Wheel Bearings.

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Bicycle

Guest
Grrrrr.....

My front wheel bearings were shot. I stripped them.

The cups were worn, so I bought the correct cups and new balls. I also got a cone spanner to add to my toolkit.

I had fun re-assembling, but managed to count them all out and count the new ones in...

They were a bastard to put back - I'm not a mechanic and I lack finesse and mechanicall sympathy....

First, I couldn't get that 'sweet spot' where the wheel was spinning but free of play.

Eventually I had it.... tightened the locknuts both sides, checked... checked again...

Went for a 2-minute spin and everything was OK. As that was my third attempt, I felt slightly victorious...

After a 10-mile ride things seemed a little loose at the front and the wheel was wobbling like a jelly... Grrrr...

What is the magic?

How do I get the little f*ckers to the right adjustment and how do I get them to stay like that?

I'm sure the adjustment was right and I'm sure I had the locknuts tightened right down both sides.

If I thought wheel bearings were capable of feeling pain, I'd line them all up and shoot them.

I see the way they look at me and smirk...

I seem to have tried everything except the right way to do it... Any advice?
 

guitarpete247

Just about surviving
Location
Leicestershire
Just trial and error. If they feel too slack tighten them up a little. If the feel too tight (feel like they have grit in them) slacken them off a smidgen. If you have q/r skewers you will need to have bearings just a tad loose as closing skewers will nip the bearing up a little.

Grrrrr.....

My front wheel bearings were shot. I stripped them.

The cups were worn, so I bought the correct cups and new balls.

Did you buy new cups or cones?
 

Alembicbassman

Confused.com
I use a 17mm open ended wrench on the locknut and a cone spanner on the cone to hold it steady while I tighten the locknut.
 

ASC1951

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
The cups were worn, so I bought the correct cups and new balls. I also got a cone spanner to add to my toolkit.

I had fun re-assembling, but managed to count them all out and count the new ones in...

They were a bastard to put back - I'm not a mechanic and I lack finesse and mechanicall sympathy....

I seem to have tried everything except the right way to do it... Any advice?
Some thoughts from doing the same on a secondhand bike:-
- did you replace the other part of the bearing i.e the cone nuts/axle?
- don't assume that putting the same number back in is enough. The previous owner may have dropped one. Usually the correct number is enough to fill the cup without room for any more.
- I find the balls much easier to control if I blather them in grease and poke them about the place with a pencil.
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
On each side of the hub there should be a cone and a lock nut.

After checking the final positioning of these you then fix one side by tightening up the cone against the lock nut. In other words you simultaneously undo the cone and tighten the lock nut.

Then put the axle in the hub and pop the bearings in.

Then tighten up on the loose cone until you hit the sweet spot and go a tad further in with the cone.

All that you need to do now is fix this side too by tightening the cone against the lock nut as you did earlier.

In both cases the friction of the grip between lock nut and cone prevents anything coming undone.
 

gbb

Legendary Member
Location
Peterborough
One thing that frequently puts the adjustment back out as you're tightening the locknut, is the axle turning as you do it, its just undone what you've just set up.
With nutted axles, i have adjusted them on the bike. One wheel nut locked on the fork, adjust the other side, that stops the axle turning.

You cant do that with QR wheels, but try to stop the axle turning and it just takes a few goes to find the sweet spot.
 

accountantpete

Brexiteer
Hmm. IME, the correct number is enough to fill the cup, less one.



I think you can do either - they will both hold the cone firm without play. I prefer to top mine up as it avoids the noise of the bearings moving about.
 
OP
OP
B

Bicycle

Guest
Many thanks for all the responses....

I was doing pretty much what was suggested, but I think I was nervous about making them too tight.

I've removed and replaced the bearings so many times now that I'm beginning to feel like one of those characters in Full Metal Jacket who strips and re-assembles his weapon to a musical rhythm....

But.... I'm hoping I now have it (sort of).

Like many people, I seem baffled by the notion of doing something up tightly (the locknuts) to hold in place something you've done up quite tightly (the cones) to allow movement in something dark and magical and weird (the ball bearings).

All the answers were very helpful - and yes, I did mean new cones, not new cups... sorry.

I am learning, but slowly.

Yesterday I was sitting in the garage wanting to just go out and buy a new wheel and a new fixie to go with it....
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
It's the most frustrating job in the world, not least because of the "I've only got two hands" thing.

I serviced some bearings for a friend the other day, and it took me about five goes to get it right.

, and to be fair I've done a few in my time! My favourite tip is to tighten the non-drive side as tight as you can. The adjust side needs a bit of finesse, as I discovered, it really helps if the thread on the adjust side axle is squeaky clean so that the locknut doesn't turn the axle with it and ruin the sweet spot.

I also discovered that if it does, and you can't use a third hand to hold the axle still, you can overtighten the cone by say a quarter turn, spin the locknut onto the cone and then and turn the cone out towards the locknut which in this scenario stays still, together with the axle, so as you tighten the cone towards the locknut it puts the quarter-turn of play back into the equation.
 
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