RocThrower

I purchased a brand new Grail wheelset from Stan's in June, and after riding for 100 miles or so, I noticed there was some slight lateral play in the front wheel. I contacted Stan's, and they suggested checking the bearings. I pulled them, and found that one was missing a seal, and was almost seized. There was quite a bit of resistance when turning the bearing, where the other one was smooth and turned effortlessly. I replaced them both with some Enduro bearings, and thought everything was fine.

Yesterday, I pulled the end caps to make sure the bearings were still running smoothly, which they were, but I noticed the outer races were both missing a chunk of metal. I know this wasn't the case when I installed them, and I'm trying to figure out what is causing this. The front wheel is 15mm thru-axle with a RS Maxle. I know the Maxle "expands" when the lever is tightened, and wondering if this could cause the splitting of the outer races? The lateral play is back, but not as bad as when I first noticed it. Is "some" play normal for thu-axle setups?

Here is a picture of one of the bearings with the missing chunk. I have since ordered another set of bearings, but this time I ordered them from Stan's, which were quite a bit cheaper than the Enduros.

Jarrett2

I had similar problems with my Grails. Sold 'em. Good riddance.

RocThrower

I'm starting to regret this purchase. Were you having issues related to hubs and bearings?

rmfnla

I've not played with these but this sounds plausible...

dsbrantjr

It seems to me that if the axle exerted enough force on the inner race and balls to split the outer race that the bearing would be locked up, or nearly so, by the pressure. It certainly would not spin freely. Were the bearings possibly improperly pressed in, perhaps by exerting force on the inner race instead of the outer one? If this were done the balls would exert a considerable force on the edge of the outer race.

chriskmurray

Not sure what is causing your bearing loosing a chunk of metal but the thru axle only expands within the fork lowers to lock it in place, it should not affect the bearings. You said you were positive it did not look like this after pressing in new bearings? Did the original bearings have a similar defect? What method did you use to press them in? It might be worth buying one more set of bearings since they are relatively cheap and hope for the best being careful to press them in smoothly, ideally with a press and not a hammer/socket if that is what you were using. If that doesn't get it I would contact Stan's about a warranty.

With that being said, Stan's just uses re-badged Chosen hubs which are not known for holding up the greatest.

Ronno6

Looks to me to be a retaining ring to hold the seal in place.
The gap may be by design in order to give room to collapse for removal.
Do both bearings have identical gaps?

RocThrower

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I used my bearing press and the proper drifts (6902), installing them one at a time. I am positive those missing chunks weren't there after installing them. The missing pieces are not the same size either. Prior to taking the picture I posted, I wiped the grease away, and the rag snagged where the metal is missing, leading me to believe the edges are rough and not machined that way.
It's hard to explain, but the outer race looks like it's spilt into two pieces, but I'm pretty sure it is/was one piece.
I do have yet another set of bearings on the way, and I'll probably contact Stan's again if those get destroyed.

RocThrower

Oh man, do I feel like a total idiot now. I looked on Enduro's site, and sure enough, I believe these are snap rings to help keep the seal in place. Thank you so much for this insight!

"Enduro SRS Type Seals: Featured on many of our ABEC 5 level bearings, these seals employ a snap ring that can be removed with a small knife for quick and easy servicing. These seals can be removed with no danger of bending them while perfuming lubrication service, ensuring they will spin as smoothly after. The single sealing lip makes contact on a step machined into the inner race, and sealing as an axial face seal. This type of seal configurations has extremely low rolling resistance and speed, while being an effective barrier against dirt and water. "

Plimogz

nice bearings, thanks for sharing

Ronno6

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every now and then...........

rmfnla

Funny; good call, btw...

fietsbob

Measure ?.. Cartridge bearings have Type numbers such as "6001".. you get the ID the OD and the Thickness Measured ..

and go to a bearing supplier... if not QBP etc, via your LBS.

You have to remove them first, of course..

RubeRad

Perfuming lubrication? Chain-L has a unique aroma, but I don't think it's quite thick enough for use as bearing grease...