Hub Maintenance

[HLaB]

I've opened an old wheel before so I roughly know what I'm doing but I've never opened any of my current wheels, after nearly 2 years (6222miles) on the Quasar's (rock solid but heavy training wheels) should I consider a spot of hub maintenance? How often do other folk do it (hub maintenance that is )?

 

[gbb]

I guess there's two ways of looking at it...
If it runs freely, no tightness, no lateral movement...i'd be tempted to let it run (the 'if it aint broke...don't fix it' theory)
But then, 6500 miles is a fair bit, perhaps a little TLC will see it run a lot longer.

Personally, i'd probably strip clean and lube it. But then i remember the first few times i overhauled hubs...i seemed to be going back to them sooner than expected. Poor adjustment no doubt, needed some practice.

There you go...a completely straight answer, straight doen the middle...i think

 

[PpPete]

If it runs freely, no tightness, no lateral movement...i'd be tempted to let it run (the 'if it aint broke...don't fix it' theory)

I went with this option on the 105 hubs onto which I built my first decent set of wheels. Opened the front one the other day as it had just started running a bit rough (after maybe 2000 miles). Balls & cups seemed to be OK but the cones had quite a bit of galling on the bearing surface. Don't know if more regular maintenance might have prevented this.

 

[Davidc]

I check mine when I give the bikes a routine service. If there's any play or tightness I adjust the cones. If they feel at all rough I strip them down and repack them, and if the bearings aren't completely smooth or seem at all misshapen I replace them.

Pity we don't yet have sealed wheel bearings in the same way we now have headset and BB bearings sealed, then it would just be a case of whipping one out and a new one in which would be much quicker and easier.

It's a case of if they aren't broke I don't fix them, but make sure they're fixed when needed before any damage takes place. Rather like replacing chains between 75% and 100% wear, not after they've wrecked the cassette.

It works at the level of never having had to replace the hub before the rim is past it, and having had many hubs that have seen out more than one rim.

 

[gbb]

I check mine when I give the bikes a routine service. If there's any play or tightness I adjust the cones. If they feel at all rough I strip them down and repack them, and if the bearings aren't completely smooth or seem at all misshapen I replace them.

Pity we don't yet have sealed wheel bearings in the same way we now have headset and BB bearings sealed, then it would just be a case of whipping one out and a new one in which would be much quicker and easier.

It's a case of if they aren't broke I don't fix them, but make sure they're fixed when needed before any damage takes place. Rather like replacing chains between 75% and 100% wear, not after they've wrecked the cassette.

It works at the level of never having had to replace the hub before the rim is past it, and having had many hubs that have seen out more than one rim.

We do !!!
My Fulcrum 5s (and plenty of higher spec wheelsets) have cartridge bearings. Knock the old one out, press a new one in...job done.
Mind you can still mess it up with cartridge bearings. Press it in and 'strain' the inner, you end up with a notchy bearing.

 

[Davidc]

We do !!!
My Fulcrum 5s (and plenty of higher spec wheelsets) have cartridge bearings. Knock the old one out, press a new one in...job done.
Mind you can still mess it up with cartridge bearings. Press it in and 'strain' the inner, you end up with a notchy bearing.

Outside my price range but nice to know they're coming in. Seems daft still using individual ball bearings in the 21st century.

 

[chillyuk]

In the bad old days when bikes were rubbish they used to have a little hole in the hub covered by a spring clip. Once a week or so a few drops of oil through the hole would keep the bearings running sweet and smooth for years. Some bikes also had the same arrangements in the bottom bracket shell. Now they have improved things and made us have to do a strip down for simple maintenance. Can't beat progress!

 

[brockers]

Pity we don't yet have sealed wheel bearings in the same way we now have headset and BB bearings sealed, then it would just be a case of whipping one out and a new one in which would be much quicker and easier.

Sealed cartridge bearings have been around since I got back into bikes 15 years ago ! Good quality hubs still use ball and cone too though. Most people's idea of a quality set of 'do anything' road wheels involve building Ambrosio or Mavic rims onto 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace or Record hubs - all of which still use individual cup, cone and bearings, because they're more durable and can withstand (3-dimensional) sideways forces better than the mainly up and down (2-dimensional) only forces associated with cartridge types.

I stripped down my Record hubs last year after 10,000ish miles and couldn't spot any wear. The factory grease was still white too, so I needn't have bothered really. These hubs also come with that little spring clip which you can ping off and drop oil into the hole underneath if you so wish. For old time's sake though - it's there more as a nod to tradition than to serve a purpose.

 

[frank9755]

In the bad old days when bikes were rubbish they used to have a little hole in the hub covered by a spring clip. Once a week or so a few drops of oil through the hole would keep the bearings running sweet and smooth for years. Some bikes also had the same arrangements in the bottom bracket shell. Now they have improved things and made us have to do a strip down for simple maintenance. Can't beat progress!

Advice on the CTC forum from Chris Juden (their technical guru) and Colin (who builds wheels for Spa) is to drill a little hole and keep them topped up with grease!

 

[Vapin' Joe]

All Campag wheels have sealed bearings, as do Mavic.

 

[Maz]

From experience, I only do hub maintenance if there's a need to.
If it freewheels well and there's no lateral play, I'd leave the hub alone. They can be a bit fiddly when tightening the cones (without overtightening). It's not a particularly difficult job, but it can be very frustrating getting the cone tightness just right on re-assembly.

 

[asterix]

My nearly new Deore hubs a few years ago were not running well. When I opened them up hardly any grease!

Have Veloce on the Audax bike and haven't touched them for years. No idea how many miles but it was over 3000 4 years ago. I suppose I ought to do something but they still turn nicely.

 

[Moodyman]

From experience, I only do hub maintenance if there's a need to.
If it freewheels well and there's no lateral play, I'd leave the hub alone. They can be a bit fiddly when tightening the cones (without overtightening). It's not a particularly difficult job, but it can be very frustrating getting the cone tightness just right on re-assembly.

I second this. Took me several attempts over 4 months to get the wheels to turn as I wanted them.

I was being pro-active and serviced them when they were running fine. I'm now going to follow the 'if it ain't broke...' philosophy.

 

[HLaB]

I stripped the front hub today as it felt a bit ropey and sure enough about 3/4 of the cones were pitted the ball bearings seemed fine though. Can you buy cone separately or do I have to buy a new hub and re-spoke ?

On frequency one book I have says for a road bike it should be done every 4-6 months my other books say yearly!

 

[2old2care]

What is the correct type of grease for hubs?