I have a Shimano 7 speed rear wheel i have cleaned and regreased for a friend and of course the Merida Fireball bike has the old world wheels...no quick release and lots of fun itty bitty bbs to play around with...if you can catch them all that is. I think i counted 64 bb total (drive side) On the non drive side there is a casing/cartridge ring that holds idk like 10 bbs or so but i don`t know which way it goes onto the shaft. Both ways seemed logical soooo i need help ! Also if someone know the tally for those bbs i would appreciate it. I saw someone mentioning 30/36 but i don`t know..




Thanks !

For loose bearings, If you fill the race 70 to 90% with bearings, you'll have plenty. I'd actually expect just 60% would be enough. One too many and you'll quickly ruin it.

Not sure why you are showing us the caged bearings. Certainly with those, the size of the bearing matter and the size of the cage that holds them.

edit...
Oh the question is in the title..... which way allows them to touch both the race and cone. My old hubs usually had loose bearings. Only a few of my bikes had caged bearings and that was a long long time ago.

So probably some other will know for certain if you can wait for them to see your post.

Added pics..

The caged bearing is my main concern here..need to know which way is the right one.

https://www.sportsprofi.com/out/pict...6_fireball.jpg

your rear AXLE bearings are 1/4" and there should be 9 of them per side.
contrary to your conclusion, the Cone (inner Bearing Race) only works with the "cone" inwards.
Adjust the axle for zero play and zero "roughness" or you WILL ruin the bearings/cones.
this adjustment may take a few tries to achieve.
you WILL NEED a cone wrench of the 15mm size, and a wrench that will adjust or fit a 17mm size to correctly reset the rear Axle...
as to the freewheel with a zillion little bearing balls in it... you should have NEVER taken it apart. new ones in the 7 speed,13/28 gear range sell for about $15 to $20 new.
next time, if you insist on taking one off of a hub to access the axle bearings.. use this tool instead.
Search: Park Tool FR-1.3 Freewheel Remover
or one of a similar size/fit.
set the tool in a stout Bench Vise, then use the wheel as a lever... "like a bus steering wheel"... turn the wheel counter-clock-wise.

Anyone with the info i am looking for...would be...much appreciated !

if you can't figure that out... quit now and take the wheel and parts to a bike mechanic, ok?
this will prevent you from ruining the hub and bearings.

if you still think you want to try salvaging your parts... test the caged bearing on the cone... then in the cup.

you can look up those terms online, and even find vids that may prevent you from ruining your wheel's hub parts.

PS... MOST wheels of that design use 9 Free bearing balls... the cage type have only 7 per cage.
you CAN set the bike up with 9 free, but you need to pre-grease the cup before inserting one ball at a time..

you'll want to pre-grease anyway... caged, or not.

Both pics look the same. Other than clean lube.

And still, what exactly is the question. Which way should the cage of the bearing face? Or is is something else?

You simply assemble it both ways and try to turn the axle. It will be IMMEDIATELY obvious which way is right. Plus, you will learn by doing, which is nearly always the best way to learn.

Drive Side pics.

No maddog, there ain`t no Park Tool gadget for this job. The cap has two small holes you have to hammer "links" until the cap comes off which honestly was a pain.

Which way does the caged bearing go, that is still my main concern. The way it sits in the first picture at the top here or the other way around with the bbs facing outwards?

I have no desire to "learn" this, i just want to get it done and forget about these old world wheels as they are nothing but a pain to work with for so many reasons.

When mounted back on the bike, the wheel does not spin freely very well so i must have messed up something somewhere. It comes to a hault after a short while.

next "problem".. dust cover dragging on the DS axle bearings.......
or possibly a poorly oriented freewheel bearing jamming the freewheel.

wanna bet on that?
you'd lose.

and you need to get the bearings seated better before you re-install that ring with PIN SPANNER HOLES in it.

PS.. i'm not the one that took apart a nearly new freewheel for no reason.

how dry were the bearings in the axle/hub assy.?
i've seen some that had next to zero grease, others with enough, but low grade, grease.

did you check the axle for bending? quite common on those low end hubs.

From looking at the video, i have the caged bearing installed the wrong way. Why so much agony to get this simple answer? One too many jerks in here...

Anyway...long story short. The problem resolved itself after installing the caged bearing the correct way. The wheel is now spinning freely again

Thanks !

once again... you have the freewheel bearings installed poorly, and my experience says that one or more will climb out of position when you screw the ring with spanner holes back onto it... and you should not have disassembled the freewheel in the first place... you should have removed it as an assembly to access the axle bearings.
your opening post did not mention which bearings you were asking about, for the record... which explains why you got info about FREEWHEEL BEARINGS.
as i and others have stated, you can find your answer easily by testing the caged bearing install direction.
the pics show it in the correct orientation, btw.
i didn't watch the vid you mention because i have no need for a vid about something i've done a few thousand times, and figured out on my own 60 or so years ago, at the age of 7.

not being a "jerk" at all, just amazed that you are arguing with Anyone over this simple job.
and you don't need to "hammer" the outer race of the freewheel... there's a Pin Spanner perfectly sized for that task that you should NOT be doing... PS.. you put too much grease in that freewheel... that will cause the pawls to not engage at times due to pawl pocket packing.
and if it's standard axle grease that you used in there, the problem will be even worse, and happen more frequently.
there is special light weight silicone grease that should be used in freewheels.
Good luck.

My experience has been it can usually save a lot of time and effort to remove the freewheel instead of dismantling it...