Originally Posted by
mstateglfr
First, I fully recognize that how a wheel spins on a stand is not indicative of how it spins when in use. Quality cup and cone hubs, even 40 year old versions, seem to be frictionless when spun on a stand, especially compared to all the cartridge hubs I have owned. But I totally understand that there are no applied forces in a stand and wheel dynamics are complex. Just mentioning that since it is something I see frequently(people swear cup and cone are 'better' because they spin forever without load).
As for the 5 minutes, it really wasnt hyperbole. But it was admittedly specific to basic preventative maintentance. Basically, open the hub, shoot in some fresh grease, close it up. That doesnt take long with the modern Shimano hub design.
If there is a lot of work to be done because bearings are ruined, yes it will take longer than 5 minutes to swap out the balls, clean everything, check for damage, yada yada. But if a cartridge bearing is ruined, that also isnt exactly a quick swap and takes probably just as long as replacing and cleaning the guts of a cup and cone hub.
The modern Shimano hub design needs a 15mm cone wrench and a 5mm allen in order to open. Unthread one side, keep the dust shield in place while filling the cavity with grease, pull the axle and fill the other cavity with grease, then replace the axle and thread the axle cap back on. The two tools are needed to then set the preload and tighten.
That is what I was referring to when I posted that its a fast process.
Really wasnt trying to be contentious with the prior post- just relaying my experience with modern Shimano looseball hubs, which is that they are long lasting, easy to service, and fast to service.
On my current bikes I have 3 with Shimano cup and cone hubs, and 3 with various brands which use cartridge bearing hubs. On those 6 wheelsets, I have spent longer trying to remove stuck cassettes that have etched their way into 'anti-bite' freehubs that use cartridge bearings, than I have spent servicing the guts of modern Shimano hubs.
I like the cartridge hub wheelsets more though- the ones on my 2 most ridden bikes are lighter than cup and cone bearings and have proven to be basically no maintenance for however many thousands of miles.
What you described isn't really a hub "overhaul," and I still think it would take most people more than five minutes. Hell, just getting the preload correct often takes several attempts. But I get your point: servicing such hubs isn't really a big deal. I learned from a youtube video many years ago. It's just something that many people would rather avoid. (Overhauling hubs, as I'm sure you know, means removing everything, thoroughly cleaning everything with degreaser, replacing the bearings and packing with fresh grease, and re-assembling.)
I get your other point, too: cup & cone hubs are smooth. I had a very cheap set of such wheels on my SS commuter bike. The whole bike was about $550, so the hubs were some no-name made-in-taiwan junk...The first time I opened them up, the races were already scored -- they probably came that way when new. But still, with some new grade 25 ball bearings and a fresh load of grease, they did indeed spin for days on end in the workstand. BUT: for my gravel bike, which routinely gets ridden in nasty conditions (rain, dirt, dust, mud galore), I prefer cartridge bearings. My five-year old DT 350 hubs have about 14k miles on them, and they still spin as well as when new.