[bikes] How often do you have to adjust your hubs?

[M A V I C]

This question is for open bearing hubs. I overhauled my rear hub about 200 miles ago, and it's staring to loosen again. Does anyone else experience this? I can adjust it if I need to, but I would just prefer not to have to do it that often. My front hub has sealed bearings, and thus has never needed an adjustment.

[cyclemax]

I use sealed bearing hubs on all my bikes now. I used open bearing Campy hubs on my older road bikes. I've overhauled several hubs and never had issues with them loosening. The key is to properly tighten the cones against the lock nut. I would leave a very slight amount of play that would be removed when you lock the skewer. Did you install new bearings and or cones? Is the wear pattern on the hub race uniform? if any of these are pitted or unevenly worn, it can be hard to properly adjust.

I meant to add that I would put 10 to 12 thousand miles on these wheels without the hubs becoming loose.

As a side note, I got tired of overhauling hubs. I was riding about 15K a year, so I switched to Mavic wheels with sealed cartridge bearing hubs.

[davester]

What cyclemax says. All of my hubs except one set are loose bearing cone-and-cup hubs (I ride mostly vintage road bikes). They never go out of adjustment and last forever. There are only two ways that can happen:

1. You didn't tighten the locknuts properly.

2. Something is getting damaged inside (balls or cones are typically the first to go. Generally damage only occurs if the cones were misadjusted in the first place. Note that when you do the adjustment you should leave the teensiest amount of play. This is because tightening the quick release compresses and shortens the axle. If you adjusted the cones to zero play then tightening the quick release results in the cones being too tight, which results in damage to the bearings, cups or cones.

Edit: damage can also occur if you ride in really bad weather or really dirty areas and never bother cleaning and relubing the bearings.

[mattkime]

cyclemax wrote: I was riding about 15K a year

holy cow!

...you must have been racing.

[testcase]

I'M SUPPOSED TO ADJUST MY HUBS????????? miley-shocked003:

[Fritz]

WHAT THE HELL IS A HUB????????????

sealed bearing
loose bearing
cup and cone

WTF? Is any of that on my 8yo or so conventional CAAD-9?

[davester]

Fritz wrote:
WHAT THE HELL IS A HUB????????????

sealed bearing
loose bearing
cup and cone

WTF? Is any of that on my 8yo or so conventional CAAD-9?

The hub is the thing that the wheel axle passes through and that the spokes attach to. Same thing on a bike, car, conestoga wagon, whatever.

You almosts certainly have sealed bearings. Note that these are in actually not truly sealed but they do have rubber lips around the axle to help exclude dust and dirt. Most sealed bearings use replaceable one-piece bearing cartridges whereas mostly older nonsealed bearings use separate loose ball bearings and inner and outer bearing races (i.e. the cups and cones). I don't know if that makes things any clearer.

[Fritz]

davester wrote:
I don't know if that makes things any clearer.

yes, thanks. I figured the hub, but the variations, not so much.
I need to do some maint on my pal. How long or many miles is a chain, hub or other important moving bits good for?
Most of it DIY-able my the moderately mechanically inclined with some hand tools, bike tools and a reasonably large vocabulary of 4 letter word combinations?

[mattkime]

Fritz wrote: How long or many miles is a chain, hub or other important moving bits good for?
Most of it DIY-able my the moderately mechanically inclined with some hand tools, bike tools and a reasonably large vocabulary of 4 letter word combinations?

http://bicyclehabitat.com/how-to/a-simpl...-pg366.htm

[Fritz]

mattkime wrote:
http://bicyclehabitat.com/how-to/a-simpl...-pg366.htm

think I've seen their b&m or perhaps rented from them when in bk.
thanks