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I have a pro 2 rear hub and want to swap from QR to 142mm axle.
Non drive side cap just pulls off but for the life of me can't get the drive side off. Used molgrips and even put it in a vice and pulled it but can't get it off.
Any tips? Thought I might heat it with a hairdryer maybe to expand it? But other than that I'm stuck (no pun intended!)
You could try putting the cassette back on as it might give you something to hold onto as you tug/wiggle. Just wear gloves if you want to keep the skin on your knuckles....
You can then remove the locknut as per normal and get the end cap out
Smack it!
Whack the hub from the other side with a soft face mallet
Will smacking from the other side work? Can the axle come out that way? ( ie out the drive side?)
Yes, it will move the driveside axle bearing with it, it only needs a few mm to pop the end cap. This bearing might then need replacing... Side loading on the inner race doesn't do them much good long term
I had this yesterday when I was putting new bearings in one of my Pro 2 hubs.
I gripped the stuck end cap in a vice then put a large flat bladed screw driver between the vice and the freehub and eventually managed to lever off the end cap.
If you're changing up to 142, I'm assuming you've got to push the axle out anyway (when I last looked, for my hub it required a full axle change, but I might be wrong in your case). Whichever way round you do it, the two bearings that sit under the freehub body will have to experience sideways force; either from the axle being driven out, or by the freehub body being pulled off the axle. And I think the same goes for the drive-side bearing that sits in the hub body.
I might be getting in a muddle, but I think in your situation, the risk of knocking the axle towards the drive-side would be that the bearings, free-hub and end cap will still be stuck on it after it slides out.
I'm assuming you're actually wanting to use all the bearings again with the new axle ?