Axle Bearings

bkay said:

Does anybody know how long it takes to wear the axle bearings out on a bike cycling every day (for about 1.5 hours)?

Pretty much dependent on the quality of bearings/seals, and riding conditions. For a properly sized and set up cartridge bearing 500-600 hours shouldn't be a problem, and I know many cone-and-race bearings that have gone much longer than that without maintenance.
But I guess it also depends on how you decide that the bearing is worn out...

bkay said:

Does anybody know how long it takes to wear the axle bearings out on a bike cycling every day (for about 1.5 hours)?

The Reason I'm asking is that I had to replace them after only 1 year of cycling. 🙂

I had to replace the right rear cone on a my Shimano WH R540 wheel after about the same amount of riding and time. I do not wash the bike, but do ride in the rain occasionally. It appears that some water got in as the grease was discoloured.

davef

bkay

Did you replace the bearings yourself OR did the local bike shop replace then for you?

What surface do you ride on?

whackyscientist said:

bkay

Did you replace the bearings yourself OR did the local bike shop replace then for you?

What surface do you ride on?

Sorry I've taken so long to reply🙂

The local bike shop replaced the bearings as I would,nt have a clue where to start.

I mostly cycle on the road and occasionaly use the dedicated track that runs along the beach which can be rough in parts. The guy at the bike shop said he had a few to replace and that it was due to the sandy conditions here.

Now my husband's bike has gone the same way and he has only had the bike since Feb this year.

Bkay

365 x 15km (although one could actually cycle a lot further than that in 90 minutes, I'm guessing your distance)) = 5475km, which is a fair time between cleaning/repackings. I would probably average ~4000km between hub servicings. If it were a cheap hub, then it would be asking a lot of it to go that distance without a service. If it's a good hub, then I wouldn't want to neglect it...

Nick.