Originally Posted by
dddd
"Minus one" is almost always the wrong number.
Think about it. Why would the component designer leave any more than the absolute minimum of clearance/space between balls?
It's only space which can accumulate between two particular balls, causing very significant stress increases on the local balls, race and cone!
If in doubt, check for any binding of the assembled full-complement bearing. No binding equals no problem, and the minimum of clearance is what maximizes the bearing's load capacity and rigidity.
The two most persistent errors that I've found in old-days bike publications might be the "minus one" myth and also the myth that Schwinn bicycles of the day were not good, high-quality machines.
I've never felt right removing that one ball, so I like hearing this.
Is the thinking behind that advice that one might put too many bearing balls in the race if they're just loading it up quickly and not taking care to push them away from the center?