How often should/would you service Shimano Dura-Ace hubs? I am talking replacing ball bearings, greasing and adjusting the hubs on a C50 7850 Clincher wheelset. Never ridden in a rain nor has it been thru any pool of water. It rolls smooth right now, but I am a firm believer in regularly scheduled maintenance. And I paid a pretty coin for it too, hence the anxiety about maintaining it regularly.

Thanks for all responses.

I try to repack my hubs annually. They are Deore on the MTB and Ultegra or equivalent on the roadies. My oldest hubs are from the 80s and still rolling fine.

Don't know what the recommended schedule is but I rebuilt my 7900 C24's for the first time the other week. It was suprisingly easy. Actually kinda fun. I did not replace the bearings but completely disassembled, cleaned and regreased. They were smooth before but feel even smoother now... at least in my mind Just be careful prying off the front seals. They bend real easy. Being that it was so easy to do, I will probably do it annually.

Agree. Quality loose ball hubs will last for decades w/ the proper service, DA will for sure.
Rode a '74 Record front this AM, probably the smoothest hub I own.

-Bandera

Periodic cleaning and lubing cup/cone bearings makes a lot of sense. Not sure replacing cartridge bearings while still good is "maintenance" -- seems wasteful. What would it hurt to ride them until they develop a perceived flaw?

Agree with this, no point in replacing cartridge bearing till they develop play/run rough etc, then it's a simple issue of removing the old ones, and pressing in new ones.

Cartridge bearings aren't user serviceable, they are user replaceable.
Check 'em periodically and replace as necessary.

-Bandera

The "cartridge bearing" tangent is not germane to this thread. Dura Ace hubs are all cup-and-cone.

Ok, sorry for the misdirection. Still, I'd clean and lube periodically and as needed, and replace the components on condition.

They can be serviced by prying off the seals and cleaning and degreasing. Most bike bearings are cheap and easily replaced so some folks might not service them.

I overhaul my shimano hubs every 2500 to 3000 miles. So far I don't need to replace any of the parts. I have a couple of hubs with over 50,000 miles on them.