How to Change a Bicycle Wheel Bearing
Bearings are small metal or ceramic balls encased within the hub at the center of a bicycle wheel. The bearings allow the hub body to rotate independently about the bicycle wheel axle. Bearings are held in place partly by a layer of grease, which can dry out over time, causing the bearings to grind against one another and their surfaces to become "pitted." Pitted bearings will need to be replaced. Changing the bearings yourself will take some time and patience, but will save you a costly professional repair.
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Things You'll Need
- Grease
- Cone wrenches
- Adjustable wrench
- Chainwhip
- Cassette lockring tool
Instructions
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1
Remove the cassette from the wheel. The cassette is the cluster of gears attached to the rear wheel. Hold the largest cog on the cassette in place with the chain portion of your chain whip and insert the lockring removal tool into the center of the cassette. Attach a wrench to the lockring removal tool. Turn the handles of the chainwhip and the wrench securing the lockring removal tool away from one another.
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2
Fit a cone wrench onto the cone located on the left, non-drive side of the hub and tighten an adjustable wrench onto the accompanying locknut. The cone resembles a bolt with two flat surfaces. Turn the cone clockwise and the locknut counterclockwise, away from one another. Remove the locknut, spacers and cone from the axle, keeping them in order. The wheel's axle will now slide out the other end.
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3
Remove the bearings from the cups, located on both sides of the hub, and set them aside. If replacing the old bearings with new ones, ensure that they are exact-sized duplicates. New bearings can be purchased at your local bike shop.
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4
Thoroughly clean the old grease from the cups in which the bearings sat. Apply a thick bead of fresh grease into each of the cups and gently press the new bearings into the grease. Ensure that the bearings are seated.
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5
Reassemble the hub. Thread the axle in through the right, drive side of the hub. Place the left side cone back over the exposed bearings and lightly tighten the cone counterclockwise. While holding the cone in place with your cone wrench, tighten the accompanying locknut with the adjustable wrench.
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Tips & Warnings
Use caution when working on your hub. There are many small parts and they can become easily jumbled or even lost. Threading a fishing line string through the wheel's axle prior to its removal is a good way to keep parts in proper order.
