[Closed] Wheel bearings

I’ve mostly gone for enduro bearings as they’re a known quantity. Decent but not wildly expensive. I wouldn’t buy budget bearings personally.

Both Kinetic and Wych have exceptionally quick delivery in my experience and I’d use either.

Max bearings are good for frame pivots, but I've never tried using them for wheel bearings are they feel noticeably stiffer.

Always go stainless, but cheap buy twice and use twice the time

My tip would be to buy a bearing remover and press if you don’t have one already. They are not expensive anymore and not using them cost you more in the long run anyway. A good one is a joy to use and makes what could potentially be a bugger of a job a pleasure.
I can’t recommend BearingPro tools highly enough. Well made and well priced and quick dispatch. Make sure you add in the thrust bearings and extender tubes from the accessories page and you have a perfect tool!

if you buy cheap, you replace them more (more than double).. buy a branded set, Enduro/SKF/FAG/etc

TBH, my experience of enduro bearings is all bad.
If they were half the price I could just about stomach it...

if you buy cheap, you replace them more (more than double).

LOL 25 years and yet to have to replace a wheel bearing, what am I doing wrong ?

@klunk, not telling the truth?

Not riding?

@klunk, not telling the truth?

just call me a liar why don't you ?

Not riding?

that ol' chestnut!

Right I'm thinking if getting these

https://www.kineticbikebearings.com/6000-2rs-stainless-steel-wheel-bearing.html

I'll also check BearingPro tools, cause the reason I need to replace the bearings in the first place, is I managed to damage them getting them out whilst replacing a freehub.

I should note it's the first time I've attempted replacing a freehub so I'm on my a voyage of discovery.

IIRC the Max bearings are not much good for wheels as they are packed in tight and don't run as freely. You want the ABEC3 Enduro LLB 6000-LLB (6000-2RS) Enduro Bike Bearing Abec 3 10x26x8 - WychBearings.co.uk

Also get the bearing tools that fit from Pro Bike Tools as above. I've replaced 2 sets of freehub bearings with those tools and it takes a literally a few minutes

Ah ok thanks

Kinetic Bike Bearings will give you all the advice you need. They supplied me for over ten years and a wealth of knowledge!

@klunk there is no way on god's green earth that a bearing that has been used regularly that was, as insinuated, cheap will still be fine after 25 years. Not calling you a liar maybe just forgetful

I'm using mild steel Codex bearings from Simply, they've been in my Hope XC 15mm conversion for about 2 years now and not showing any signs of wear yet. They do live in a well ventilated loft though so YMMV.

£4.20 a pop in your size.

there is no way on god’s green earth that a bearing that has been used regularly that was, as insinuated, cheap will still be fine after 25 years

It's the bearings that don't get used regularly that cause the problems...

It’s the bearings that don’t get used regularly that cause the problems

Is that a fact?
So 20 miles off road 3x a week is not enough to avoid BB bearings wearing out after about a year? Or alternatively, maybe it’s more about the conditions you ride in?

I've been really disappointed with enduro abec 3 bearings in the past. Lasted less than half the time of the original hopes or the SKF's that I replaced the enduro bearings with.

Nowadays, SKF, FAG or hope bearings for me. Not sure who manufacturers hope bearings, I'd be curious if anyone knows.

LOL 25 years and yet to have to replace a wheel bearing, what am I doing wrong ?

At that age I'm going to guess at cup & cone.. which, if so, is possibly a fair point with regard to longevity.. but somewhat disingenuous (deliberately obtuse?) in the context of a thread that is obviously about cartridge bearings.

yes cup & cone but also haven't had to change a wheel bearing in Hope XC's (IIRC) 2005 and pro 2's from 2007 ish and a singlespeed hope pro2 bought from flea bay (2012) along with a pro2 front from Junkyard once of this manor. All still running silky smooth. I even have the Hope tools only ever used to swap a free hub bearing on the xc's and one of the pro II's.

On another thread there’s a link to a Chinese type bearing press kit - I got one and it’s been unbelievably useful. £50 or less and it’s got 10’s of different bearing size drifts.

With hub bearings I either drift them out with a socket or use my slide hammer.

Most freehubs just pull off one way or the other....

Had a mate who worked for INA bearings in their factory. He told me The bearings came off the line, got split into the packaging line. All the bearings were tbe same identical spec, the price you paid for them all depended on whose brand was on the packaging
Not suggesting that every single bearing is the same quality across the board, I'm just saying that it does hapoen and paying more for a known brand won't necessarily get you a better bearing.

yes cup & cone but also haven’t had to change a wheel bearing in Hope XC’s (IIRC) 2005 and pro 2’s from 2007 ish and a singlespeed hope pro2 bought from flea bay (2012) along with a pro2 front from Junkyard once of this manor. All still running silky smooth. I even have the Hope tools only ever used to swap a free hub bearing on the xc’s and one of the pro II’s.

So have you got five 25 year old bikes or is it a bit of a Trigger's broom type scenario whereby you buy a new bike every few years and then say you haven't had to change a bearing!!! 🤣

Actually now I think about it I've not worn out a set of tyres, or brakes for that matter, in over 35 years of driving! 😜

three wheels sets and 3 bikes. none of them 25 years old yet

My experience with enduro bearings isn't that good either.
The enduro bottom bracket bearings are rubbish that hope supply.
Hope "by enduro" headset bearings are also rubbish. Had one recently that was very well looked after, greased periodically!! Popped the seals off the other day due to it feeling rough and all the tiny balls in the bearing race had dissintergrated.

