Do they make unsealed hubs? And if they do, how can you tell if you have them? Because my crankset came stock on my bike unsealed, and I thought maybe my hubs (if possible) where too. Thanks.

Yes - and you can tell by looking at the owners manual that came with your bike or asking a shop.

Or, you can pull your hub apart and look at the bearings.

Odds are decent that your hubs are unsealed, as most entry level bikes have unsealed hubs. What kind of bike do you ride?

An '04 F3 Haro. If they are unsealed, is that bad?

Haro has specified on their website on certain bikes that include sealed hubs. The F3 does not have that specification, so it is very likely that your bike doesn't have sealed bearing hubs.

Is this bad? No, not really.

Sealed (or cartridge) bearings, are more resistant to abuse and easier to maintain then unsealed bearings. If your wheel wobbles from side to side. Not like your rim is bent, but you put your hand on the wheel and can feel it jiggling around, then that means you need to tighten your cones on the hub. This process is something you have to deal with MUCH more frequently with unsealed hubs than with sealed hubs. Also, because the bearings are being pressed on directly by the cones, it can be tough to judge how much pressure to put on them. Very quickly, the bearings can be destroyed and you will need to get new bearings or new cones, or both.

But, if you are careful with your hub by maintaining it properly, it can last you several years with no problems. I would just use the hub until it starts causing you problems, then look into getting a new wheelset that includes chrome rims and sealed hubs.

Hubs are designed specifically to accept sealed bearings, so you can't convert your hub from an unsealed version, to a sealed version of the same hub. You have to get entirely new hubs.

Ok, thanks alot, that is very helpful. My wheel does kind of wigle a tiny little bit, but I didn't think it was anything to worry about. My friend said it was probably the bearings, so I guess he was right! Dang, I had to go and open my big mouth and tell him he was wrong! Oh well, we're good friends. Thanks BMXTRIX, you're great!

PS: Do you have any recomendations for a good wheelset that has good rims and sealed hubs?

The Industry wheelset on www.danscomp.com looks like the best value for your money, but I really don't know the overall quality. When I shop, I usually go for quality first, price second. So, I will spend an extra 100 bucks to get a cassette hub and Duracletic rims custom built instead of going with something affordable. Actually, I usually build my own wheels, so things get switched out as I need them.

Anyway, anything sealed & chrome plated is good. But, you may also want at least a flip-flop style hub in the back to allow for a freewheel smaller than 16 teeth to be used. I think your Haro comes stock with a flip-flop sized rear hub with a 13 or 14 tooth driver. Not positive though.

Is there a differnce between sealed and cartridge bearing?

No, the name is interchangable.

Thank ALOT man, you're really helpful. I have a 14 tooth cog on my rear hub, and a 39 tooth chainwheel. I'll keep what you said in mind whenever I need to get new hubs, rims, etc. . Thanks much!

Industry is Dirt Brothers. That says it all right there. *snaaaaaaaaap*