danallen

I cannot figure out for sure what freehub I have. The wheel is a Bontrager Race Lite, which came on a 2009 Madone 5.2 WSD. The hub needs new bearings. I have the impression that some freehubs are intended to be replaced instead of just replacing just the bearings. It looks to me like the bearings can be replaced. What do you think?

What model freehub is this?


Freehub

Pawls

Bearing with seal removed

The wheel.

Hub engagement surfaces and a peek at one of the bearing cartridges.

Non drive side.

A look at the hub shell, to help identify the freehub

Another angle of the hub shell


Outside diameter of bearing

Inside diameter of bearing

danallen

Okay, something is wrong with this post. It's the only o e with no replies. What did I do wrong?

canklecat

Those might be Novatec hubs. Check my August thread on a similar topic. I thought they were DT Swiss but another member identified mine as Novatec.

Trevtassie

Just need the right kind of puller to get them out. A collet type puller like this https://www.ebay.com/itm/11pc-Blind-...Cclp%3A2334524
with a steel plate with a hole in the middle for the legs to rest on. Or if you can get a punch on the inner race, bang away.
Edit: Remove any circlip first of course!

cxwrench

Just buy a new freehub. A Trek dealer should be able to go to their tech site and ID what you need...hopefully it's still made. Given the notches in the splines it's not worth using that one anymore. This post should also be in 'bicycle mechanics' for obvious reasons.

danallen

Great tip. I did not see whether you accepted the offer of a used hub in this model for the cost of shipping. If that hub still is available and you don't want it, I am trying to get it.

I am in the exact situation you described in that thread. I think bearing press can be fashioned using carefully selected bolts, nuts and washers, saving a lot of money. As for removing the bearings, the problem I see is there are no surfaces for putting a force onto the bearings in the direction they need to move. I saw what you said about using penetrating oil.

Do you know the size of the bearing cartridges that go into the freehub? I don't want to remove them before I have the replacements ready to go in.

danallen

Is there a way to move this to bicycle mechanics? I put it here because I was looking for help identifying a freehub I suspected might be used only on road bikes.

I disagree about those notches. Those notches were in the freehub body when I got the bike. They have not got worse.

Question: When buying a new freehub, does it always come with bearings installed?

danallen

I don't think that type of tool would help much. Two cartridge bearings plus a spacer sleeve and circlip goes into the freehub body, all pressed together.. All of them have the same inside diameter. None of them have an exposed surface for applying pressure in the direction needed for removal, because the block of metal holding the pawls also has the same inside diameter. The surfaces between the inside diameter and the outside diameter all are blocked by the hunk of metal holding the pawls.

danallen

Might go with a new freehub body because that might be the best way to get a new set of bearings deployed.

danallen

Would this part fit these 2009 Bontrager Race Lite Wheels?
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/e...-body/p/33885/

It looks the same. Why is this item so cheap, $30? Other freehubs seem to start at around $50 and many are over $100.

canklecat

I got the hub offered by the fellow who ID'd it for me a few months ago. I'll take it and the rim to a friend who builds wheels.

I don't have my notes here but the cartridge bearing is very common -- I was able to check the model number on the old bearing with a magnifying glass.

Yeah, I'm not sure about replacing the bearings on the old hub so I've put that project aside for now. I'm not sure it's worth buying extra tools if this is my only wheelset with cartridge bearing hubs. All my others are loose bearing types -- Shimano Ultegra, various Suntour, Sanshin, etc.

canklecat

Not sure. I might check with my LBS, an old school Trek store still run by the same owner since the 1980s so he's very familiar with all things Trek.

Pizzaiolo Americano 

Maybe something to do with this thread?
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycl...mance-non.html

canklecat

Checking my photos from a few months ago, it appears the Novatec hub uses 6000LB and 6900RS cartridge bearings, pretty common parts.

smashndash

You can use a hammer and pick to remove the bearings and easily measure them. EDIT: just saw that you don't want to remove them until you have replacements. Never mind

If they're standard 6001 bearings, those are easy to find online: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00652Y0EO..._rpiXFb7JPXPGG

If you don't have a press to install the bearings, you might as well just take the bike to the shop for the whole job.