IMO they are barely better than cheap Chinese bearings.

My experience has been that when bearings go wrong it’s not always the bearings that are the culprit.

I had Hope Pro2 evo front and rear wheels. The rear was constantly chewing through bearings (of various brands) and also axles. It’s the 135mm hub and rubbish axle that caused the issues I think. The front bearings must have done 15,000km by now without issue.

The guys in the specialist bearing shop where I get supplies basically offer Chinese budget or Japanese quality as options. They’ve said stainless are softer so can wear prematurely, steel are harder but can rust. But they recommend using a non-petroleum based (lanolin) spray on the seals to repel water and make them last longer.

Hope Pro 4 bearings definitely say Enduro on them and I’m happy enough with mine.

I can’t recommend BearingPro tools highly enough

I've just checked out their website. They look like a great solution for getting hub-specific, cheap, functional removal and fitting tools. Thanks for the shout!

+1 for BearingProTools and Kinetic

+1 for not having changed wheel bearings on some of my bikes (20 year old road bike w good hubs, 12 year old XT hubs on my old epic, and on an old Rockhopper and the OH's Giant that i prob 30 years old) and not cos they're not getting ridden

Did have to get new cartridge bearings for the rear hub of new epicevo, hence kinetic and BPTools

Older Hope bearings (XC era) are RTK.

3.5 years and counting for the Hope BB, headset and front hub bearings, and did the frame and rear Pro4 shell bearings at 2.5 years. All on an HB160.

No idea who makes them, but they last well.

Shame to hear hope have moved from RTK to enduro. Substantially less likely to buy anything from them that spins now.

IMO I disagree with some of the comments above that most bearings are the same just rebranded. SKF/FAG/RTK etc last substantially longer in my experience. No single reason but a factor of better hardening processes, seals, and manufacturing tolerances.

I've found that hub bearings last much longer than freehub bearings, probably due to the sealing being worse. I would go SKF personally as they're known to be good quality.

With regards to stainless steel, I've read that it is softer than normal steel so although they won't rust they will wear faster so a well sealed standard bearing is better than a stainless steel one (on the assumption corrosion won't be an issue).

Anyone got a link to where one might find SKF 6802/6803 equivalents?

I can’t recommend BearingPro tools highly enough

Lots of their tools seem to use the inner race of the bearing to remove them, I thought that was a no-no?

Anyone got a link to where one might find SKF 6802/6803 equivalents?

6803 = 17x26x5mm? How many do you need, as I have a few Hope ones

@teethgrinder Thanks for the offer. I was just interested in getting some for stock tbh. I've got some XT and standard microspline freehubs that take a combination of 6802 and 6803 bearings; can't remember exactly how many in each but roughly 5 of each type would suffice for a complete change. I shouldn't take your stock off you to put into my own stock!!

Looks like yolu can get them here though: Bearings | Shop Bearings | Leading Bearing Brands | Online Bearings

I have a bunch of Enduro bearings in my toolbox as stock and it's interesting that people say they are not that good. I recently put some in my standard microspline three pawl freehub as I had got my LBS to put some in when the original factory installed ones wore out and I was convinced they put used ones in as they only seemed to last about 200 miles. The new set I put in myself have done about 100 so far and are still OK so I will see how long they last.... I did also replace the ones in my XT freehub and they must have done about 200 miles so far and are still OK ; so again I will see how they go.

Tools wose is use a combo of

bearing pro tools
and
BSC tools

Frame bearings I've always used enduro max. They only ever get a year max out of them but pivot bearings are as good as disposable items.

"Lots of their tools seem to use the inner race of the bearing to remove them, I thought that was a no-no?"

It doesn't matter how you remove them, they're going in the spidge.

putting them in is different.

It doesn’t matter how you remove them, they’re going in the spidge.

Until the bearing collapses and you end up with the inner race and a load of bearings on the workbench and the outer race still firmly inserted in the housing...

I always try to remove by the outer race if possible.

 and the outer race still firmly inserted in the housing…

This is what happened to me on the one and only time I've tried to remove wheel bearings. I let my LBS do all my bearing work from now on. Plus I lack a bench, vice, work space, all the things I think you'd need to manage this properly

"It doesn’t matter how you remove them, they’re going in the spidge.

Until the bearing collapses and you end up with the inner race and a load of bearings on the workbench and the outer race still firmly inserted in the housing…

I always try to remove by the outer race if possible."

You are right. I was thinking about it being a no-no in terms of being nice to the bearing.

Does nobody make their bearing tools any more? My last one was ground from some spidge. And can I mention using the old bearing as the perfect-sized tool for pushing the new ones in.

spidge

Define please. Scrap?

And yes to old bearings for pressing.

Have we just discovered a regionalism? Maybe just a boloquialism? Spidge is the off-cuts and scrap box or heap and it's contents in the corner of the workshop that provides all the useful bits of material and may or may not one day get weighed-in for the Xmas beer fund. Or it was where I grew up.

Spidge