Originally Posted by
sampletattoo
hello, im just wondering about how to adjust my bearing cone nuts, i dont have cone wrenches but am purchasing some today after loosening them with a standard wrench. What the problem is , is that when I have the wheel off the bike and spin it holding the axle, there is a perceptible feeling of resistance in the hub or bearings ( formula high flange), But with the cone nut backed off a little, this goes away, and if i re tighten the cone nut back up against the hub it seems to come back, the binding, or resistance . I have only loosened one side so far, the non drive side, i made some adjustment as well with the wheel still in the bike frame, and the axle nuts just barely loose, so as to hold the axle for me, and then backed off the drive side nuts slightly. This eliminated the rubbing or resistance, but the bearing nuts on the other side are still quite loose , how tight should they be? I cant seem to have them even slightly touching the hub without that binding resistance coming back, and what is the purpose of these things other than spacing??
thanks for any help, hope thats not too confusing....
If you're trying this without a cone wrench you have no way of preventing the lock nut from dragging the cone tighter when you snug it down. When you get your cone wrenches, use the cone wrench to hold the cone in place while you snug down the lock nut.
Is this a bolt-on wheel or quick release? Quick release wheels should be adjusted a little loose, as tightening the quick release will compress the axle and take up slack in the adjustment.
Another trick is to adjust a little tight, then put cone wrenches on both cones and back them out a little against the lock nuts to achieve the proper adjustment.