Originally Posted by
Skandl
Cool, thanks for the advice. Another question - how tight should the cones be against the bearings? Too tight seems like a no-no, so leaving a bit of room for the bearings to roll around OK?
Check out this
Sheldon Brown - Cone Adjustment site. Typically I find that with QR hubs, I will adjust to zero-play in the bearing so that the axle spins perfectly smooth. Then back off the cone about 10-20 degrees to introduce a minor amount of play. Then hold the cone steady while I tighten the locknut. I've found the axle oiled before putting the cones & locknuts on prevents spinning the axle relative to the cone when you tighten the locknut down.
The final test I do is to place the wheel into the frame and barely tighten the skewer just enough to hold it in the dropouts. Moving the rim sideways between the brake-pads shows some play in the bearings. Then after I fully tighten the skewer, the play disappears when check at the rim between the pads.
BTW - I like boat-trailer bearing-grease in my hubs. The blue tacky stuff has great adhesion and doesn't get pushed aside as easily as other greases when the bearing rolls around the race.