DIY bike repair rear hub

In detail: do-it-yourself bike repair rear hub from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

One of the most practical and healthy means of transport is the bicycle. However, its maintenance can cost you a pretty penny if you do not know how to repair at least minor breakdowns.

In such cases, it is simply necessary to have such skills as attention to detail and accuracy, since they will help you to repair or disassemble any part, for example, the rear hub of a bicycle wheel.

One of the most important parts of a bicycle is its wheel. In particular, the rear wheel is much more loaded than the front wheel, since it is on it that the ratchet (freewheel mechanism) and the cassette (sprocket block) are installed. The wheel is the main focus when driving, so it is important to understand the design of its hub in order to be able to properly maintain it.

The hub is a wheel element, fixed to the bike frame, namely the drop points. This is the central part of the wheel that allows it to rotate freely.

The bushing consists of elements such as:

One of the reasons for dividing the rear hubs into varieties is their design. Depending on it, the rear bushings are divided into:

Without brake.
With built-in brakes.

It should be said that bushings that are not equipped with a braking mechanism are also divided into those without free play and with free play. With an integrated foot brake, the hubs are designed with free play. If we are talking about the version of the hub with a brake mechanism, then their main feature is that the pedals must be pressed in the opposite direction to stop the bike.

According to the method of fixing, the bushings can be fixed on two nuts, which is much cheaper, or they can be fixed with an eccentric. The second method is more expensive, but much more convenient, since the nuts must be removed with a wrench, and in order to remove the wheel on the eccentric, it is enough to squeeze its handle. It only takes a couple of seconds.

The material of manufacture also matters. Bushings are:

Aluminum (lightweight and non-corrosive).
Steel (strong but heavy and highly corrosive).

The bushings also differ in the size of the axle, the standards are different - from 9mm to 15mm. Keep in mind that the larger the sleeve, the heavier it is.

For the correct operation of the wheel and its main parts, incl. bushings, it must be kept in good condition at all times. It needs lubrication, and its body needs to be tightened periodically. In addition, replacing the bearing balls and adjusting the pads on the brake sleeve will not interfere.

Rear hub service is essential as in cases where this does not occur, the entire wheel may need to be repaired. Therefore, it is best to take care of your bike in the long run. It should be noted that servicing the rear hub is not much more difficult than servicing the front hub.

It is necessary to carry out maintenance in such cases:

If you hear body noise when the bike is moving or wobbling.
Backlash.
If the bearings crunch.
Poor rolling dynamics.

If you do not pay attention to the above signs of "illness" of your bike and use it for a long time if they are present, it can quickly fail.

Video (click to play).

Repair, in turn, will be much more expensive than simple wheel maintenance, which you can do yourself. Therefore, at the beginning of each season, check the wheel for play and that the bearings are not too tight.

Before proceeding with the disassembly of the case, it is necessary to clean the workplace, since it is very important to carry out all stages very carefully and with utmost care.

First, remove the cassette from the axle using a puller and a whip. Then we open the circlip and remove the washers and bearings. In order not to get confused in the details, it is important to remember the original location of the washers and bearings.

After lubrication, the bushing must be reassembled. To properly assemble the rear hub, you must adhere to the following rules:

We insert the axis so as not to confuse which side is the right side of the axis, which is fixed tightly. The axis is adjusted with the left cone.
Next, put the left cone on the axle until it stops.
We put on the washers.
We screw on the lock nut.
We adjust the bearings.

Checking the workplace. We clean the workplace of unnecessary tools, things that are not useful to you.
Remove the retaining ring.
Remove the hub axle. First, remove all the parts that are on the opposite side of the stars.

Most often, the repair of the rear wheel hub is necessary either with backlash or when tightening the cone. So, step by step instructions:

Checking the workplace. We clean the workplace of unnecessary tools, things that are not useful to you.
Loosen the lock nut with a wrench.
Loosen or tighten the flare nut.
Tighten the locknut into place.

If the cause of the breakdown is a malfunction or breakdown of any part, then you should simply replace it using the following recommendations:

After checking the workplace, remove the retaining ring.
Remove the hub axle. First, remove all the parts that are on the opposite side of the stars.
We check the details for a malfunction.
We replace the broken part.
We put all the parts in place, tighten the flare nuts and the locknut.

Bicycle wheel breakage occurs for various reasons. There can be a large number of them.

The main ones are:

Insufficient or no bushing maintenance.
Loose bushing (backlash).
Poor bushing parts.
Wear.
Padding the cone.

