agenkin

I wanted to clean and lube the hubs on my Specialized AWOL, but encountered an unexpected hub design. There is a thin rubber gasket under the cone, and it looks like it's glued to the hub. The bearing balls are kind of accessible under it, but it's challenging because I would have to remove the balls and clean out old grease through the smallish aperture of the gasket.

Has anyone encountered this? Can the gasket be detached for cleaning and re-attached somehow?

HillRider

It a seal to keep out water and dirt so you don't want to discard it. Try to remove it gently to see if it is truly bonded to the hub and not just a press fit that can be removed and reinstalled.

Wilfred Laurier

It is most likely a rubber gasket bonded to a metal ring, and the metal ring is pressed into the hub. It can be gently pried out with a slot screwdriver, working around the circumference and prying a little bit at a time.

trailangel

I would leave it. Remove ball bearings with a magnet and clean out the old grease. You have Q-tips?
What's the problem?

hillsandvalley

Agreed. I just cleaned out my Shimano Sora hubs with a q-tip and new grease... seems fine.

Slash5

I gather the plan with modern hubs is to leave the dust cover in place and work around it. I broke a plastic dust cover on a rear wheel all to pieces trying to get it out the normal way. Found out after that you don't remove them.

fietsbob

Once the axle is removed there's plenty of room .. clean , regrease put in fresh balls then replace the axle .

agenkin

Thanks for responses, everyone. I'll work around the gasket.

I'm a little concerned about this gasket being a permanent part of the hub. Looks like it will be the first part of the hub to fail, but it would be a shame to have to replace the hub just because of the gasket. Cones with metal protective rings seem like a more durable design.

CliffordK

I usually work around the seals... metal or rubber.

Screwdriver or perhaps a tie-wrap to pick out the bearings.
Then stuff a rag in and spin the wheel.

One hub I was working on yesterday, the metal seal fell out, and I realized I would have missed some inaccessible grease had I left it in, but I don't worry about that too much... just get it as clean as possible. If the remaining trapped grease doesn't move, it is fine.

If the hub is reasonably modern, you should be able to buy the seals, but you could also think about them as being better than nothing, even if worn.

I think the design is called labyrinth seals, and also appear on Shimano Ultegra hubs.

FBinNY 

That's what Q-tips are for.

Leave the seal in place because there's little to gain by removing it, and plenty to lose if you damage it trying.

Clean the race with the corner of a rag or paper towel pushed under the seal and wiping. It's only slightly harder than wiping would be with the seal removed, as is greasing and reloading the (or new) balls.

BTW- here's a trick that will make loading the balls easier. Push a pencil or the axle through from the back, ending a bit higher than flush with the race, so as you load the balls they're directed outward to the race and can't fall though the hole.

CliffordK

You can do that with pushing the axle in just enough that you can get the balls in, but not enough to block the hole. Sometimes a ball gets stuck in the QR axle hole, but it generally isn't a big deal.

FBinNY 

I guess you missed the "pencil or the axle..." in the passage you quoted.

agenkin

Well, I was cleaning the races through the hole in the gasket, but decided to pry it up very gently, and a metal ring popped out. The hubs were a LOT easier to clean after that. I'm really surprised that the ring is retained in the hub's cup by press fitting it only, there is nothing preventing it from working its way out gradually.

SquidPuppet

Yes it is a LOT easier. Night and day for me. And you can be much more thorough. IME if you deform the seal a little bit during removal, they are so soft you can easily reshape them with just your hands.