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Questions and answers about sports

My shimano ultegra quick release is not working because the ball bearing inside got lost, can someone help me to identify the size of it?

5 min read

Asked by: Rachael Weber

What size bearings do Shimano hubs use?

The bearings in a Shimano rear hub are ¼” in diameter and each race contains 9 bearings. Front hub is 3/16″.

How many ball bearings does a Shimano freehub have?

Ten 3/16″ bearings per side on the front, Nine 1/4″ bearings per side on the rear.

How many bearings does a freewheel have?

Typically you’ll have 10 bearings per side in the front and nine bearings per side in the back. Those are *common* sizes and counts, but you really won’t know for sure until you tear into the hub.

How many ball bearings are on a bike hub?

Most have 4 bearings—two for the hub shell and two for the cassette body. If a hub is not machined to high tolerances the bearing cup bores will not be properly aligned. Since the larger diameter of the cartridge bearings are press fit into the hub and cassette body, the inner, slip fit races are free to slide.

What size ball bearing is in a freewheel?

60 – 80 mm Inner diameter.

Are all bike wheel bearings the same size?

Ball Bearings are Confusing



First off, there are 4 different sizes of ball bearings used for bike parts: 5/32″, 1/8″, 3/16″ and 1/4″. Oh, and some Shimano pedals even use 3/32″ size balls.

How do I know what Shimano freehub I have?

Knowing What Freehub You Need

  1. Determine the brand: Locate the brand of your existing cassette—most likely it is Shimano, SRAM, or Campagnolo.
  2. For a Campagnolo cassette, choose a Campy freehub.
  3. For a Shimano freehub, count the number of gears on the cassette. …
  4. For a SRAM freehub, count the number of gears.


How do I know if my bike bearings are bad?

Worn out or dry bearings will feel rough, metallic and dry. Sometimes they’re so dry that if you pull your finger fast across the axle you can make the axle keep spinning because there’s no grease inside the bearings to slow it down.

What is the difference between a freewheel and a freehub?

Freewheel vs Freehub – Thread Differences



One of the main difference is that freewheels typically have a threaded hub. Bikes equipped with cassettes do not have a threaded hub, but instead, slip onto the hub with splines. But the differences, without getting too technical — go deeper than that.

Are there bearings in a freewheel?

A freehub will typically turn on its own sealed bearings, and often has inboard and outboard bearings to support the load.

What size are bicycle wheel bearings?

3.969 mm (5/32″) – steerer (fork) bearings and many pedals. 4.762 mm (3/16″) – front wheel hubs (2 times 10 balls – i.e. 10 balls at each side most often). 6.35 mm (1/4″) – rear wheel hubs (usually 2 times 9 balls) and cup and cone bottom brackets (2 times 11).

How many balls does a Shimano freewheel have?

Pus “twenty-eight 3.0mm steel ball bearings used for the outer bearing assembly”. So he needs 66 total.

What grade are Shimano ball bearings?

Re: Ball bearing quality.



Higher quality Shimano and Campag hubs use grade 40 or 25, and replacements can be got from some specialist bike parts suppliers. The next grade up that’s commonly available from bearing shops is precision grade 10, and they’re usually quite expensive.

Which is better ball bearing or sealed bearing?

Many bikes (some expensive models, but mainly inexpensive) employ loose bearings. We use sealed so the bearings are protected from road debris and weather, so they spin cleaner and with less friction for longer. Sealed bearings perform as well or better than loose bearings, without the maintenance.

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.

What size are freehub bearings?

1/4″ – most traditional bottom brackets require 11 x 1/4″ ball bearings on each side. Most rear hubs require 9 on each side. 3/16″ – most front hubs require 10 x 3/16″ bearings on each side. 1/8″ – freewheels and some pedals.

What grade are Shimano ball bearings?

Re: Ball bearing quality.



Higher quality Shimano and Campag hubs use grade 40 or 25, and replacements can be got from some specialist bike parts suppliers. The next grade up that’s commonly available from bearing shops is precision grade 10, and they’re usually quite expensive.

What size are MTB hub bearings?

Most hubs use 3/16″ front, 1/4″ rear. This isn’t a universal rule though. rogerzilla wrote: Most hubs use 3/16″ front, 1/4″ rear.

How do I know what bearings I need for my bike?

A cartridge bearing’s size is determined by its inside diameter (ID), outside diameter (OD) and width. The measurements take the form of ’15x24x5mm’ or similar. They often have a corresponding universal identifier, which in the case of the aforementioned bearing, would be 6802, for instance.

How much does it cost to replace bike bearings?

The cost to replace both front wheel bearings is going to be between $260 and $480. The parts alone for the front wheel bearings are about $120 to $200. However, the labor costs will be a bit more extensive at around $140 to $280.

How often do bike bearings need to be replaced?

Normally every 12–18 months for the casual once a week rider. But I’ve seen bearings go in 6 months and others last 3 years. Drop that shock out and keep an eye out for yourself.