Bicycle Mechanics - hub packing

I just repacked the hubs on my bianchi. This is my forst time doing this. I have two main questions.

first- While I was wiping off the ball bearings, I noticed that the bearings on one side were a different color then the other side. one side's bearings looked like a coppery color, and on the other side, the bearings were a silvery blue color (steel). I know that the previous owner (my grandad) didn't mess with anything on the bike, he was clueless about bikes. Why would it be like this from the factory?

second- I used medium weight waterproof white lithium grease in the hub. Is this ok?

I spun the wheel after I had it on the fork, and man, was it smooth. It even did like a pendulum a couple of times before settling down at the valve stem. Who da man?

Man, the grease in the hub was disgusting after not being repacked after twenty years. dirty, and completely black, after formerly being a tan color. gross.

Anyway, I porbably won't ride the bianchi again until this snow melts, so I won't know truely well i did until then.

sounds like you did fine.as for the different bearing colors, the bearings in rear hubs are different sizes for each side but are hardly noticable so that may be the reason for the colors.i have used the same grease and had no problems so don't worry about that.by the way....................you da man!!

The coppery color balls were contaminated. At some point dirt or water had gotten into the hub. Chances are, if you ride the bike around a little bit, the action of the hub will polish those bearings to a nice silvery color again.

The grease you used sounds just fine.

Next time you rebuild the hub, replace the balls. After some use, the bearings go out of round. You should really replace them every time you rebuild.

Originally posted by biggsy
as for the different bearing colors, the bearings in rear hubs are different sizes for each side but are hardly noticable so that may be the reason for the colors. Real stinky applesauce.

Phatman,

Just curious, did you replace the bearings or
reuse them?
Most folks don't recommend reusing bearings
due to wear, they ovalize and can cause major
headaches with wear on bearing races etc.

Just a thought.
Marty

i reused them

If you repack frequently, you can probably get by with replacing the balls every other time. The balls do indeed ovalize under load, however, and are highly suspect any time you are unable to obtain a perfect adjustment.

How often do ya'll recommend having your hubs repacked/rebuilt? Is this something that a serious cyclist should learn to do on his/her own?


What about headsets? My headset is going. I've had the LBS check it out a few times and they said it's just a matter of time before it's gone. I was a tad disappointed in that since I've only got about 11 months on it (about 3000 miles). They recommend I got to a King or a Cane Creek when I decide to replace it.



PBW

Chris King makes most excellent headsets, and Id sure like one on my bike , but they are really expensive, and only worthwhile on top class bikes.
When you repack your hubs, dont forget to check for pitting or other damage to the cup and cone surfaces.

Read this by Sheldon Brown on hubs.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/hubs.html

Originally posted by P. B. Walker
How often do ya'll recommend having your hubs repacked/rebuilt? Is this something that a serious cyclist should learn to do on his/her own?

What about headsets? My headset is going. I've had the LBS check it out a few times and they said it's just a matter of time before it's gone. I was a tad disappointed in that since I've only got about 11 months on it (about 3000 miles). They recommend I got to a King or a Cane Creek when I decide to replace it.


PB,
What kind of headset is it? That seems an absurdly short time for a headset to be going bad. If it is less than a year old and if in fact it is going bad you may have a warranty issue.

To answer your question it is a good idea to service hub, bottom bracket, and headset bearings (assuming cup and cone) about once a year if you are a regular rider, which you are. From there the recommendation can be as short as 3-6 months for mtbs ridden hard in dirty conditions to 2 years for occasional riders.
Regards,
Raymond

Originally posted by MichaelW
When you repack your hubs, dont forget to check for pitting or other damage to the cup and cone surfaces.

this was done. They were actually in good shape. the main reason why I repacked the hubs was because the grease looked dirty, and I was bored from staying inside all day (thigh-deep snow outside+strep=boring day)

Originally posted by RainmanP
PB,
What kind of headset is it? That seems an absurdly short time for a headset to be going bad. If it is less than a year old and if in fact it is going bad you may have a warranty issue.