Thus, to ensure the long life of your bike, you should devote a certain amount of time to it. The basis of a bike's long-term service is maintenance. You can do this yourself, with your own hands. The main thing in this is to observe safety precautions and carefully approach the matter, since every detail is important in the sleeve mechanism.

To service the bushing, it is necessary to remove all parts, lubricate, after removing all the old grease. Then carefully re-install all parts in the reverse order. In this case, you should carefully consider the tightening of the locknuts and flare nut so as not to overtighten them. In addition, there are different types of rear bushings.

One of the most popular and practical means of transportation is the bicycle. Firstly, it is economical, and secondly, it is very beneficial for health. However, all the economy of this vehicle can come to naught at the very first breakdown, if its owner does not study the bicycle device, does not learn how to properly maintain and repair even simple parts and simple breakdowns on his own. However, in order to carry out repairs on your own, you need to possess certain skills and knowledge, and also be very careful.

You can repair the rear hub of the bike yourself

One of the most important and at the same time often breaking parts of a bicycle are the wheels, especially the rear. Indeed, the load on it is much greater during trips than on the front one, in addition, there is a block of sprockets and a ratchet. Quite often, problems arise with a part such as a bushing. It is this small but important detail in the rear wheel of a bicycle that determines ride efficiency.The hub is directly the part that connects the wheel and frame. This is the center of the wheel.

Different bicycles may have rear hubs that are different in design and functionality. Drum hubs are most common on sport bikes. They come in the following varieties: brakeless with or without freewheel and with a built-in rear free wheeling brake. Unbraked ones are most often installed on sports high-speed bikes, they are less in weight and at speed, the presence of free wheeling does not allow the pedals to rotate. On road and mountain bikes, they are also equipped with no brakes, but without free wheeling.

The method of fixing the hub to the bike frame may also differ. Some are fixed on nuts, which is cheaper, but less convenient in maintenance. The second - with the help of an eccentric, they are, of course, more expensive, but if necessary, remove the wheel - you just need to squeeze the fastening mechanism, you do not need to fiddle with wrenches.

The rear hub arrangement is rather complicated. In appearance, it resembles a cylindrical case, along the edges of which there are holes for the spokes. The case can be cast or chiseled: more durable chiseled, but at a cost it will be more expensive. There is also a mount for the brake and for the cassette or sprocket system on the body.

But in order to properly understand the rear hub device, you should consider what is inside the cylindrical body. There are two main parts in the bushing housing: axles and bearings. In addition, there are many small auxiliary elements: these are locknuts, washers, O-rings, a boot, a drum and a bolt for fastening it, a set of balls. When disassembling / assembling, it is important to remember not only its general structure, but also to carefully remove and put everything back in the correct order, and it is imperative not to confuse which side this or that part was on, because most of them are paired.

In order for your wheel to last longer, you should regularly carry out preventive maintenance. The rear hub, as the most loaded part, should be disassembled and lubricated at least every 2000 km, and even more often when driving off-road and in bad weather. And also it is worth paying attention to it in the case of constant or periodic uncharacteristic sounds, because a well-lubricated, working and adjusted bushing mechanism during operation should not emit any extraneous sounds at all, there can be no gaps or jamming in it. Thus, if the wheel begins to rotate poorly, a knock is heard, a crunching sound during rotation, the bushing should be disassembled, cleaned or even washed (after which it must be thoroughly dried), lubricated and adjusted. Do not forget about the replaceable parts of the bushing: these are oil seals, nuts, seals, which, although not so often, still require regular replacement.

First of all, remove the wheel from the bike, unscrew the nuts, or remove the wheel from the dropouts. Next, let's move on to the bushing. As indicated earlier, bicycle sleeves are available with industrial bearings and with bulk bearings. To disassemble a bicycle sleeve with an industrial bearing, it is enough to remove the axle (knock it out from the side where the drum is located), then remove the drum by unscrewing it clockwise. After the necessary work, the assembly is carried out in the reverse order.

Loose bearings are more difficult. Firstly, they need to be lubricated and, accordingly, disassembled much more often, and secondly, the assembly / disassembly process itself is more difficult. First you need to remove the eccentric, then unscrew the nuts on the axle. After that, the axle itself is carefully removed, and the bearings are pulled out with tweezers. After that, the bearings should be flushed out of the old grease. Any solvent is suitable here, for example gasoline, or if there is, then you can use white spirit. We wipe (degrease) the cones, axle and seat.It will not be superfluous to check the bearings and parts for deformations or damage: if any are found, then it is better to replace the part. After that, we move on to lubrication. All bearing seats in the bushing are lubricated, after which they are put in place. After that, we cover the bearing structure with grease from above so that they rotate more smoothly. Then we insert the axle into place and fasten the wheel.

