Removing sealed bearings?

[Dave Davenport]

I need to replace the sealed bearings in a pair of Navigator Pista wheels, anyone know how to remove them from the hubs?

 

[the_mikey]

Depends on the wheels but I have removed bearings using a bearing puller tool (this may not work with particularly stubborn bearings) or just carefully use a hammer and a blunt instrument to knock the old bearings out from the opposite side of the wheel , although this isn't recommend as it could easily damage the wheel.

 

[ColinJ]

I managed to knock old worn bearings out from the opposite side of my MTB's rear hub - very carefully.

I found a company on eBay that sold me a pack of 10 bearings cheap, so I have enough spares to do both wheels again at some point in the future. (The original bearings lasted 10 years, so hopefully it will not be for a while!)

I had a crappy old stainless steel seatpost which was the perfect size for tapping the new bearings into place.

I found I had a part left over when I reassembled the hub, so I had to disassemble it again to put the part back in. Double-check everything before you knock the new bearings in!

 

[gbb]

No experience of the Navigator wheels but replacing bearings is relatively easy with a little care.
Assuming the hub design allows it, lay the wheel \ hub flat on the floor and drive the floor side bearing out with a drift from above. Flip the wheel and remove the other bearing.
To drive the new ones in...avoid hitting the inner race or the seal...only (if humanly possible) drive against the outer race. Striking the inner race can jar the bearings out of true and you'll get a knocking or shortened bearing life.
Ideally, you want something like ColinJ suggests, a metal tube slightly smaller than the OD of the bearing.
As you drive a new bearing in, hit once, check if its going in straight, if its higher one side, apply more force to the higher side the next blow.

On the subject of bearings, if you can, try to get low friction sealed bearings, the suffix is something like -2RSL or -2RSH...so for example bearing type 6001-2RSL. The difference between standard bearings and low friction sealed bearings is noticeable IME.
Fulcrums have one seal removed, sealed side to the outside of course, theres no need for the inner seal and its removal reduces friction. The Navigator wheels may well be the same.
Most bearings will come with two seals (hence the -2RSL) the second seal is easily removed by insering a small screwdriver between the inner race and seal, the levering it out.
Apologies if you know all this, but it may be useful to others contemplating the same.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Cheers guys!