Bearings - No access to non-freehub side?
 

I have a 2008 Fuji Touring and during routine maintenance, found that the rear bearing cones were a bit snug. No biggie, right? Wrong.

The non-freehub side is an aluminum cone that does not allow any adjustment to the bearings from the left side. Again, not too big a deal to just make the adjustments to the other side, right? Wrong.

The freehub side cone is set down into the freehub to the point that it is inaccessible with a cone wrench. If I leave out the washer between the cone and locknut, I can hold the cone wrench at an angle and snug everything down. However the space between the washer and outer edge of the freehub is too tight to get to it.

Anyone have experience with hub like this? This is the first one like this I've ever seen.

I "Dremmeled" down a pair of needle-nosed pliers and then used a hose clamp to wedge them closed around the cone. I ended up with enough leverage and just enough movement to get the locking nut tightened.

Is there a special tool for this type of freehub? Guess I'll ask next time I'm at my LBS.

Does your LBS know what tool is needed? It might be worth asking them what it looks like and where they got it?

It sounds like a hollow socket (like an old fashion sparkplug wrench) is needed for the cone and a thin wall one for the locknut but I'm not sure without seeing the installation.

are you saying you can't reach the cone with a cone wrench when the cassette is already removed from the freehub?

Yes, I removed the cassette.
It seems really odd that they would design a hub that couldn't be adjusted from the left side.
I'm not a technical artist but here's a crude drawing of what it looks like.

you should have been able to remove aluminum cone (dustcap) on the non drive . On the end of this cone would be two flat spots for a wench to fit onto.once doing so the axle would drop out of the driveside and then you be able to lock the cone to it locknut,then put it back in the hub and put the aluminum cone back on.

That was my initial thought. However, once I got the axle removed, I found that the bearing cone on the left side had no flat spots for a cone wrench. It appears that the assembly on the left side is just the bearing cone and the aluminum cone, as if maybe the locknut is part of the aluminum cone. The "scored" flat piece that pushes against the inside of the dropouts seems to be part of this cone, which is rather strange. The dustcaps I've seen usually are separate and stop just behind that flat piece.

I never could get the aluminum cone to come loose, so I'm not exactly sure what is under it. Like I said, I was able to get it re-assembled and working, so the next time I take it apart, I'll have to try harder to get the cone off. This drawing shows what I could see when I got the axle off.

What brand of hub is this? And is it possible that the aluminium cone is just a dressup item put on over the actual locking nut but with a lot too much torque?

In all my rear hub work I've never seen a drive side setup where it was even possible to adjust it from that side because of the way the cone and locknut fits down into the freehub. I always set the cone and locknut first then drop the axle into place and finish the install and then do all the adjustments from the NDS. Doing what you did must have been like building a bicycle in a bottle... :D

It's a Fuji branded hub, (I don't know if they manufacture them or just buy from a factory who puts their name on them).

And yes, it was a bit of a pain. Once I decided to modify the pliers and make them work, it went fairly quickly, but I had been struggling for a few hours before I ever posted here.

Big points to you for ingenuity and tool modifying and demerits to Fuji for what appears to be a poor design. I guess at some point in the future when you take it apart for a rebuild the mystery will all come clear or you'll destroy that cone in getting it apart. In the mean time it sounds like some nice "McGiver'ing" :D

in your drawing , you show what may be half moon shape is where I believe where the wench goes, ether it a 13 mm or a 15 mm or bigger will fit. but again i only going by your drawing and i can be wrong.

Yes, there are opposing flat spots for a wrench. However, I was unable to remove it from the axle. It did hold the axle still while I worked from the other end.

if you could use a vise with soft jaws to hold the axle (on the drive side) ,then you should be able put torque on the cone than will not break lose and break it lose.