Hey everyone,

Recently, the rear hub on my MTB has been acting up. The bearings always seem to be loose (lots of sideways play in the hub). And tightening the cone works fine to fix the problem, but it seems that every ride, it becomes loose again. Is it loosening while I ride? What can I do to fix this?

you need to get a cone wrench, and an ordinary wrench too (right sizes - rear cones are often 15mm (check before buying though by loosening the locknut and putting a normal wrench over it or use callipers), can't remember what size the locknuts are)

Make sure the cones are well adjusted

hold the adjustment on the cone with the cone wrench

Use the other wrench to tighten the locknut tight against the cone

then it shouldn't come loose while riding

Hope this Helps, JT

Check here for instructions on adjusting.

Oh yeah, I forgot to tighten the locknut after adjusting the cone! (I do have a cone wrench though; adjustment would be impossible without one).

Thanks for the input, fellas.

Haha...the first hub adjustment I ever did was accomplished with nothing but my fingernails and a wrench for the locknut. I hadn't even learned about cone wrenches at that point. It was a pain (since you have to compensate for the way that the locknut drags the cone around as you tighten it) but it worked! Over 200 miles later, it's still running smooth and free of play.

Not to be snarky or elitist...it just always amazes me how far one can get without the "correct" tools if he or she is comfortable with a little inconvenience.

I don't know, cone adjustment without cone wrenches seems like gthe best way to drive yourself nuts.

Well, 200 miles isn't much of a test. See how it looks inside after 10,000 more miles.

Properly adjusted hubs can last a looooong time. I've got a pair of Dura Ace hubs with 50,000 miles and the cones and hub races are original and still in excellent condition. I know of one authenticated set of old Campy Record hubs still in service with original parts with 90,000+ miles. Proper tools are cheaper than replacement parts.

Yep! I sure own a full set now!

Yeah, you're basically right. Cone wrenches are cheap, and tolerances in hub adjustment are really tight. I was just in a contrary mood coming off a day of work. Come to think of it, I ought to snug up the locknut on that hub sometime...

Yeah I have done this before, some can be a bit difficult to get right