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Noticed a little* play in the axles of my CX commuter bikes. Had a look last night and they're cup & cone bearings, so I could probably do with replacing the ball bearings (and hoping the races aren't worn to ****)
Simple question then - are the bearings used "standard" sizes and quantities? e.g. A rear wheel will always need X number of size Y bearings, a front wheel will need a different number of a different size? Or do the number / size vary depending on the hub?
if they're standard, can anyone tell me what I need to replace the lot please?
thanks!
*quite a lot actually
Or do the number / size vary depending on the hub?
This
probably just loose ball bearings in there which you need to get it 3/16 iirc
They tend to be one size for say Shimano but sometime they have full bearing races[ not seen these for a while but only have one set of cup and cone hubs]. What type/make of hub is it ?
ahhh bollox. No idea on the brand of the hub - they're stock wheels on a trek crossrip, so I'm going to guess unbranded based on formula? will have to take out the current bearings and see if I can source replacements
used to be easy. fronts were 3/16", rears were 1/4"
now, it does depend on the hub. as you say, best bet is to measure the old bearings.
I've always found when the play is "quite a bit" your ****ed. The balls and face will be worn. So you may as well buy some wheels that have cartridge bearings, then if you ignore the wear you wont kill the wheel.
To make cup and cone work you basically need to attend to them before they wear, which is daft. Especially given than cartridge bearings are cheap.
In your situation Id just try cleaning, re-greasing and adjusting. You might get it to work well enough for a CX commuter. Not sure about size of the balls, I've seen a few but
£4 from the LBS for a new set of bearings in the end. Plenty of grease and a few minutes with a spanner and I should get a few months out of them, at least. Races are shot, but it works while I decide what to do about wheels