Squeeking Hub

SteveA said:

I slicked up the MTB to make it a better commuter on Sunday - new
Velocity Heater wheelset with 1.25 inch Specialized Fat Boys (yeah, the
fat boy now rides on Fat Boys...).

There is a tiny little squeek in the front hub. Barely audible, but
its there. While I was hanging the bike on the hook in the racks at
work, I had a bit of a look. The hubs have a rubber seal at each end
of the axle which covers the bearings and extends around 1 cm over the
axle. It looks like the seal moves with the hub sometimes but not
other times. Thus generating the squeek of rubber on metal when it
moves relative to the hub. The rear hub does not do this.

Any advice?

Do I need to:
(a) re-seat the rubber seals;
(b) lubricate the rubber seals;
(c) trim the rubber seals; or
(d) ride faster so the wind whistling past my ears drowns out the
squeek?

SteveA

I had the same thing on my OCR2 when it was new and had forgotten all
about it till this post. Eventually the squeak just went away, either
that or I just can't hear it over my gasping for air.

DaveB

"SteveA" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I slicked up the MTB to make it a better commuter on Sunday - new
Velocity Heater wheelset with 1.25 inch Specialized Fat Boys (yeah, the
fat boy now rides on Fat Boys...).

There is a tiny little squeek in the front hub. Barely audible, but
its there. While I was hanging the bike on the hook in the racks at
work, I had a bit of a look. The hubs have a rubber seal at each end
of the axle which covers the bearings and extends around 1 cm over the
axle. It looks like the seal moves with the hub sometimes but not
other times. Thus generating the squeek of rubber on metal when it
moves relative to the hub. The rear hub does not do this.

Any advice?

I have an occasional problem similar to this, with the seals on my Time
pedals. When they get dry after a lot of dusty gravel road riding the squeak
with each pedal stroke, not loudly but ehough to hear them at quieter
moments. Every so often I put a drop of lube on them and the squeak goes
away.

Teflon lube may, or may not damage the rubber seal?? Without the lube the
rubber seal will probably take a long time to wear out, and the friction
loss from this squeak is probably minimal, so I don't think it really
matters that much.

But as I prefer a nice silent running bike, there is this mania to get rid
of squeaks. Your choice what you should do.

Cheers
Peter

SteveA said:

There is a tiny little squeek in the front hub. Barely audible, but
its there. While I was hanging the bike on the hook in the racks at
work, I had a bit of a look. The hubs have a rubber seal at each end
of the axle which covers the bearings and extends around 1 cm over the
axle. It looks like the seal moves with the hub sometimes but not
other times. Thus generating the squeek of rubber on metal when it
moves relative to the hub. The rear hub does not do this.

Any advice?

Do I need to:
(a) re-seat the rubber seals;
(b) lubricate the rubber seals;
(c) trim the rubber seals; or
(d) ride faster so the wind whistling past my ears drowns out the
squeek?

SteveA

Steve,

My new bike had this. A simple bit of moly (black) grease between the
seal and the hub will do the trick. No squeak over a year later and I
ride in all sorts of weather.

--
Brett "Ridden hard and put away wet"