rollsroyce

First off, I've never adjusted a cartridge-bearing hub, only cup and cone. Do the cone nuts hold the cartridge bearings in? Or are they pressed in? I've developed some play in a front hub thats much different from the kind of play I'm used to with cup and cone hubs. The play is only lateral, in that the axle can move left to right a mm or so, and I have to push considerably harder on the end of the axles to get it to move. It kind of clicks into place each time. Will tightening the cones eliminate this? Or is this a problem with the bearing's press-fit? I began to tighten a cone, but it felt super tight, I didnt wanna damage the bearings. Anyone know whats up?

rollsroyce

sorry i just realized this should be in the mechanics forum

hyperRevue

I assume the cones need adjusting.
Take it to a LBS if you've never adjusted cones before.
You need 2 cone wrenches to properly adjust them.

rollsroyce

Man talk about about bad reading comprehension! Let me clarify. I've adjusted many cup and cone hubs and own multiple cone wrenches, but formula hubs use cartridge bearings which are much like skateboard bearings pressed in to the hub shell. Tightening the cone (I dont even think its a cone, maybe a flat faced nut?) does less to adjust bearing preload, unless the inner race of the bearing is tapered and the cone nut is tapered. My concern was whether or not the bearing is pressed in(interference fit,) or held in by the "cone" nut. I could tighten the "cones" and press the cartridge bearing back into the hub shell, but if its supposed to be pressed in, again kind of like a skateboard bearing is pressed into a skateboard wheel, I fear damaging the bearings.

TIMES UP!

formula hub bearings are pressed in. if there's lateral play, it's likely that the inner nut, otherwise known as the cone nut, needs to be tightened. try tightening it until there's no more play, then lock the outer nut down on top of it. you only have to do one side, but try to keep the axle in the middle of the hub, with a relatively equal amount of thread on each side.

from your original post it's unclear how exactly the bearings are behaving. the bearings could be worn out or have failed- i had a driveside formula cartridge self destruct 3 weeks into its life. with cartridge bearings i usually see only one side with a problem.

watch out for the threads on the axle too, they tend to be delicate with these hubs.
-austin

rollsroyce

Thanks Austin. The play is lateral. When I push on one side of the axle it kind of clicks into place. I can then press on the other side of the axle and clicks into place again. The play is less than a mm. The clicking made me feel like the bearing was no longer pressed into the shell. I'm going to back off the cone nuts and see if the cartridge bearing falls out. Thanks again.

TIMES UP!

the bearings are about a centimeter thick, so it's unlikely that they'll fall out. they may have backed out a little but that's only a little less likely. the bearings are pressed onto the axle as well, and there's a shoulder on each side inside the hub shell. try to tighten the cones. you might have to break them free from locknuts.

rollsroyce

I pulled off both cone nuts and when I push the axle back and forth (laterally) I can see the bearings moving in and out from the hub shell about 1mm. One moves further out, the other moves further in. The movement is accompanied by a very distinct click sound. I'm gonna follow your advice and just tighten the cones and hope that presses the bearings back onto the axle and into the hubshell. These cartridge bearing hubs are foreign to me, I dont know if I like them yet. You know if the bearings are replacable? I wonder if they can be replaced with a higher quality bearing. Thanks again Austin.

concernicus

you cant adjust the preload. they are sealed bearing hubs. you hafta break em in

rollsroyce

Gotcha. Thanks. I think one of the bearings has backed out a little bit. I'll try and find someone to reseat them.

mrbertfixy

just take a small piece of wood and put it against the bearing and tap on it with a hammer, and do the same thing all the way around until it's reseated. make sure the other end of the axle is on something so the axle doesn't move. make sure the wood covers the inside and outside rim of the bearing, you don't want to put pressure on the seal (the black part).