If timely maintenance was not carried out, then, of course, sooner or later the bike will break down and repair will be required. One of the most common troubles that happens with the rear wheel hub is a bad or, conversely, a strong tightening in the cone. If the tightening is loosened, then the wheel is wobbling, when the cone is overtightened, it will be more difficult to turn the wheel, additionally, a crunch of bearings may appear. Both options require immediate repair. In order to remove the malfunction, you will need wrenches. An open-end wrench for 17 and a cone wrench for 15. First, the nut is loosened, and only then you can work with the cone itself. We adjust the tightening of the cone and then put the nuts in place. If everything is adjusted correctly, the wheel will rotate freely due to the force of gravity.Another of the frequent breakdowns is axle deformation. This often happens due to poor quality parts. In this case, the repair will consist in the usual replacement of the axle with a new one, preferably better in quality.It often happens that when replacing an axle or with simple preventive maintenance, it is found that the bearings have simply worn out the grooves in the bushing housing, in which case it cannot be repaired and a complete replacement of the entire bushing structure, and sometimes the wheel itself, will be required.Do not forget that much more often the hub repair is required when the owner does not pay due attention to his bike. Does not monitor his condition, does not take timely prophylaxis. Of course, do not forget that everything, even very high-quality parts, eventually deteriorate and then repairs will also be required. However, for an attentive and caring owner, the bike will last much longer without expensive repairs.The hub is the center piece of the wheel attached to the bike frame. Performs the function of free wheel rotation, preventing slipping and turning. Since the bike has two wheels, there are two bushings: front and rear, respectively.The front one allows the wheel to rotate freely, the rear one, in addition, determines the roll of the bike - the efficiency of movement without applied loads. The world of bicycles is diverse, so each type has its own part. We will talk about what they are, as well as how to serve independently, later in the article.Depending on the design, the rear hub has several modifications:

with free wheeling, without brake mechanism;

brakeless, not having a free wheeling;

with built-in foot brake and free play.

The fundamental difference between the braking version is that to stop the bicycle on the pedals, you need to press in the opposite direction. Inside there is a brake mechanism: a drum and pads, which are activated when the star rotates in the opposite direction.In addition to drums, there is another type - a worm bushing. These types are found on single speed road bikes. The pedal braking performance is not very high, as only the rear wheel stops. But the resource of such parts and unpretentiousness boldly negate this minus!Non-brake bushings are installed on high-speed bicycles. Compared to brakes, they have a simpler device, smaller and lighter. Free play prevents the pedals from rotating when the wheel is moving.On a bike without free play, the opposite is true: the wheel rotates the rear sprocket, which transmits torque through the chain to the drive sprocket and connecting rods.The non-brake type can be found on the wheel of mountain and road bicycles, and the version without free wheeling is used on fix bikes.Wheel reducers with a hidden gear change system, otherwise called planetary gears, have become widespread. This type of bicycle hub is used on road and road bikes and is intended for riding on flat roads with smooth climbs and descents. You can read more about what a planetary hub is here.A relatively new version is the hub dynamo, which is equipped with an electric generator. Rotational energy is partially converted into electrical energy, which can be directed to the operation of lighting fixtures. Despite such a seemingly variety, each bushing knows its place, and the choice of a part of a different type for the same is extremely limited.Good technical condition of any part is closely related to its periodic maintenance. For a rotating element of the rear wheel, these are:

periodic body tightening;

replacement of bearing balls;

lubrication of all parts from the inside of the body;

adjustment of the pads on the brake sleeve.

Dismantling the wheel itself from the frame is usually not difficult, the process of disassembling it and removing the hub body looks much more interesting. True, we do not need to remove the entire part from the spokes, this is necessary when replacing the entire case, and this is a completely different story.Despite the general unpretentiousness of the axle part of the wheel, during long-term operation without maintenance, it may fail and require repair. Common symptoms that indicate the need to replace or adjust components include:

the body rattles on the go and staggers (checked with two fingers);

wheel play when driving;

poor rolling dynamics;

crunch of worn bearings.

Looseness and twisting of the rear hub housing can be eliminated by tightening the retaining nuts. With a strong tightening (this also happens), the rotation of the entire wheel is difficult, here you need to loosen the nuts a little. Extraneous sounds and deterioration of roll-off indicate poor quality of bearings or insufficient lubrication.It is recommended that repairs be done on a bolted sleeve, otherwise there will be little chances to assemble the wheel later, unless you had to constantly deal with disassembly before.How to disassemble the non-brake hub of a speed bike? Sequencing:

Remove the cassette from the axle using a puller and a whip.

