Failed wheel bearing
 

My front wheel bearing just failed after only 8 months of riding. Is this to be expected? The bike lives outdoors and is used every day, but it seemed a little premature nonetheless.

I've since become paranoid about putting weight on my handlebars. Is this ridiculous? I don't know how the mechanics works. It failed just two rides after I started riding with a much higher saddle. Just coincidence?

Thanks in advance.

Yours,

-c

What is the bike & hub type / design.

If it's an inexpensive hub, and has got moisture & dirt in it then yes, this can happen. I have killed unsealed hubs in less that 3 months (UK winter commuting).

Weight on the handlebars is not a concern. Bearings on a bicycle fail because they were poorly adjusted (too tight) and/or they were subject to water/dirt.

Do you have a warranty? It might be worth talking to your bike shop about this.

You might have overtightened your skewers or th axle was poorly adjusted.

I've certainly had both cases of bad bearing:

1) Insufficient protection from the elements - resulting in corrosion, and abrasion and ultimately pitting and disintegration of the balls. This was a Sora hub set.

2) Over tight adjustment on a new wheel set with Ultegra hubs - front wheel bearing started making strange ticking noises and on inspection, broken fragments of ball bearing were found in relatively clean grease.

Ed

I haven't had a bearing "failure" in 30 years; but I have examined any number of bikes with poorly set-up or adjusted bearings.
I just picked up a Chinese Schwinn that had the rear wheel knocking around something awful. I was sure the innards would be toast, but everything looked pristine; not even any wear lines on the cones.
It had never been assembled properly. (and fortunately, apparently never ridden!)

I always check and readjust the wheel bearings on any new wheel or bike.

I've found new Shimano hubs to be anywhere from nearly perfect to a bit too tight as received. Usually the adjustment is minor.

To my surprise, my Campy Chorus 10-speed hubs were too tight when I first got them. Fortunately Campy hubs can be adjusted while installed on the bike with the only tool needed being a 2.5 mm hex wrench.

Cheap bike hubs are almost universally terribly adjusted with kids bikes, like Huffy, being the absolute worst. My granddaughter's new 16" Huffy had the wheel bearings so tight you could barely turn the axle with your fingers.

Battle-Axe cruisers and 3-speeds can be left outdoors until winter crawls in - if they are owned by a bike-mechanic. This gives us mechanics something to do during the winter snows. :eek: :D

Thank you Proofide. I'll have to examine the bike with diagrams to find out exactly what you're talking about. I have to admit the bike shop fixed it for me.

The bike does really have to live outside. I'm allowing to replace it about once a year. Feels a bit disloyal but it's the only way I can really do it.

The whole bike was £800 Ed, so I imagine it's not a terribly high quality hub. How do I seal then next one? I'll see what I can do under the warranty. It was quite expensive to fix.

Thanks Proofide. Evans Cycles set it up but I'll check the next one myself as no longer trust. Can I ask how I would detect play in the wheel bearing (apologies, I'm not familiar with these terms).

blast, I just typed a long reply, and it timed out.....

here's the short version.

1) can you cover the bike when not in use? That will keep the worst off

2) be sure the new hubs are set right - as mentioned before there should be a small amount of play in the axle that is *just* eliminated when the QR is tight. You can do this off the bike if you can find spacers to simulate the bike's dropouts. A couple of large nuts or some washers will do this. That way you can feel the axle's play and friction with your fingers and get it just right.

3) I tried sealing hubs and its not easy. One thing I experimented with was a boot made from a section of old inner tube. This was arranged to cover the gap between the axle and hub shell, with the tube section folded back over itself to create a rounded lip where it met the hub. A little silicone plumbing grease (not oil based grease, it attacks the rubber) made for a sliding seal.

4) Mountain bike hubs are better constructed in this regard to road hubs. Eventually I had some wheels made on Deore Hubs. Though the hub shell was the same pattern as a Sora hub, the seal design was really superior and they lasted well, despite being of comparable price.

Ed

Get a folding bike and keep it innside the house.