How many bearings?

Steph Peters said:

I replaced my broken back axle this afternoon. The number of bearings was
the maximum that would fit into the space for them. I had to use the
clamping the wheel in the bike trick to do it up again, using the front drop
outs. While I had the front wheel off I gave it a spin, and could feel
graunching as it spun. So I took the front axle out in order to put some
extra grease in. This is a front wheel that's only a few months old, and
has certainly not been off the bike since I bought the wheel. So I was
surprised to find that the number of bearings looks too few compared with
the rear. There is enough space to add at least one more bearing on each
side, and still not be completely full. Is this right, or should I put more
bearings in? I can't put the front wheel back together again until I can
buy a new cone spanner anyway, so I might as well sort the bearings out
while it's in bits.

Most front hubs take 10 three-sixteenth- inch balls per side. Almost all rear
hubs take nine 1/4 inch balls per side. It usually looks like there should be
one more but there shouldn't. Time to go back and count how many you put in
the rear hub ;-(

Tony

Tony Raven said:

Steph Peters said:

I replaced my broken back axle this afternoon. The number of
bearings was the maximum that would fit into the space for them. I
had to use the clamping the wheel in the bike trick to do it up
again, using the front drop outs. While I had the front wheel off I
gave it a spin, and could feel graunching as it spun. So I took the
front axle out in order to put some extra grease in. This is a
front wheel that's only a few months old, and has certainly not been
off the bike since I bought the wheel. So I was surprised to find
that the number of bearings looks too few compared with the rear.
There is enough space to add at least one more bearing on each side,
and still not be completely full. Is this right, or should I put
more bearings in? I can't put the front wheel back together again
until I can buy a new cone spanner anyway, so I might as well sort
the bearings out while it's in bits.

Most front hubs take 10 three-sixteenth- inch balls per side. Almost
all rear hubs take nine 1/4 inch balls per side. It usually looks
like there should be one more but there shouldn't. Time to go back
and count how many you put in the rear hub ;-(

Tony

Yup thats exactly what my Ultegra hubs need though the front will accept 11
balls

Tony Raven' of said:

Most front hubs take 10 three-sixteenth- inch balls per side. Almost all rear
hubs take nine 1/4 inch balls per side. It usually looks like there should be
one more but there shouldn't. Time to go back and count how many you put in
the rear hub ;-(

Didn't open the front hub until I'd finished the rear. The rear definitely
ended up with exactly the same set of bearings in as it had before I
started.
--
Health consists of having the same diseases as one's neighbours. Quentin Crisp
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>

Steph Peters said:

Tony Raven' of said:

Most front hubs take 10 three-sixteenth- inch balls per side. Almost all
rear hubs take nine 1/4 inch balls per side. It usually looks like there
should be one more but there shouldn't. Time to go back and count how
many you put in the rear hub ;-(

Didn't open the front hub until I'd finished the rear. The rear definitely
ended up with exactly the same set of bearings in as it had before I
started.

That should be OK then unless the person before you added in an extra one.
Its just your comment that it was the maximum that would fit in the space
implied it was one more than it was supposed to be AFAIR

Tony

in message <[email hidden]>, Steph Peters

(') said:

I replaced my broken back axle this afternoon. The number of bearings
was
the maximum that would fit into the space for them. I had to use the
clamping the wheel in the bike trick to do it up again, using the
front drop
outs. While I had the front wheel off I gave it a spin, and could
feel
graunching as it spun.

So it would. You _must_ _not_ fill the ball race with balls - if they
don't have room to turn independently the bearing doesn't work and you
get hugely accelerated wear. The correct number of balls is the (the
number that will fit) minus one.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; All in all you're just another nick in the ball
-- Think Droid

Simon Brooke said:

So it would. You _must_ _not_ fill the ball race with balls - if they
don't have room to turn independently the bearing doesn't work and you
get hugely accelerated wear. The correct number of balls is the (the
number that will fit) minus one.

Also bear in mind that a reassembled race can look fuller/emptier than
it really is until you actually screw the cone in and push the bearings
into their correct track.

Simon Brooke of gradually deteriorating said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Steph Peters

(') said:

I replaced my broken back axle this afternoon. The number of bearings
was
the maximum that would fit into the space for them. I had to use the
clamping the wheel in the bike trick to do it up again, using the
front drop
outs. While I had the front wheel off I gave it a spin, and could
feel
graunching as it spun.

So it would. You _must_ _not_ fill the ball race with balls - if they
don't have room to turn independently the bearing doesn't work and you
get hugely accelerated wear. The correct number of balls is the (the
number that will fit) minus one.

I returned the original bearings to the rear wheel, and it spins fine. The
front wheel happened to be off the bike, so I spun it and it felt graunchy.
On taking it apart I found that the front has enough room for one and a bit
bearings. So I haven't overfilled either of them.
--
Health consists of having the same diseases as one's neighbours. Quentin Crisp
Steph Peters delete invalid from [email hidden]
Tatting, lace & stitching page <http://www.sandbenders.demon.co.uk/index.htm>