To answer your question it is a good idea to service hub, bottom bracket, and headset bearings (assuming cup and cone) about once a year if you are a regular rider, which you are. From there the recommendation can be as short as 3-6 months for mtbs ridden hard in dirty conditions to 2 years for occasional riders.
Regards,
Raymond


Thanks RainmanP. That's good to know. The headset just says Aheadset on it. The guy at the LBS said it was because I do alot of wide open straight ahead riding and it's caused the bears to start grooving and wearing. When I pick the bike up by the handlebars and very gently start to rotate the the handlebars to the right or left and let go, they pop back to center, unless I go to far and then they swing down freely. I had the LBS check it out and they said they pulled the headset apart and repacked it, and that this problem won't go away. Sooner or later I'll need to replace the headset.

That's what I was told anyway.

I'm probably going to wait a month or so to do it since my right shifter is also going and they said that since it is still under warranty I can have that replaced for free as long as I do it before April.

PBW

To avoid problems, it's a good idea to replace the bearings when you repack/overhaul bearings especially if you have high mileage or a lotta "junk" in your parts.
If you ride in the rain- repack a lot. I've found water in stuff within DAYS!!

Ride Slick
Pat

If you are going to the trouble of repacking your hubs, be sure to replace the bearings. It only costs about $1.00 to replace all the bearings.

Old, damaged bearings can and will ruin the bearing cups which necessitates a new hub and wheel rebuild.

Originally posted by P. B. Walker
Thanks RainmanP. That's good to know. The headset just says Aheadset on it. The guy at the LBS said it was because I do alot of wide open straight ahead riding and it's caused the bears to start grooving and wearing. When I pick the bike up by the handlebars and very gently start to rotate the the handlebars to the right or left and let go, they pop back to center, unless I go to far and then they swing down freely. I had the LBS check it out and they said they pulled the headset apart and repacked it, and that this problem won't go away. Sooner or later I'll need to replace the headset.
PBW

Glad it will be handled under warranty. That condition is called brinnelling, the bearings form little dimples and want to stay in them. Someone recently posted a scholarly reply to a thread on headsets saying this is not technically brinnelling but some thing else, but references I have seen in bike repair manual refer to it as such. Still seems very strange to experience it so quickly. It is more often caused by an improperly adjusted headset or one that has been grossly overtightened at some point.

it's caused the bears to start grooving

Wow! Dancing BEARS!!!!!

:D :D :D :D :D

Oh lordy, something else I have to watch out for on the bike....

Is that genuine bear grooving, or false bear grooving.... :D

Is it more prevalent in the woods?

Ed

Originally posted by P. B. Walker
When I pick the bike up by the handlebars and very gently start to rotate the the handlebars to the right or left and let go, they pop back to center, unless I go to far and then they swing down freely
I had something similiar happen on a brand new
campy record headset so I knew the bearings and races
were good. What I found was that the cablehousings
were pulling ever so slightly and this was causing the
problem (also have seen it with Computer wires).
Like you what I noted was the return to center, not
a resistance to leave center.
Just a thought but you might check for something like
it.

Marty

Don't forget guys, if you have quick releases on your hubs you need that little bit of play in the hub when the axyle and cone is reinstalled.

Digger

Originally posted by lotek
I had something similiar happen on a brand new
campy record headset so I knew the bearings and races
were good. What I found was that the cablehousings
were pulling ever so slightly and this was causing the
problem (also have seen it with Computer wires).
Like you what I noted was the return to center, not
a resistance to leave center.
Just a thought but you might check for something like
it.

Marty

Good point Marty. I should have mentioned that. It does have a bit of a problem leaving center also. Normally if you pick up the bike and just tilt it slightly to one side, the handle bars should just fall over to that side. Mine stay straight. I have to really tilt it for the handlebars to move at all.

Plus when the mechanic took the headset apart he said it was brinnelling (Thanks for providing that term RainmanP). He said it will need to be replaced at some point and that it won't get better.

Any suggestions on a good, durable headset to go with it?

PBW

1. Yearly repacking
2. White Lithium grease.
What other lubricants are good or best use?
3. Replace Bearings
I have heard there is a minimum grade bearing to use, is this true?

1. Yearly repacking
2. White Lithium grease.
What other lubricants are good or best use?
3. Replace Bearings
I have heard there is a minimum grade bearing to use, is this true?

Loose Screws sells two grades of bearings. Given the minuscule cost differential, I use the good stuff.

I use the same high-quality white grease ("Finish Line," if I recall correctly) that a couple of my LBS mechanics use.