Originally Posted by
FBinNY
There's always the chance that they were right before and upside down now. Otherwise, I don't expect that a slightly damaged cage would cause problems with adjustment. You might hear or feel some drag, but it wouldn't change much as you adjust.
Usually trouble finding a sweet spot is caused by misalignment or an extra ball. OTOH, you don't have much to lose by giving loose balls a shot.
Right now the bearings are facing their respective cones and the cages face the cups. As far as I know that's right...?
As for "not much to lose by trying loose," that's what I was figuring: if we're good with the loose bearings in there, I know everything's aligned properly and something else was messing up. If it's still sketchy with that setup I'll know something more substantial is the issue.
I think.
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A race bike in any era is a highly personal choice that at its "best" balances the requirements of fit, weight, handling, durability and cost tempered by the willingness to toss it and oneself down the pavement at considerable speed. ~Bandera