vitomacdoc

I am repacking my front and rear hubs and need to know how much free play is enough?
One site says finger tight, another says leave a little more play for quick release skewers.

Does anyone have a definite answer on how much free play is needed or the best way to adjust?
I can get a feel when too tight as the bearings bind when turning the wheel.

I was using finger tight then back off the cone 1/4 to 1/2 turn. On my current wheel the axle moves 1mm back and forth. Is this to much play?

thank you

Retro Grouch 

I adjust cones on QR hubs with the tiniest amount of side-to-side play I can manage before clamping the hub into the frame. 1 mm sounds to me like a lot. It generally takes me a couple of tries to get it to my satisfaction.

AndrewP

Put washers under the ends of the QR so you can compress the axle, then adjust the cone so it just rolls free, with no lateral movement.

garage sale GT

I second that. Just clamp some washers between skewer and hub with the skewer adjusted to tighten at the same point in the lever's stroke as when you are riding. This ought to show you how tight the cones will be when they are in your bike frame.

With the skewer tight I like to aim for zero free play and maybe just the tiniest feeling of drag, just enough to feel solid contact between balls, cups, and cones.

garage sale GT

I believe Sheldon said there should be play in bearings because when you tighten the QR, you compress the axle a bit and if the bearings had no play, they would become TOO tight after the qr was tightened. Or in other words, you take the play out when you tighten the skewer.

What I propose is to test the adjustment with the skewer applied with the same level of tightness as when it's in the bike. That is, test with washers clamped in the skewer where the frame would go, and during the test, readjust the skewer so the lever feels as tight as when it's in the bike, to compensate for any difference in thickness the washers have.

It is easier in my opinion to discover the correct tightness with the wheel out of the bike because you have much less leverage over an axle twirled in your fingers. If you use the freeness of the wheel to test if the bearings are too tight, it is not nearly as sensitive. OTOH, seeing if the axle is too LOOSE is easier b/c it is easier to feel play in the rim due to its greater distance from the bearings than the axle ends.

Doug64

Try this:
https://www.parktool.com/repair/readhowto.asp?id=105

You can use a 10mm box end wrench to act as your rear drop out to put tension on the bearings. I adjust to none or barely perceptible amount of play using this method. Works well, and takes a lot of the guesswork out of how tight is tight (or loose).

Mike T.

There is no measurement. It's got to be the smallest perceptible play when you rock the tightened locknuts with the wheel out of the frame. If you can feel "lots" then it's too much. If you can barely feel "some" then that's fine. Don't rush the job and keep re-adjusting until it's dead right - even if it takes an hour. If it's too tight you will wear out the bearings and when the cups are pitted, the hub is junk.

MWnyc

I have found it easiest to finger tighten the cone to just past zero-play, put a (cone) wrench to the cone to hold it in place, and then finger tighten the locknut till it is flush to the spacer/washer next to the cone. Next, use your adjustable wrench to tighten the locknut against the cone. The tightening process reduces bearing pressure slightly. It takes some practice, and different hubs have a different "feel." I'm sure other methods are more efficient and easier, but this has worked for me in terms of achieving a tiny bit of sideplay.

Trouble

I've always used this technique. It's easy and perfect results.
In fact, just finished doing front and rear hubs on the Mary. The rear drive side cone was pitted. Cleaned and repacked the bearings.

operator

Rofl this is so wrong it's not even funny. You can properly adjust a QR hub, like literally perfectly in under one minute. If you can't, you don't know how to do it properly or you don't have the tools.

operator

This is not the proper way of doing it, although it is acceptable in most cases.

HillRider

Would you be so kind as to share your technique with us?

Mine requires an axle vise clamped in a steady bench vise.

1. Clamp the hub firmly in the axle vise with the side to be adjusted pointing up.

2. Turn the cone down finger snug and spin the wheel a few turns to bed in the bearings. This assures the balls are centered on the races and not being held off the races by a layer of grease.

3. Back the cone off half a turn and run the lock nut down finger tight. Then place your thumb and forefinger so they touch both the axle end and the seam between the hub shell and the dust cover if the cover rotates with the axle or on the seam between the axle and the dust cover if the cover is stationary.

4. Attempt to rock the wheel from the rim. You should feel the slightest motion between the axle and the place on the hub you are using as an index. If there is no motion, back off the cone slightly. If there is a lot of perceptable motion, tighten it a fraction.

5. Keep going until there is only a very slight play this way. Hold the cone in place and tighten the locknut. Recheck for this slight play and readjust as needed.

6. This method gives no perceptable play when you hold the wheel by the axle ends but a small amount is there and the wheel will "pendulum" to a stop when clamped in the dropouts and given a slight spin.

Having had a fair bit of practice with this method, I can obtain proper bearing adjustments in one to two minutes and my hubs seem to last forever. One set of 7700-series Dura Ace hubs have well over 50,000 miles on the OEM cones and races.

operator

+1 Thanks for detailing

That is the way I do it.

But to claim what the other posters claimed is just ridiculous.

DaveSSS 

Most of today's new hub designs no longer require cone wrenches and the bearing can be adjusted with the wheel clamped in the bike. This includes Campy's current design that came out 10 years ago and all Mavic wheels made since about 2003.

These can be readjusted on the bike in a minute or less. Wiggle the rim back and forth at the brake pads. You want almost no freeplay.