To further add to the confusion, I just checked Shimano's website and looked at the exploded view of the Dura Ace hubs, front and rear. The front is apparently available with two types of bearing assemblies, an A type or a B type. The A type uses loose balls, the B type uses the retainers. On the rear hubs, it's loose balls only, no "B type" available. It sounds like kleng's Dura Ace front hub is an A type (w/loose balls from the factory), and that's why there were loose balls in it-
Last edited by well biked; 09-06-07 at 07:33 AM.