38 Responses to “How To Overhaul Wheel Bearings”

1. Ron on May 3rd, 2008 7:37 pm
   

   Excellent site. I enjoy the work you’re putting in.
2. xSmurf on May 19th, 2008 8:20 am
   

   So I tried this and have had a little issue. Repacking the bearings went smoothly, but then I discovered that my cones where completely shot. One was cracked all the way around… I though it had a washer inside for a bit. So I really need to replace them. Hopefully the hubs appear to be fine. But it seems like finding proper cones is harder than it looks :/ I’ve done two or three LBS and none were really helpful. The first could only sell me the whole axel assembly and the second was overpriced.. anyway I’d buy either (and actually bought both)… but none come with the dust covers.. Against parktool’s howto I followed one of the mechanic’s advise and removed my old one… but it’s really hard to fit back in… I can’t really bang it cause 1) I don’t want to damage the cones 2) it’s made of sheet metal and it’ll bend. What am I supposed to do?

   Thanks in advance Alex
3. Alex on May 20th, 2008 7:38 am
   

   That’s a tricky procedure. I usually lay an open end wrench (that is just big enough to fit around the cone) onto the seal, and then gently and evenly tap it down onto place. Let me know if that technique works for you.
4. Mark on July 7th, 2008 1:32 am
   

   Alex, the bearings are readily available, even online. The cones, and even the solid 5/8″ axles I cannot find. Would you happen to know where I can purchase cones?
5. Alex on July 7th, 2008 2:02 am
   

   Hi Mark,

   I can’t find much on 5/8″ axles either. Is it from an old 3-speed hub?

   You can order most cone sizes here
6. Alberto on July 30th, 2008 9:29 am
   

   I have a old 10 speed road bike that doesn’t have an quick release wheel and I wanted to put a QUICK RELEASE WHEEL. How do you go about changing wheel so I’ll have quick release wheel. I notice that you can buy Quick Release Wheel Skewers can I just add that to the wheel and I’ll have a tires with a quick release wheel?

   Thanks
   -Alberto
7. Alex on August 2nd, 2008 10:38 am
   

   Quick release wheels have a hollow axle, so you’ll either have to replace the axle assembly, or the entire hub/wheel depending on your setup.
8. ChristianT on August 8th, 2008 2:09 pm
   

   Thank you so much for your videos. I’ve just overhauled my wheel bearings for the first time and with great result.

   Do you clean your grease gun after use? I guess you could leave the grease in, as it will not harden or anything, but I am afraid, it will leak out and make a mess, while the gun is stored away. What is your take?
9. Alex on August 8th, 2008 2:27 pm
   

   Great to hear you overhauled the bearings… awesome!

   I usually wipe off the nozzle of my grease gun with a rag, but I always leave the inside as is (unless it runs out of grease and needs refilling).
10. Andrei on October 10th, 2008 9:23 am
    

    So I repacked my bearings yesterday and somehow didn’t notice that there is some play in the hub – is it basically a balance between there being play and the cones being too tight for the wheel to spin freely?
11. Alex on October 10th, 2008 10:34 am
    

    Exactly Andrei, it’s a very fine balance that sometimes takes quite a few tries to get right. After adjusting hubs in a shop for many years, I still almost never get it right on the first attempt.
12. Taylor on October 12th, 2008 1:14 pm
    

    Thanks!
13. elliot on October 14th, 2008 2:43 am
    

    just a tip, when you need to clean the inside of the hub where the bearings go, a q tip (ear cleaner) is perfect for getting all the rest of the old grease out.
14. Ray Wilson on October 23rd, 2008 8:16 pm
    

    Hey brother, First of all thanks for all you do.

    My question is that I have a 2006 Specialized Hardrock Sport, I want to overhaul the bearings but I can not find any literature anywhere on what size bearings to use. I have been all over the Specialized web site and through the tech manuals and the only specs I find on the hubs are that they are Joy-Tech, cassette, 36h, ground race double sealed loose ball w/ alloy QR. (whatever all that means).

    Anyways I ordered some 1/4 and 3/16 bearings as you state in the tutorial and just see if it work. Do you think I will be ok with those? I mean how “size critical” are they?

    Again bro, thanks for all you do.

