Originally Posted by
Bill Kapaun
In my (too much) experience with these lower end bikes-
They have a MINIMAL amount of grease from the factory.
One of the first things I'd do is add grease to the wheel & Bottom Bracket bearings.
They also have retainer bearings, which I would swap for loose balls in order to fit an extra 2-3 bearings in per side.
Bearings are 3/16" for the front wheel & 1/4" for the rear.
I have seen Huffys with 1/4" F&R.
EDIT- IF the front wheel is semi sloppy, the hub is probably "toast".
I see a lot of this, too. I have junked wheels on cheaper bikes because the lack of grease, or maintenance, has allowed the bearings to " chew" the hub til it is too damaged for new bearings to help. Hopefully,,, new bearings & grease will be all you need, but I wouldn't bet on it. If you put in new greased bearings, adjust the hub, & there is still roughness/scratchy sounds, time for a new/good used wheel.