Originally Posted by
hy_tek
Do you need to have the wheel bearings serviced and if so how often. They are sealed bearing so I am not sure how you would service them.
Depends.
Just what do you mean by "sealed bearings"? There's "cartridge bearings" and there's "sealed mechanism".
Cartridge bearings are pressed into the hub shell and the axle is pressed through the bearing. Generally they take no maintenance and, when they die, you press the old bearing out of the hub shell and press in another.
Most modern bicycle hubs today have sealed mechanisms. It's a conventional cup and cone bearing with some kind of wiper seal or labyrinth system to keep the grease in and the water out. These hubs are easily user servicable and probably should be cleaned and regreased every 5,000 miles or so. A shop would probably charge you $15.00 to $25.00 per wheel to overhaul a sealed mechanism hub.
In the days that preceeded sealed mechanisms, one good rain ride was pretty much all that it took to make your hubs cry for new grease.