Shimano wheel bearings

[pclay]

Hi,

I have just serviced my front wheel bearings for the first time (about 5000miles in). The wheel is a Shimano R501, and I an 99% certain that one side had 11 balls and the other side had 10 balls.

I have out them back in as they were, but is this right? 11 balls will fit in each side.

I see that most Shimano packs of ball bearings are sold in packs of 20 Or 22, and the Shimano technical docs for the R500 wheels state they there are 10 balls in each side.

Did someone in the factory mis-count their balls?

Thanks.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I think you may be right about a miscount. 10 per side is the usual number in most front wheels and 9 per side for the rear.

 

[pclay]

Hmm, just checked out this doc which suggests it should be 11 balls per side.

http://si.shimano.com/php/download.php?file=pdf/ev/EV-WH-R501-F-3265C.pdf

 

[Ajax Bay]

I an (sic) 99% certain that one side had 11 balls and the other side had 10 balls.

Somewhere, near a skirting board near you, is the 22nd.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Less is better than more. If you put in more balls than the bearing was designed for, the balls run at a larger circumference than intended and often go into the rough. When in doubt, go less. That way the balls always run where they are intended to run in the races.
There is no more such a thing as a "usual" amount of balls in Shimano hubs. That all changed with the advent of oversized aluminium axles which leaves less space for bearing balls and hence, more, but smaller balls.