    –Ray
    Hobbs, New Mexico
15. Alex on October 28th, 2008 7:13 pm
    

    The bearing size is critical. The first thing to do is to find the brand of the hub. Is there any markings or brand name on it anywhere?

    Most front hubs need 10 3/16″ bearings per side, while rear hubs usually need 9 1/4″ bearings.
16. Snortley on December 18th, 2008 8:15 pm
    

    One thing that’s useful for this is a bench vise. I don’t know of any other way to securely hold the axle immoble while you crank the cone in and out until you get that perfect spot of no play and smooth rotation. make sure the side you’re not adjusting is locked down tight, then clamp the locknut on that side in the vise. Gauge the degree of turn on the cone you’re adjusting by watching how the cone wrench points at the spokes. Turn in increments of, say, 1/4 spoke spaces at a time, or whatever fraction works, and you’ll have an idea of how much you’re tightening or loosening. To get an idea of how smooth or tight the rotation is, it’s necessary to keep removing the wheel from the vise and putting it back in. That’s a bit of a pain, but ultimately it’s easier because you get great control over how much you’re moving the cone.
17. Rich on January 15th, 2009 7:17 pm
    

    Thanks for the tutorial!! I just repacked my front hub and it feels GREAT!!!

    I’ve had this Schwinn Impact for about 20 years and will ride it until one of us breaks! I bought it from one of my Wife’s coworkers that was getting married. I remember the good old days when I had the rear wheel buried in the mud up to its axle… good times.
    Now it’s a daily commuter in the warm months.

    It really is a fine line between just right and too tight. My front hub had nine bearings though.

    Thanks again!
18. Paul Catalano on February 18th, 2009 5:09 pm
    

    Where can I pick-up that small fine tipped grease gun?
19. Alex on February 18th, 2009 7:14 pm
    

    Here you can order the grease gun, and here you can get a tube of grease.
20. peter on February 21st, 2009 10:06 pm
    

    Hey,
    Thank-you so much I really appreciated this! My free wheel wasn’t spinning without y peddles turning and this really helped me. Couple questions, are all ball bearing the same or do they vary in size and composition? Also, where do the grease disappear to, isn’t this the point of the seals? Thanks so much for your help.:)
21. Snortley on February 22nd, 2009 8:51 pm
    

    Yes, bearings of course vary in size, and they’re measured in fractions of an inch. They can differ in material, too. I’ve read of trade-offs in corrosion resistance versus wear resistance. I’m not sure you have much choice in that department unless you’re buying huge wholesale lots. They’re also sold in a variety of grades, the better ones being smoother and closer to perfect roundness. Grade 25 is tops.

    Seals have to have some seepage, or they wouldn’t work at all. There has to be at least a tiny bit getting through to lubricate the seal itself, otherwise its surface would get torn up. That said, the grease in the bearing race can be replenished if the rest of the hub has a generous helping, too. Even with that, a time will come along when a repacking is needed, a good opportunity to change the bearings, too.
22. Luke on February 27th, 2009 7:15 am
    

    This site is excellent!

    I was having trouble refitting the back-wheel mechanism and replacing the bearings for my much loved mountain bike. Having used Google a couple of weeks ago only to find my search was fruitless, I was beginning to lose hope in ever finding a site or video tutorial from an expert that would tell me exactly what I needed to know.

    Thanks a lot guys, this video was a great help. I will be recommending this site to friends no doubt.
23. Eric on March 2nd, 2009 6:36 pm
    

    Good information. But you did not have any info about checking the axle for bends. I use the procedure in Barnett’s Bicycle manual. Without it adjustment of the hub is a trail and error fiasco.

    Eric
24. Jake W on March 2nd, 2009 6:46 pm
    

    This site should show the different styles of hubs that are out there and how to overhaul each specific type.

    Mine look nothing like the ones in the movie and that makes it very difficult to follow.

