Originally Posted by
garage sale GT
I have had perfectly smooth hubs but they are rare.
Your hub is surely way too tight because a correctly tensioned quick release actually has the power to compress the axle a bit, so the bearings get a lot tighter when the wheel is clamped in your bike.
There are little irregularities on even very good bearings sometimes and you can feel a lumpiness.
However, when the qr is removed the axle should feel loose. You can even feel it wobble just a little when there are no rubber seals to hold it in place, like on an older bike.
Get that thing serviced, or get some cone wrenches and do it yourself.
Anything Tiagra+ above will feel butter smooth when adjusted properly new. At any rate if the OP's bike is not new then either wear, or improper adjustment from initial assembly (or subsequent repairs) is likely to blame. I doubt most shops would take the time to properly adjust a loose ball hub on a $650 MSRP hybrid.