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.
One of the reasons for dividing the rear hubs into varieties is their design. Depending on it, the rear bushings are divided into:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bicycle wheel breakage occurs for various reasons. There can be a large number of them.
Thus, to ensure the long service 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, first removing all old grease. And 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.
The service life of a bicycle directly depends on the quality of its service. For example, repairing the rear hub of a bicycle can be done by hand. Although the bushes can be of different designs, the principle of assembly and disassembly is almost the same.
It is not necessary to use all the necessary tools to repair the rear hub. You can get by with a minimum set, having previously prepared the workplace. It must be clean, dust-free, and free of lint and thread. Otherwise, the bushing could be damaged.
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Timely maintenance of the rear hub keeps the part in good condition. Periodically it is necessary:
tighten the body;
replace worn out bearing balls;
lubricate all body parts directly from the inside;
adjust the pads on the brake sleeve.
Dismantling the wheel itself is somewhat easier than disassembling and removing the bushing housing.It is not necessary to remove all parts from the spokes. Complete disassembly is required if the entire body needs to be replaced.
Although the wheel axle is an unpretentious part, it still sometimes requires repair. Components need adjustment or replacement:
when the body of the screen is created on the move and its instability, which is easy to determine with two fingers;
when there is wheel play during movement;
if we observe bad rolling dynamics;
when a crunch is heard, indicating worn bearings.
Looseness and twisting of the rear hub housing is easy enough to deal with. You just need to tighten the fastening nuts. If they are tightly tightened (and this also occurs), the wheel is somewhat more difficult to rotate. It is therefore advisable to loosen the nuts. The poor condition of the bearings or the lack of lubrication are determined by the deterioration of rolling, the appearance of extraneous sounds.
In order for the subsequent assembly of the wheel to take place, it is better to carry out repair work on a spoked bushing. Dismantling the brakeless bushing is carried out in several stages:
Removing the cassette from the axial element with a puller or a whip.
Opening the retaining ring.
Removing washers and bulk bearings (industrial bearings). We put emphasis on their rightful place in order to then assemble the parts correctly.
Inspection of bearing damage. We replace the worn-out elements with new analogs, suitable for further cleaning with a solvent from dirty impurities.
Removing the axle completely.
Cleaning the body from dirty impurities. Wipe each interior cavity with a soft cloth only.
Consistent lubrication of all parts. The sequence is very important for reverse installation. First, a small amount of grease is distributed over the walls of the housing. Bearings are impregnated somewhat more abundantly.
We finish the whole process by installing the stopper and tightening the sleeve using the fastening nuts.
The bushing design consists of many parts, for the production of which a rather fragile material was used - hardened steel or hardened chromium-molybdenum alloys. Therefore, it is very reasonable to approach the work with fragile elements with great care. It is also rational to use eye protection.
During operation, the hub must be lugged into the wheel. The cassette sleeve, none of its components in a vice must not be clamped.
We remove the inner ring of the bearing itself with two needle-nose pliers, while carefully pushing the "nose" directly into the spline groove of the outer circlip. We fix the stars well, as if turning them along the course of the free wheel. If the wheel has a right hand thread, use the same method. Rotation of the circlip must be counterclockwise.
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 freewheel, 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 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.
VIDEO
Winter is in full swing, which means it's time to prepare bicycles for the summer season. The main problem is the bike's rear wheel hub. Its repair is the most difficult. Not everyone can assemble the rear wheel hub.
Everyone knows that the roll is better if the lever is larger, and the rear hub with the wheel just forms it.
And the better the sliding and rolling in the rear hub, the easier the wheel spins, giving a roll. It is believed that some of the pedaling power (energy) in the hub is lost, but science has proven that this is not true.
In reality, the losses are equal to 0.47%, so they can simply be ignored.Such insignificant losses are explained by the fact that the balls in the lubricant rotate around their own axis and the wheel, so it is not advisable to save on it.
There is no need to be afraid that the new rear hub is spinning a little worse than the one that was in operation. This is a temporary phenomenon. The sleeve needs time to run in. If you need to replace it, do not skimp and buy a quality part.
But, among the available variety, which sleeve to choose for repairing the rear wheel of a bicycle: on industrial bearings, tapered, i.e. with bulk bearings, ball bearings?
The best acquisition will be a new development - industrial bearings, convenient in that they do not need adjustment and are reliably protected from negative environmental influences.
However, they are more difficult to install, so repairing the rear wheel of a bicycle with your own hands in field conditions is out of the question. Bulk, however, change in a couple of minutes, but need careful adjustment.
Most often, there are steel rear bushings, less often - from an aluminum alloy, even less often - titanium (Shimano XTR, for example).
If there are no questions with the front bushings, then with the rear ones, which differ in the presence of a seat for sprockets, there are more than enough of them. In the models produced earlier, the sprockets were screwed onto the threads and were solid.