Open the retaining ring.

Remove washers and bearings. The sleeve can be on bulk or industrial bearings. In any case, the main thing is to remember their rightful place and not to lose them. The same goes for the washers.

We examine the damage on the bearings: the worn out parts will need to be replaced with new ones suitable for cleaning in a solvent from dirt.

The axle is pulled out entirely.

The body is cleaned from dirt. Internal cavities are wiped with a soft dry cloth.

The parts must be lubricated sequentially when they are installed back. Initially, a little grease is put on the walls of the case. Pay particular attention to the lubrication of the bearings.

Installing the stopper and tightening the sleeve with the fastening nuts. It is important not to overtighten the hub to avoid difficulty in turning the wheel.

Once the cassette has been successfully set aside, proceed to disassemble the sleeve. This is done only from the opposite side, usually to the left. Using a 15 mm wrench, unscrew the lock nut, which secures the axle. Remove the stopper, if any.All small things in the form of rings and washers are laid out on a pre-prepared piece of paper in the correct order. This is extremely important, otherwise it will be easy to get confused later during assembly. The cone is twisted, and, finally, the axis begins to yield. We see bearings right on it.It is necessary to remove the bearing parts carefully, it is better to pry them off with a thin knitting needle or tweezers.Wipe each ball with a cloth dipped in acetone or gasoline and fold it to the side.Similarly, we extract the "embankment" or industrial bearings from the other side.We do not confuse the right and left parts, they are worn in to their side and, when installed, on the contrary, can cause dissonance in the operation of the entire bushing, in particular, backlash. We don’t lose a single ball, otherwise everything will have to be changed! Sometimes, when opening the bushing, next to the axial one you can see "dust" - the balls are completely worn out and need to be replaced. The same goes for partial abrasion.After removing the axis, we look at its condition. Its working life, as a rule, is commensurate with the "spacing" of the body or replacement of the wheel, but you never know. Even with simple maintenance, it will require cleaning from accumulated dirt.The inner space of the sleeve is wiped with a dry clean cloth or cotton wool. Too dirty areas can be passed through with gasoline. We wipe the left cone and check the fastening of the right one (from the side of the cassette stars). Once the walls are dry, it's time to apply new grease.A few recommendations: a chain or any other lubricant will not work for the bushing, it is better to buy a special compound in advance. For bearings, the bucket is actively used, you can use it. It is not worth smearing a thick layer "for ages", because the lubricating composition will be squeezed out and will begin to absorb dirt, due to which all parts will wear out many times faster.Mounting of sleeve parts: right bearings - wheel axle - cone - left bearings - stopper - washers and rivets - lock nut. The rear hub will most likely need to be adjusted after assembly. This is done only on the left side. Using the same wrench, we slightly loosen the lock nut by 15. Then it is twisted all the way, and the cone is held in a fixed position.Thus, the backlash of the axle is eliminated, or rather, it is reduced to a minimum. You may have to tinker more than once, the main thing is to achieve synchronous movement of the axle and the entire wheel. A slight twist is still permissible, pulling is fraught with difficult rotation.And, of course, checking the repair in practice. We test the bike in different speed modes, try to feel if the wheel is loose and how firmly it is fixed. If everything was done correctly, the rides will give comfort and confidence, otherwise, you will have to return to regulation a second time.Do-it-yourself repair and maintenance of the rear hub is pretty easy! If you intend to replace the entire part, then you need to stop your choice exclusively on the model that is installed on the bike now. When it is not possible to disassemble the bushing, it is better to seek the help of a specialist, otherwise you can damage the part itself.

As we can see, a bushing with cup-cone type bearings consists of: body, axle, cups, balls, anthers, flare nuts, washers, anthers, locknuts (and a drum if we consider the rear bushing).

The design of this type of bush is very similar to the previous one, except for the use of industrial bearings instead of loose balls. Because of this, it lacks components such as balls and flare nuts, and the bearing is a one-piece design. The advantages include the ease of assembly and disassembly, as well as the uselessness of adjusting the tightening of the cones. This type of hub can also be used on almost all types of bicycles.

This type of hub is mainly used on single-speed city bikes. Its main feature is the brake, which is installed inside its body and is activated by the movement of the pedals backward. Due to this, it is slightly larger and heavier than its competitors. Below we will give a picture with the design of this sleeve.

