Continuing to use damaged cones in rear hub?

Asked by: Susan Taylor

How tight should axle cones be?

Traditional, solid-axle hubs that are secured to the frame/fork by nuts need to be adjusted tight enough that play (sideways wiggle) is minimized, but loose enough to turn freely.

How do you tighten rear wheel cones?

Quote from video: Screw the cone in or out to tighten or loosen the bearing on the freehub. Make small adjustments and check the bearing between. Each.

How do you service cup and cone hub?

Quote from video: Slide the cone spanner onto the cone itself. And then put the other one on the lock nut. Hold the cone in place and unscrew the lock nut anti-clockwise.

How do you’re Grease a rear hub?

Quote from video: Take some grease and apply to the bearing race in the hub. You can now place the bearings into the grease. They should stay in place. Again a magnetic screwdriver mix job easier when all of the

How tight should my rear hub be?

You want your rear axle very tight. 150 in/lb is about standard. If it is not tight it will allow the rear wheel to move around and it ties your rear triangle together. Basically the whole back of the bike will feel sloppy.

Why does my rear wheel not spin freely?

It might be that the hub is seized up from rust. You can check if it is the brake or not by loosening the caliper and spinning the wheel. If it spins freely it is the brake not the hub. If it is the hub you might need to get it regreased.

What can I use if I don’t have a cone wrench?

You can purchase a cone wrench at most bicycle shops, but if you are a all about DIY, then you can also make your own using nothing but an angle grinder and an old box wrench like the one shown in this photo. A bicycle axle cone nut is actually a threaded bearing race.

Why do Shimano use cup and cone?

Angular contact bearings of the cup & cone type offer greater strength than sealed cartridge industrial bearings due their ability to displace lateral and vertical loads more effectively for super smooth rotation and longer durability.

How many bearings are in a rear hub?

For rear hubs, the common number is 9 balls of 1/4-inch diameter per side.

How tight should cup and cone bearings be?

As loose as possible without play. Bearings are supposed to have some amount of preload, which is a fancy name for being a bit tight as opposed to being loose. There should never be play once adjusted and on the bike.

How do you fix cup and cone bearings?

Quote from video: Some more grease over the bearings. And carefully slide the axle back in engage. The power wrist again to install the cones. You want to make sure that your threads are equally spaced.

Can you grease a hub assembly?

Hub assemblies can be oiled or greased, and just like motors and transmissions, the lubricant and lubrication practices will have a considerable impact on their life expectancy and operation. The better you take care of these components, the longer they will last.

How do I know if my rear hub is too tight?

Registered. It’s the outside nuts that end up contacting the frame, must be the locknut on the drive side?. If those get too tight, the wheel doesn’t spin. If they are too loose, the wheel wobbles.

Can you over tighten a hub?

No. Over tightening won’t put more of a strain on the bearings in this sort of design. You should’ve torqued those nuts down quite a bit.

What happens if you over tighten thru axle?

Keeping the axle under-torqued is dangerous, and over-torquing it might damage the fork/frame dropouts. A proper solution would be to adjust the position of the brake caliper itself relative to the disc.

How tight should cup and cone bearings be?

As loose as possible without play. Bearings are supposed to have some amount of preload, which is a fancy name for being a bit tight as opposed to being loose. There should never be play once adjusted and on the bike.

What can I use if I don’t have a cone wrench?

You can purchase a cone wrench at most bicycle shops, but if you are a all about DIY, then you can also make your own using nothing but an angle grinder and an old box wrench like the one shown in this photo. A bicycle axle cone nut is actually a threaded bearing race.

How tight should front bike be?

It should be tight enough that it requires some force to get it closed, but not so much that you feel like you’re giving birth. The closed QR lever should come be positioned before or after the fork in the front and between the chain stay and seat stay of the rear triangle, or just below the chain stay.

How do you tighten a wheel hub?

Use one hand to turn the wheel slowly in its normal forward direction of travel, and tighten the hub nut to the correct torque with the other. Turn the wheel slowly while you tighten. Lower to tighten finally.

What happens if you over tighten a wheel bearing?

Over-tightening can damage the lug nuts, wheels and hubs – and worse, result in a wheel-off situation.

Can you over tighten a hub nut?

Hub Assembly Installation Tip



Responsible for attaching the wheel to the car to allow the wheels to freely turn during steering, the wheel hub bearing is susceptible to damage due to overtightening the axle nut during installation.