But this design is now a thing of the past, since threaded connections have enough disadvantages:
the ability to rip off the thread during installation;
uneven wear on stars and ratchets;
low rigidity and low strength;
significant energy losses
True, they are installed in separate models, giving preference to cheapness, but, in general, they are becoming a thing of the past, giving way to cassettes. The spline connection of the hub and cassette offers the following advantages:
light weight;
reduction of losses due to the ratchet mechanism installed inside the splined drum;
an increase in rigidity due to a greater distance between the bearings and an increase in reliability (it is not realistic to tear the cassette off the splines);
ease of installation;
interchangeability of individual sprockets without dismantling the cassette.
In addition to the ratchet mechanism, the design of which is very simple and represents spring-loaded pawls, teeth clinging to the ratchet, thereby transmitting torque from the sprockets to the wheel, there is another type of rear bushings - roller.
This is how the classification of these parts looks, depending on the type of fastening of the sprockets. But, the hubs also differ in their attachment to the bike frame:
bolts;
with the help of eccentrics.
The latter are less preferable for extreme types of driving, since they do not "hold" the wheels well enough. For these bikes, there are MAXLELite and MAXLE eccentrics, which lack a clamping nut on one side.
There is a thread on the axle instead and on the dropout of the bike fork there is a corresponding threaded hole. For installation, thread the Maxle eccentric through the threaded hole, twist the axis in it, then clamp the entire axis with a special eccentric, which is a pipe cut into 4 petals - a cone, which ensures reliable fixation when clamping.
Designed for disc brakes only. Maxle Lite features material and half the weight
Only a high-quality rear hub will provide minimum friction for rotating wheels, improving rolling. In addition, its use will increase the resource and will not create problems when riding bicycle bikes in wet weather.
Rear hubs differ in characteristics associated with:
the location of these parts;
fastening;
compatibility with a certain type of brakes;
the material used for the manufacture;
suitability for a certain number of knitting needles;
weight and size.
The front ones, with which there are no problems, since they differ in a simple device, and the rear ones, which are responsible for the cassette and the ratchet, which they carry, in addition to performing the functions of holding and rotating the wheels.
Both cassette and ratchet are required for gear shifting. In the first version, it consists of a set of 8-11 stars. A worn sprocket can be easily replaced without removing the hub.
We recommend:
Disc hydraulic brakes on a bicycle and their adjustment
Device, maintenance, disassembly and assembly of the rear bicycle hub
V brake brakes and their secret of popularity
In the second, it is a monolithic structure that cannot be disassembled and is formed by 5-7 stars. It is clear that the first option is preferable, which can withstand a rider with a large weight and is characterized by high reliability.
Separately, there are rear planetary hubs (Shimano SG-3C41), which have a mechanism inside that allows, even while standing still, to switch speeds (from 3 to 5).
There are two of them - nuts (a simple and inexpensive option) and an eccentric (a convenient but expensive way). In order to remove the wheel, in this version, it will take a few seconds. These are the hubs that are on expensive bicycle models.
The bushings, in addition to the function of fastening the wheels, are responsible for the brakes. They are divided into operating exclusively with V-brakes and operating in disc brakes. It is very rare to find (on some models of city bikes) drum brakes.
Steel bushings are the heaviest of all. They are used in budget models. They are susceptible to corrosion, in contrast to the more expensive and non-rusting aluminum ones.
The fewer there are, the lighter, but at the same time less durable wheel. Therefore, among the most common options for 36 and 32 spokes, you need to choose 36. The rear wheel hub should also be designed for the specified number of spokes.
There are different standards for bushings. The larger the diameter of this part, the higher the reliability. In mountain bikes and cross-country bikes, bushings are used, the diameter of which is in the range of 9-10 mm, for a more extreme bike - 14-15 mm.
The axles of the rear and front bushings differ in length: for the former, it is 108-110 mm, for the latter, from 135 mm to 146.
There are also exotic options - Novatec D882SB-SS 36H QR10 hub, for example. The length of its axis is changed using adapters.
Industrial bearings are made non-separable. Their plus in long-term operation and the possibility of replacing the entire bearing, without replacing the entire part.
The bushings on the bulk bearings are adjustable. Plus, they have better protection against dirt.
The rear wheel hub on bicycles is the most expensive part. Newcomers perceive it as a "bad dream" to replace it. And it goes out of order much earlier than the front one, since it bears the greatest load when driving.
Both the material for the front and rear hubs and the manufacturing methods for them are the same. These are stamping, turning and casting. The latter are the heaviest parts, the cheapest and not reliable. The material for them is steel.
The best choice is considered to be parts that are made of aluminum alloy. Even more robust titanium alloy bushings. But, their price is many times higher than analogs. Therefore, they are used exclusively on professional bikes.
For road models and high-speed (touring, mountain, highway) there are certain types of bushings. For the first option, the choice is bushings, the mechanism of which has a free play and one driven sprocket.
On-road models are equipped with drum brakes. Suitable for the rear wheel of a high-speed bike, a hub with a free wheeling, no braking mechanism. In addition, they are divided into cassette and ratchet.
