Roypercy

Hi all:

my 1987 Schwinn Super Sport came with a set of un-original wheels, Wolber Super Champion clinchers with no-name sealed hubs, no markings but a sticker that says “sealed bearings”. The front wheel has developed quite a bit of side-to-side slop in the year or so I’ve been riding this bike. I understand adjusting the cones on conventional hubs, but I have no experience with sealed bearing hubs. Is it worth trying to replace the bearings, or replacing the hubs? Or is it time for new wheels? How good are these Wolbers anyway?

old's'cool

Take a closer look. You might find the "sealed" bearings can be overhauled just like any other traditional bearing.

Mr. 66

Sounds like you have Specialized hubs or maybe they are Sansin hubs. The Sansin are most likely cup and cone, the Specialized are press fit.

cyccommute 

“Sealed bearings” doesn’t necessarily mean that the bearings are cartridge bearings. Shimano hubs are usually marked as “sealed” and they are all loose bearing hubs. They do have labyrinth seals and rubber boots that seal them against the elements. Cartridge bearing hubs seldom develop any kind of play since the bearings are usually pressed into place and can’t really move side to side. The axle just can’t move.

Huh? There are several thousand suppliers of hubs around the world. There are several thousand more if you include the ones that are no longer in business. There is no reason to think that the hub in question is a branded Specialized hub in particular.

Mr. 66

Thousands? And thousands more? I doubt that.

Specialized hubs have no engraving, the branding on the seal covers comes off pretty easy.

For the op Wolbler Super Champion were about the best of the day.

cyccommute 

Yes, thousands currently when you include all of the Chinese companies making both OEM and aftermarket hubs. As for Specialized, they use different hubs on different levels of bikes. Some are those OEM Chinese hubs and some are branded as Specialized hubs with engraving. I’ve had a number of Specialized bikes and many of them had hubs branded as Specialized. Most often the front hub is a Specialized hub with a Shimano on the rear. A few had Specialized front and rear but that is rarer in my experience. Most of the Specialized hubs have been cartridge bearing hubs, but not all of them. The hubs, however, weren’t manufactured by Specialized. They are made by the same companies that make other OEM hubs.

It’s unlikely, however, that an undescribed hub on an aftermarket wheel is from Specialized. Their footprint isn’t that large. It could be Sansin or Joytech or any of a few thousand...yes, thousand...other companies. Not that it matters. The main point is that if the bearing is loose, it is probably a cup and cone hub that just needs adjustment.

cyccommute 

I apologize for not addressing you question in my first post. Seal bearings are a bit more difficult to replace than cup an cone but it’s worth doing it. Cartridge bearing hubs are usually a better quality than cup and cone so they are worth servicing. The process is to remove the old bearing and replace it with a new one. This article explains it fairly well. The key is to press on the outside of the bearing rather than the middle when pressing it into place.

But, again, cartridge bearings seldom fail in the manner you’ve described. Cup and cone bearings often have this problem, especially if the locknut isn’t tight enough.

Mr. 66

I never suggested the "described" wheel and hub is from a Specialized bike, but hey maybe it was.

cyccommute 

That’s about the only way that a “Specialized” wheel would be on any bike. Specialized has never really been into aftermarket wheels. Someone may have built a wheel with a Specialized branded hub but it would still be clearly marked. Specialized was an importer for a while but, to my knowledge, they didn’t import wheels. They were known for tires. Even if they did import wheels, they quickly transitioned from a parts importer to making bicycles.

While it’s possible that the wheel is question is a “Specialized”, it’s just highly unlikely. Nor would it matter all that much.

Mr. 66

Yes the S started with marketing of tires, then hubs, bb, and headsets, before full bikes.

cyccommute 

But, again, expecting a random wheel set to have a Specialized hub is a stretch.

CliffordK

The first step is to determine if this is some kind of "sealed cup and cone" setup. Or, a sealed cartridge bearing.

Virtually all of the sealed cartridge bearings are standard, and should be able to be simply pressed out, measured, and replaced with stock off-the-shelf bearings from your local industrial bearing supply store, or a quick internet search.