    Just a suggestion!
25. ck on November 21st, 2009 12:15 pm
    

    Hi-

    Your videos are SUPER helpful! Not sure if this is related, but I just bought a new rear wheel to replace an old wheel and freehub. I have a problem though. The wheel spins freely when not in the bike frame, but when I put the wheel on the bike and tighten the quick release it binds the wheel and prevents it from spinning. Help! What do I need to do?
26. John Arlott on February 19th, 2010 1:39 pm
    

    Thanks for the tutorials. Having had three services on my relatively new m775 hub with disappointing results, I decided to buy some tools and have a look myself. The first thing I noticed was that one of the races was missing from the freewheel side – is this particuarly critical? To me it seem ridiculous that the two bike shops hadn’t picked up that it was missing.

    Thanks,
    JA
27. Alex on February 19th, 2010 1:46 pm
    

    Hi John,

    It doesn’t sound right that one of your races are missing, and yes bearing races are critical. I’d take it back where you had it serviced and ask about it. Or you could post some photos in the help forums and we can have a look.
28. John Arlott on February 20th, 2010 12:06 am
    

    Thanks for the quick reply, Alex. Not likely that I’ll be going back to that bike shop again. It’s hard to find good ones, plus I live a few hours from town, so it makes sense to teach myself these things. So I’ve regreased the bearings in the hub and cleaned it thoroughly, but have not had the chance to get a new set of bearings with a new race etc. When I do, I’ll send you some photos. In any case, I took the bike for a ride this arvo, seemed ok, certainly a lot less drag, should be good with a new race.
29. Jason on March 19th, 2010 7:44 am
    

    I bought an old Peugeot bike which I am overhauling and noticed there are bearings missing from the front wheel hub. I have spare bearings but they are slightly larger (but would fit) than the original ones. Can I use them or would that spell disaster? Should I try and find the exact same bearings?
30. Alex Ramon on March 19th, 2010 9:08 am
    

    Hi Jason,

    Yes it would be best to find the correct size bearings, as your races and cones are built for one size only. Using the wrong size would cause you problems.
31. mayco on April 15th, 2010 2:59 am
    

    Great videos, thank you for your help. This enabled me to explore my 1999 Kona OB1 HUB. However, i now need to replace the cones. I have hit a wall finding the correct ones. How do you measure a cone? or is there information somewhere stating cone sizes/types for specific hubs.
    Thanks in advance, love your work!
32. Alex on April 15th, 2010 3:36 am
    

    Hi Mayco,

    I’m not familiar with that hub so I can’t say what size cones it takes. Your best bet would be to contact the manufacturer, or bring one of your cones to your local bike shop so they can size up a replacement.
33. Luke Cussans on April 16th, 2010 7:40 pm
    

    Hey Alex.

    Love your videos. They are really great. I used this tutorial but came across one problem. After replacing the axle the tyre almost touches the frame on the left but has lots of clearance on the right. Any ideas?
34. Alex on April 17th, 2010 11:40 am
    

    Hi Luke,

    If you can post some photos in the help forums we can help you figure it out!
35. Mike on May 5th, 2010 5:23 pm
    

    Thank you for helping us out here help ourselves. “Teach a man to fish….” Outstanding videos and text links, tool identification.
36. tim on May 15th, 2010 3:46 pm
    

    Nice one Alex been struggling for ages to find a decent maintenance site. Thanks a lot because of this site i have been able to completely service my wifes bike thanks again.
37. Richie on May 19th, 2010 10:36 am
    

    To all of you who have trouble with the fine line between spinning freely and too tight and/or just the right amount of play for quick release, a tip i find works for me 80% of the time and first time, is getting the cones just finger tight and when tightening the lock ring DO NOT move the other hand at all whilst holding the cone spanner in place.

    If you do move the cone spanner in the opposing direction to make the 2 lock together , this actually undoes the cone against the lockring rather than the lockring tightening against the cone!

    Yes it takes practice and yes, sometime it takes more than 1 attempt but it normally works for me!

    Good luck, i hope it is helpful !
38. Kate Burck on June 9th, 2010 12:59 pm
    

    Thanks for building such an incredibly helpful site Alex! I’m detailing an old bike for the first time and hub overhauling was something i wasn’t planning to touch because it seemed confusing. Not confusing at all!

    However I’m having one issue. The bike is a ‘73 Schwinn Collegiate. My balls aren’t loose, they’re set in a case and I don’t know how to get it out. You might want to add to this tutorial to cover how to get caged bearings out of older bicycles.

Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you have a maintenance/repair question, please ask in the help forums.