VIDEO
Video: Bicycle wheel hub, how to disassemble, service
Its design consists of several sprockets, thanks to which the torque is transmitted to the wheel.If the hub is operated with a ratchet, the drum is integrated into the sprockets, i.e. located outside the sleeve. If it is designed to work with a cassette, then the latter is installed inside it.
Mounting can also vary. The bolt fastening used by major bushing manufacturers is popular. A spline connection is also provided as standard.
"Torpedo" bushings have been widely used since ancient times.
The detail drawing is shown below:
During free play, the drive rollers move upward with the drive cone. It clings to the lugs when turning the pedals, wedges the hub body, forcing the wheel to rotate.
When stopped, the cone of the body squeezes the driving rollers, which fall into the grooves between the protrusions. This breaks the connection of the cone with the body, allowing the wheel to rotate.
When braking, i.e. When the pedal is rotated backward, the driving cone rotates in the opposite direction. Due to friction, the oblique lugs rotate the brake cone, directing the brake rollers into the grooves of the drum, i.e. it "moves" into the drum, from which the latter, moving apart on both sides, is pressed tightly against the sleeve. These bushings, produced since the turn of the century, have been used on road bicycles.
It is based on three ball bearings, as well as a brake mechanism and a freewheel inside.
The wheel is braking. Provides the torpedo hub with the most effective braking in comparison with other types.
Many, in order to save space during storage, choose folding bicycles with planetary hubs, which allow you to switch speeds without pedaling.
This advantage makes the trip easy in two cases:
if necessary, brake sharply: for example, at a traffic light or when another vehicle unexpectedly appears on the road. When riding ordinary bicycles, it is necessary to provide for such a situation so that there is time to switch to a lower gear. In the case of a planetary hub, this can be done even during a stop. It allows you to start moving at any speed;
when overcoming a steep climb. On a regular bike, you need to constantly take care not to slow down when changing gears. In the case of the planetary hub, everything is much simpler: you just need to stop pedaling for a few seconds. Having turned on the required speed, you can continue driving, i.e. speed on uphills will not be lost.
Another advantage of this bushing is the protection of the gearshift mechanism from moisture and dirt, as well as the absence of the need for maintenance.
Finally, the details involved in the movement. They wear less with the planetary hub.
The xenium hub, which has a lightweight axle and body made of aluminum, cannot be overlooked. Its weight is about 300 grams.
The Novatec company can boast of many years of experience in the production of bushings. Its products are of the highest quality at a reasonable price. Among Novatek bushings, there are atypical models: parts for fixed bike bikes (no free play) and a dynamo hub.
On road bikes, brake bushings are also installed, which have free play. Usually it is a frictional type and a brake that is activated by torsion in the opposite direction of the pedals.
For bikes with a fixed gear, they produce a quando rear hub on balls with 36 spoke holes.
An electric generator is called a dynamo - a hub for a bicycle, developed by the English company Sturmey-Archer. Then the world in 2010 got acquainted with its new variant - a combination with a drum brake.
Today their production is the main activity of Shimano and Schmidt firms. The power of the bushings according to GOST classical design is 1.8 W, the voltage is 6 V.But, there are also new bushings on sale, the parameters of which have been increased, and the dimensions have been reduced significantly.
The rear bmx hub differs from conventional hubs in that it has extra strength and often additional elements for performing a variety of tricks on bikes.
A feature of using threaded bushings with an internal thread of a metric type and a self-tapping external thread is a cylindrical hollow base. With its help, the fastening is very reliable.
VIDEO
Video: Bicycle Rear Hub Repair
At first glance, it may seem that the rear and front hubs of a bicycle have a complex structure, and it is not an easy task to repair and service them yourself at home. But it is not so. Of course there are some design differences, but most of them are the same. Therefore, in this article we will touch upon such topics as: types and arrangement of bicycle wheel hubs, their disassembly / assembly, repair and maintenance, and also consider what, how and with what frequency they should be lubricated. We will try to present the material as briefly as possible in the form of detailed instructions, and in some moments we will add a video for clarity of disassembling the sleeve.
At the moment, there are several types of bicycle wheel hubs on the bicycle parts market: with free wheeling, without free wheeling (used on fix bikes), as well as with a built-in foot brake, with a built-in dynamo machine, and the so-called planetary bushes. There are two types of bearings that can be used in freewheel designs: cone-cup type (mainly from Shimano) and industrial bearings. Since free-wheeling hubs with integral brakes are the most popular, we will discuss their design below.
This type of bushing is one of the most common in comparison to the rest and is often used on road, mountain, road and other types of iron horses. It can be used on both the most budgetary bikes and professional bikes. An adherent of this design is Shimano, which produces exclusively bushings with loose bearings (well, planetary bushings). According to them, the cone has an advantage over the bushing on industrial bearings, namely, the best roll. It is difficult to say whether it is true or not, but this is not the purpose of this article. Next, consider the design of a typical tapered bushing.
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 backlash, 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.
Remove the wheel from the bike, remove the eccentric from the hub axle and unscrew the disc brake rotor (if it is naturally present). 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 for 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
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!