Bicycle planetary hubs are very similar to a small gearbox from a car and have a complex design and dense arrangement of parts. Inside this structure, there are many gears, with the help of which gears are shifted. Difficult to repair and maintain. Can often be used on city folding bicycles.

Bushings with a dynamo inside the body are, roughly speaking, a small generator from which you can power various electrical appliances on a bicycle. For example, it can be lighting lanterns. Basically, the dynamo is located inside the front hub of a city or road bike.

Before proceeding to disassembly, let's decide when to service the bicycle hubs. First of all, it should be noted that the service is periodic and forced.

It implies preventive measures for cleaning and lubricating all the hub assemblies of the bicycle in order to avoid their failure, thereby reducing the cost of purchasing new parts and problems with repairs.Many bicycle masters recommend replacing the bushing bearing grease every 5000 km, but as practice shows, a lot depends on the road surface on which you ride and the quality of the bushing itself (the anther design itself). Therefore, the need for maintenance may arise earlier.

If, while riding or checking the rotation of a bicycle wheel, you find backlashes, extraneous noise and crackling inside the hub, or there is a difficult rotation of the wheel, then this may indicate several possible reasons:

Incorrect tightening of the tapers (in the case of a taper-cup bearing).
Lack of grease or heavy contamination.
Failure of cups, balls or bushing cone (in the case of a cone-cup bearing).
Failure of industrial bearings (in the case of a slip on a slip).

In this case, the wheel should be repaired and serviced as soon as possible. And what needs to be done for this we will consider below.

We will disassemble and replace the grease using the example of a sleeve with cone-cup bearings.

ATTENTION: When disassembling, clearly note the sequence for removing the bushing components and how they are installed. Also, parts on the left side cannot be installed on the right side and vice versa. The latter is because the balls, cups and cones rub against each other and will not fit well if you move them to the other side.

First, let's disassemble / assemble the front hub of the bike.

We remove the wheel from the bike, remove the eccentric from the hub axle and unscrew the disc brake rotor (if it is natural). This is to prevent grease from getting on the brake rotor and to simplify the disassembly procedure.
Remove the anthers on the right and left sides. To do this, carefully pry them with a minus screwdriver.

Next, we'll look at how to disassemble and lubricate the rear hub of a bicycle wheel. In principle, there is not much difference from the method of disassembling the front one (so you can read it first, there are moments that we did not repeat in the description for the back one), except for a few minor differences.

We remove the wheel, eccentric and dismantle the disc brake rotor (if any).
Remove the boot on the left side of the rear bushing with a screwdriver. There is no outer boot on the right side (where the cassette is).

If for any reason you need to remove the cassette, then this can be done literally immediately using a special tool.

Any heavy type of automotive bearing grease can be used to lubricate the bearings in the front and rear bushings of a bicycle. For example, Litol-24 or TsIFTIM-201,158 is a good fit. Of course, no one forbids you to buy specialized bicycle bearing greases, for example, from Shimano, which do an excellent job with their tasks. But to be honest, I did not notice much difference (except for the price).

But what you can not lubricate the bearings of the bushings on a bike: WD-40, motor oils for cars, oils for sewing machines, for lubricating bicycle chains and other liquid lubricants.

When working out its resource or premature breakdown of such parts as: axle, cone, bearing balls, and cups, they are replaced with new ones. And if there are no special problems with the first ones on this list, then with the cups it is not so simple. There are several problems. Firstly, buying new ones specifically for a specific sleeve is unlikely to work (unless you find the same used one). Therefore, you will either need to dance with a tambourine and order a cup from a turner, or look for a donor, knock them out and insert into the victim. Which does not always work out. There is another option. Knock out the cups from the bicycle wheel hub and put the industrial bearings in their place. But here, too, you need to clearly select everything in size and not everything can go as you would like. So if the cups break, you will most likely need to buy a new sleeve.

I would like to note that when replacing balls, you should change everything at once, and not several pieces.

In case of failure of industrial bearings, they also change without problems for new ones.

As for the rest, clean and lubricate the bushings in time, check them for backlash (if necessary, tighten as described above) and the bike bushings will serve you for a very long time.

Video (click to play).

After reading this article, you learned how to properly disassemble and repair the rear and front bushing of a bicycle with your own hands using the example of pictures and videos. What can be summed up? First of all, maintenance should be carried out periodically and in a timely manner: clean and lubricate, check for backlash and serviceability. In addition, we learned how to lubricate the bushing, and what not, and also learned its structure. Thank you for your attention and good luck with the repair!