races, although I've not seen any Ceramic in bicycles yet, I do use them in industrial applications though & they are considerably more expensive! I always go to Swan Industrial Drives for mine, they don't generally supply any cheap stuff!
- Location
- London
I always have to double check the grading number system.
Can someone remind me what the weldtite ones are?
What grade are the shimano ones originally fitted in wheel bearings?
I do sometimes see bearings advertised as "shimano" but assume that as branded items they are overpriced.
Can someone remind me what the weldtite ones are?
What grade are the shimano ones originally fitted in wheel bearings?
I do sometimes see bearings advertised as "shimano" but assume that as branded items they are overpriced.
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
LBS
Vantage
Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
- Location
- Behind everyone else, Bolton
Same.
The chap at my lbs told me to put new balls in whenever I serviced the hubs. At 50p a bag it's not exactly a dent in my budget with a yearly overhaul.
Speaking of which...mine are due now actually
