bearings and grease?

mikemcdeedy100

hi:D
im taking apart the freehub and wheels today for a clean and regrease

coupla questions


are the bearings normally replaced?

are they usually the same size?

will grease from the motor factors do?

should i use petrol to clean components and chain?

thanks:D

cdaly_

Sealed bearings, just check for roughness and leave alone. Oil rather than grease in the freehub.

mikemcdeedy100

ok thanks

like teflon oil spray in the freehub?




when you say sealed bearings ?
the wheels bearings are 18 individual bearings per wheel on mine?

letape

mikemcdeedy100 wrote: »

ok thanks

like teflon oil spray in the freehub?

when you say sealed bearings ?
the wheels bearings are 18 individual bearings per wheel on mine?

I think teflon spray would be too light to use for the freehub. I'd be happy to apply a light coating of greese or else a heavier oil, like Shimano dry lube.

It's not unusual to have loose bearings in the hub, although they are normally retained in a nylon race - obviously not in your case. Campagnolo and Shimano still use these in their higher end wheels that have a cup and cone configuration as opposed cheap and nasty cartridge bearings!

If the hub was operating smoothly before you took it apart, you may not need to replace the bearings, but they are very cheap and as the hub is apart you might be as well to replace them.

mikemcdeedy100

letape wrote: »

I think teflon spray would be too light to use for the freehub. I'd be happy to apply a light coating of greese or else a heavier oil, like Shimano dry lube.

It's not unusual to have loose bearings in the hub, although they are normally retained in a nylon race - obviously not in your case. Campagnolo and Shimano still use these in their higher end wheels that have a cup and cone configuration as opposed cheap and nasty cartridge bearings!

If the hub was operating smoothly before you took it apart, you may not need to replace the bearings, but they are very cheap and as the hub is apart you might be as well to replace them.

sorry maybe i wasn't clear
i didn't get the freehub open yet
the loose bearings were either side of the axle

letape

mikemcdeedy100 wrote: »

sorry maybe i wasn't clear
i didn't get the freehub open yet
the loose bearings were either side of the axle

I understood that. There will be another (sealed bearing) between the freehub and axle.

I see that you have removed the axle before the freehub. Normally the freehub would be removed first, and the hub is designed that way.

If the freehub doesn't come off easily, I'd take it to a bike shop - might just damage it otherwise and it would be more expensive in the long run.

dave2pvd

letape wrote: »

I think teflon spray would be too light to use for the freehub. I'd be happy to apply a light coating of greese or else a heavier oil, like Shimano dry lube.

It's not unusual to have loose bearings in the hub, although they are normally retained in a nylon race - obviously not in your case. Campagnolo and Shimano still use these in their higher end wheels that have a cup and cone configuration as opposed cheap and nasty cartridge bearings!

If the hub was operating smoothly before you took it apart, you may not need to replace the bearings, but they are very cheap and as the hub is apart you might be as well to replace them.

Huh? I'd rather cartridge bearings any day of the week. Easy to change, superior seals/shields, no endless searching on your hands and knees, outer race damage does not mean end of hub, preload adjustment/thrust load is easy to set,....I could go on.

OP, for your freehub, follow the manufacturer's recommendation. Most will specify a light oil. Anything that dries (some chain lube, WD40) or is overly viscous (bearing grease) will not work.

letape

dave2pvd wrote: »

Huh? I'd rather cartridge bearings any day of the week. Easy to change, superior seals/shields, no endless searching on your hands and knees, outer race damage does not mean end of hub, preload adjustment/thrust load is easy to set,....I could go on.

OP, for your freehub, follow the manufacturer's recommendation. Most will specify a light oil. Anything that dries (some chain lube, WD40) or is overly viscous (bearing grease) will not work.

I have never had a set of cartridge bearings that roll as friction free as a well lubed and adjusted cup and cone. I presume it's for this reason that campagnolo/fulcrum and Shimano use cartridge bearings in their lower end wheels and cup and cone in their higher end models including CULT bearings in Boras and Hyperons.

Maintenance might be more time involved than cartridge but still easy to maintain.

dave2pvd

letape wrote: »

I have never had a set of cartridge bearings that roll as friction free as a well lubed and adjusted cup and cone. I presume it's for this reason that campagnolo/fulcrum and Shimano use cartridge bearings in their lower end wheels and cup and cone in their higher end models including CULT bearings in Boras and Hyperons.

Maintenance might be more time involved than cartridge but still easy to maintain.

I guess everything is relative.

Both types can be very high quality. Look at what the likes of Endura produce. What about Zipp, Mavic, etc. All cartridge. I always assumed Shimano used C&C because they were penny pinching. Then again, they may be exceptionally high tolerance bearings with excellent seals. Certainly, I never had any problem with my old Ultegra bearings.