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Bearing hub noise on bike but not off

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Old 04-15-20, 06:43 AM
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rumrunn6
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Bearing hub noise on bike but not off

did a nice ride last week & rolling the bike to my back yard I noticed the sound & subtle vibration of the rear hub/bearings

took the wheel off on my stand & spun the wheel but no noticable sound or vibration. the hub is also not loose or tight. meaning it seems to spin perfectly fine

put the wheel back on the bike, on the stand & the sound is back. the quick release is set to a proper tension, basically just tight enough to hold the wheel on, same as it's been for years

thinking the hub needs service of some kind. make sense?

Last edited by rumrunn6; 04-16-20 at 04:30 PM.
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Old 04-15-20, 07:24 AM
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Moe Zhoost
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Many wheels with bad or mis-adjusted bearings will spin just fine. I like to remove the wheel and turn the axle by hand. The feedback you get will provide some clues. If the axle turns with a silky smooth feel without perceptible play you're in good shape. If notchy or rough you may just need a simple adjustment or perhaps a rebuild is in order. A lot of things move around when you roll a bike. Hearing a sound and feeling a vibration when rolling the bike may be nothing ... or it may be any number of things.
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Old 04-15-20, 07:38 AM
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Your quick release will slightly compress the axle and tighten the bearing adjustment vs off of the bike. So you may need to back off the adjustment slightly to account for this. I use one of these axle vises to adjust the axle with the QR installed: https://www.steintool.com/portfolio-...ub-axle-vises/
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Old 04-15-20, 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
Your quick release will slightly compress the axle and tighten the bearing adjustment vs off of the bike. So you may need to back off the adjustment slightly to account for this
def. not that, but thanks (famous last words)

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Old 04-15-20, 04:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Moe Zhoost
it may be any number of things
dropped it off at a pro shop I like
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Old 04-15-20, 04:12 PM
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I use a nut that fits over the drive side axle and close the QR to adjust the preload on the bearings.
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Old 04-16-20, 12:32 AM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
Your quick release will slightly compress the axle and tighten the bearing adjustment vs off of the bike. So you may need to back off the adjustment slightly to account for this. I use one of these axle vises to adjust the axle with the QR installed: https://www.steintool.com/portfolio-...ub-axle-vises/
Interesting tool. One thing I have never liked about cassette hubs is that at least one cone is covered. Freewheel hubs are so easy to set - lock things a little tight and back off the cones until perfect, while also creating a more solid adjustment.
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Old 04-16-20, 02:51 AM
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That would suggest to me that it's the bearing in the freehub that's sounding a bit rough.
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Old 04-16-20, 04:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Eric S.
Interesting tool. One thing I have never liked about cassette hubs is that at least one cone is covered. Freewheel hubs are so easy to set - lock things a little tight and back off the cones until perfect, while also creating a more solid adjustment.
For me this is balanced by the better support of the axle by the bearings, greatly reducing the incidence of axle breakage in the freehub designs.
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Old 04-16-20, 02:09 PM
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heard from the shop. the hub is toast. I'm donating the wheel so bikes-not-bombs can cut it out & lace in another. I'm buying a new wheel. one they described as having a low maintenance workhorse shimano hub. $125, $150 installed, checking spoke tension, swapping gears, tube/tire & adjusting the rear derailer. I'll get it back next week, ready to ride

sound reasonable?
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Old 04-16-20, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
I use one of these axle vises to adjust the axle with the QR installed: https://www.steintool.com/portfolio-...ub-axle-vises/
Thanks for that link! I've been macgyvering something like that for years, but that tool is much simpler. I'm ordering one!
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Old 04-24-20, 01:35 PM
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just to follow-up. got the bike back w/ the new Alex DA22 32 spoke wheel & Shimano FH-RS400 hub. should be smooth sailing now





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