GreenRide

Recently bought a bike on ebay, as there were no XL frames available locally due to COVID-19 restocking issues. The bike was used, but only 1 year old. It arrived clean and packaged caringly. I reassembled it without issue, and once I had it fully adjusted and out for a test ride, I noticed some play in the rear wheel. It was enough to feel the bike pulling a bit to one side, then the other. I could move it by had side to side and still had play when taken off and removing the quick release. I watched several videos and bought some tools, since all LBS are backed up weeks for repairs. I tightened the non-drive side (cup and cone bearings) and the drive side, including the cassette, still seemed loose. I removed the cassette and tightened that side. The play was mostly gone and rode a few miles on it. Now, it's back to where it was and there is also a grinding noise coming from the hub. It seems like too new a bike to have damaged or dry bearings, or even to need adjustment. My last bike took beatings for several years with minimal maintenance and never touched the hub. I paid more for this one and it looks great. I'm don't to completely disassemble a hub for the first time unnecessarily, although I'm fairly confident I can do it.


Should I check or try anything else before I attempt repacking or rebuilding?

dabac

If you have the tools to adjust cup&cone, then you have the tools to disassemble and inspect cup&cone. Start there. Report back.
Also, keep in mind that the axle runs THROUGH the hub.
You might only put tools onto ONE side, but tightening or slacking there will affect BOTH bearings.
Tightening the cassette is another so-so thing.
Cassettes needs to be tight on the freehub body, but since the cassette only does its ”real” work when stationary WRT the hub, a little slop usually doesn’t hurt anything.

andrewclaus

This part of your post doesn't make much sense. Normally you need to remove the non-drive side cone and pull the axle out to access the locknut and cone on the drive side. This is often required if the drive side locknut is loose.

If you effectively tightened the two locknuts toward each other, you may have over-tightened the bearing and may have done some damage.

GreenRide

On the advice of my LBS, I loosened the non-drive side to get the extra couple of mms of space needed to get my cone wrench around the nut on the drive side (the spacer was in the way by just a little bit) to unlock and tighten that side. After that is when the grinding started. I barely tightened the bearings, not even hand tight, for fear of overdoing it. The wheel spun very freely, but the side-to-side play has remained. I tried to readjust the bearings this morning, hoping for a bit of luck, but the grinding persists. I'm going to take the hub apart completely now to inspect the bearings and report back if the mystery remains. I am very grateful to both responders so far. I'm new here, so please forgive any etiquette ignorance.

aggiegrads

What is the brand of hub? It is possible for the free hub body to come loose from the hub. Because the drive-side bearing cup is in the free hub body, what may be correctly adjusted off the bike quickly becomes too loose or binds off the bike (although binding is more likely).

You have to take the axle completely out to inspect (at least on a Shimano hub).

GreenRide

It's a Shimano hub (8S Parallax). Can loose bearings cause grinding? If not, I'm having trouble understanding the correlation between the side-to-side play and the grinding. Well, I'm going to fully disassemble and see what the bearings and axle look like. Process of elimination at this point. I've been pretty gentle with the cone adjustments. Maybe I can try to attach a couple of photos. Thanks again, all.

canopus 

https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair...and-adjustment

Its grinding and loose... pull it apart and check it to see if anything is damaged now. No sense in trying to get around this step. Pulling it apart allows a check of the cassette body separate from the wheel bearings. You also get to inspect those for damage.
Get you post count to 10 and post some photos for more informed answers.

tomtomtom123

As most people have already said, disassemble the hub by removing the axle from the hub body so that you can inspect it. When you loosened the lock nut to adjust the cone and bearings, you already went 90% of the way to removing the axle, so there isn't really any reason not to do it.

Also something you said isn't clear. What did you make that wasn't even hand tight? The lock nut needs to be tight against the cone. You can search the Shimano instructions for your model to find out how tight. Typically it's somewhere around 10-12Nm but some are 12-15 Nm. But some manufacturers might be completely different.

Or if you meant that you made completely zero preload on the bearings, then maybe your leaving it too loose. Look for instruction videos on how to judge how much to adjust the bearing load.

​​​​​​​Also there is usually no reason to undo the drive side cone lock nut. Usually you only undo the left non drive side and then pull the whole axle out of the right drive side. If you are undoing both sides lock nuts one after the other to adjust the bearing load, then you are simply losing your first lock nut setting by undoing the other lock nut.

Iride01 

If your cones and bearings are too tight, you might perceive the vibration they make as a grinding sound. I find many hubs with the bearings set up too tight for my preference. IMO, a very, very small amount of play is acceptable. And much preferable than too tight.

If you did have the bearings too tight, then they may have just worn more during the intervening time and that's why they are loose again.

davidad

Take it apart and after you clean the cups, cones and balls inspect them for pitting. The balls should still have their mirror finish. If all is ok grease the cups, put in the bearings and install the axle and cones. The right side should be tight before you put the hub back together. When adjusting the bearings there should be a slight amount of play in the bearings that will go away when the QR is closed leaving a slight preload in the bearings.
If the freehub body is the source of the noise in can be removed and flushed out and lubed with a heavy oil like differential oil.

GreenRide

OK, hub is apart and nothing seems amiss. I really don't know what I'm looking for. The inside was pretty clean, original grease still translucent yellow. The bearings had just a tiny bit of texture, all uniform and nothing like the images I searched of pitted ball bearings. What should I do next? I carefully wiped everything. Just a little new grease and reassemble per video instructions? Should I replace the bearings? I'm extremely impatient to ride my new bike right now. I guess I need to post more things to be able to attach photos? I took pics of the bearings with a magnifying glass.

aggiegrads

With the axle removed, insert a 10mm hex tool (if you have one) until it engages the locknut on the freehub. Make sure that it is tight.

Here is video showing how to remove it, it should make sense what you want to check. There are other videos how to mount.
https://www.madegood.com/bikes/remove-a-freehub-body/

GreenRide

I'm not sure if I should carefully reassemble and try it out, or find some new bearings while I'm at this stage...

Crankycrank

Where are you located? Do you have any bike Co-Op's near you that are open? This sounds like something that would really be much easier to fix with an experienced mechanic guiding you in the flesh. Here is a video of the Parallax specifically. (A little sparse on the narration unfortunately) and exploded view to check if all the parts are there and in the right order. https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/ev/EV-FH-RM60-8S-2391A.pdf

tomtomtom123

If there is any pitting it would most likely be on the cones, which is where you should be looking first. Then the balls and the cups. If there is no pitting anywhere then I don't think you need to replace the balls. If there is pitting on the cones, then you should replace the cones and balls. You could replace the balls if you wanted to, Shimano is $2 for 18 balls.

70sSanO

Get new ball bearings. You have no clue what anyone did before you. Plus you need to get some Phil’s or Finish Line grease. For a few bucks, don’t sweat it.

I probably over-grease, but I’ve never had any hub issues. The key will be in adjusting them.

John

GreenRide

I did get new bearings, cleaned and greased everything, and reassembled carefully, leaving 1/100th of a turn (used my calibrated hand :-) ) off hand tight to allow for QR pressure. Rode 20 miles over lightly bumpy roads this morning and everything is working as it should. No grinding, smooth roll, and just a miniscule amount of play, but it feels perfect. Very happy for finding this forum with helpful and encouraging veterans of the sport.

70sSanO

For play, the best test is checking with the wheel in the frame with the wheel quick release closed. There can be a tiny amount before inserting into the frame but after tightening, some say half way, it should go away.

That said, I haven’t experienced a problem with a hardly perceptible amount of play when installed.

John