mishathepenguin

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I pulled apart my ~15 year old 105 front hub and noticed that the pressed-in steel cup on one side was rotating freely within the hub shell; the other side was solidly fixed. I'm fairly certain each pressed-in cup should be fixed, no? I haven't worked on this hub in years though I've been riding it all the while, and it seems to work fine, so I put it all back together with fresh grease and my ride into work this morning and it was smooth as ever.

Is there any reason I can't or shouldn't just ride this hub into the ground? It's hard to imagine the thing seizing and I figure the worst that may happen is eventually the cup may wear down the hub body and develop excessive play that can't be adjusted out. Unless, of course, someone can offer up another perspective or share a similar experience?

I've already decided to buy a new wheelset eventually and I think I've gotten enough use out of the hub at this point that I'll be happy to retire it.

Thanks.

dsbrantjr

I would imagine that the cup will just stay put since the bearing balls should have less friction against the cup than the cup to the shell, so there should not be any problem with wear. You could use something like JB Weld to glue the cup to the shell if it makes you feel better but IMO it is not necessary and could cause more problems than it solves. Never Fix A Running Piece.

HillRider

+1 It will probably last a long time as is. A couple of drops of superglue would help fix it in place with less bulk than JB Weld but probably isn't needed either.

Well, there is something to be said for preventative maintenance.

CliffordK

Does it appear as if the bearing races were wearing inside the hub?

While the bearings will turn, they don't add a lot of pressure to hold the thing in place.

Riding the thing, you would get a vertical pressure that rotates around the hub, and probably create precession. The same effect that is supposed to unscrew pedals or bottom brackets if installed backwards.

Anyway, I'd probably clean it up and epoxy or JB Weld it in place. That should at least help a bit, but it may break loose in the future.

dsbrantjr

To my mind, repair ("fixing") and maintenance are very different animals.

CliffordK

Greasing hubs should be regular maintenance. Perhaps every year or few years depending on how much riding.

If one fines pitted cones... fix it.
Likewise, this loose race deserves attention before it gets worse.

mishathepenguin

It was a donor wheel that migrated to my single speed about 3 years ago and has been rolling since without a complaint. I bought some tools to replace the cartridge bearings in my rear hub last week and only just then realized that the hub in question -- the front -- was a cup & cone setup, otherwise I'd have pulled it apart sooner.

When I popped off the dustcap and removed the the cone, the hub was still packed full of grease and after cleaning it out, the races didn't appear worn, pitted, or damaged in any way. I didn't sense any play or grittiness or sound coming from this particular cup, it just turns round and around in place; I figure grease has migrated into any space behind/around it.

Hard to describe without a photograph, but the shape of the hub shell is such that I don't see how the race could ever come out; I couldn't take it out to JB weld it even if I wanted to. I also don't see how anything could unscrew; it's on a threaded/nutted solid axle with all the locknuts properly tightened and hasn't done so ever before.

It's worked fine for years and I guess my question is more curiosity than any concern for safety or extra-extended longevity of the part.

HillRider

OK, your OP made it seem like the race had actually come out of the hub. If it's still firmly locked in place, use the hub with no worries.

fietsbob

So, does it fall out when you remove the bearings?

mishathepenguin

Nope, the race doesn't fall out when the hub is disassembled, it's pressed down inside the hub shell where it should be. There's no way it can come out, it just rotates in it's place, behind the bearings and the cone.

CliffordK

Whatever is causing it to wear will probably cause it to wear more over time, to the point where you will eventally have noticeable wheel wobble. How long?

You can probably drive the race out. However, HillRider suggested superglue which might be an option to try first. Clean it up as good as possible with a volatile solvent. Then to to coerce the superglue to wick into the space around the race. It may no hold, but it can't hurt to try.

I'd probably start hunting for a good replacement hub.

SkyDog75

Another possibility to fix the loose cup in place might be a Loc-Tite retaining compound, if you can get it in there. It's designed to fix cylindrical/rotational stuff in place, like bearings & bushings. Seems like a similar enough application here.

rmfnla

+1

vintage cellar

Just keep an eye on it by wiggling the rim occasionally. If the rim starts moving noticeably than it seems prudent to just replace the wheel / or hub.

I had the same thing happen to an ancient Maillard front hub 30 years ago.