76SLT 

I have a set of Wolber Super Champion Gentleman 81 rims that came to me on a bike that I can't recall right now, but they are laced to Cycle Pro hubs that have a red label that says sealed bearings. I think Cycle Pro was made by Miche.

crank_addict

Terrific bike. If sealed cartridge bearing hubs, they're easily available and DIY serviceable.

Whatever number is on the bearing (closely inspect the rubber seal for part number), enter it in Google and cross reference to other potential replacements. If unable to verify number, measure with precise calipers and then search sealed cartridge bearing supply houses / online. First check ebay and Amazon.

Also, various bearing grades and type of seal (or none at all) will be listed. You want at least one side sealed.

Depending on bearing grade, one can find pricing under $6 pair (sometimes free shipping from China!)

Servicing is a 10 minute ordeal. The hub housing is aluminum and much softer metal than the bearing. That makes it easy to pop the cartridge bearing out but use caution to avoid marring.

Lastly, if one doesn't want to measure or able to I.D. part number, take it to an auto parts store and they will match the bearing.

masi61

could the front hub be one of these?

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F163495684766

madpogue 

I've seen quite a few no-name hubs with the "Sealed" decal on entry/mid level MTBs from BITD. So far they've all been "sealed" cup and cone, and have either nothing, Joytech or Sansin on the QR.

The Shimano "sealed" cup and cone hubs I've seen usually say "sealed mechanism"; I reckon it's to distinguish it from a cartridge-type sealed-bearing hub.

SurferRosa

Bike makers in the US outfitted some of their '80s bikes with Specialized components at the buyers' request. My '84 Davidson had Specialized hubs, pedals and stem. I also had a '79 Trek with the same cartridge-bearing Specialized hubs.

repechage

Original Poster needs to chime in, but that was a good find, Prices that Meet and Exceed New York prices.

Roypercy

I'll post a pic later. Thanks, everyone

Roypercy

Here’s a couple of bad pics. Any thoughts?

madpogue 

Anything on the QR skewer?

Look closely at that seal that says Japan. Does it have a brand elsewhere around it?

cyccommute 

They look like loose bearing cup and cone hubs. They even look like they are OEM (original equipment manufacturer) since they have the original retention system. The red lines in the picture below point to the cone and lock nut.

Untitled by Stuart Black, on Flickr

The lock nut will need a 17mm wrench to adjust it and the cones will likely need a 13mm cone wrench.

On a side note, that wheel retention system is far superior to the other wheel retention systems we are stuck with now.

Roypercy

Agreed about the wheel retention system, it's such a good idea I'm shocked nobody carried it on.

Thanks for the info! That's very helpful.

mstateglfr 

cycco coming in aggressive yet again.
Why are you bringing up current produced generic Chinese hubs? Thats a 30+ year old rim and the odds of it having a modern generic hub are really small for obvious reasons.
Specialized hubs werent marked, the original post noted the hub isnt branded, and so it was suggested that maybe its a Specialized hub. It may be wrong, but it isnt some crazy comment to criticize either.

Take a breath man, take a breath.

cyccommute 

Nope. Not aggressive. I merely pointed out that Mr. 66’s assertions were wrong.

Of course some might say that you are “coming in aggressive yet again” since you are rather late to a discussion that has been settled and want to relitigate it. We can do that if you like.

Roypercy said

in his original post. Although I’ve shown that they were OEM wheels, we didn’t know that at the beginning of the discussion. We didn’t know that the hubs and wheels were 30+ years old. Unoriginal wheels could be be from just about any date with a nearly infinite combination of hub, spokes and rims, hence the inclusion of generic Chinese hubs.

Some Specialized hubs weren’t branded. Many have been. Specialized hasn’t had that large of a footprint in terms of individual components...as I’ve noted many times in this thread...so the possibility that the hubs were “Specialized brand” hubs based on zero information is very, very small.

My breathing is just fine. Perhaps you should mind your own breathing and take one before relitigating something that is settled.