jay4usc

How many miles can I get out of a rear sealed bearing hub? I have about 4000 miles on my wabi classic with standard wabi wheel set, white industries freewheel and my drive train is starting to run rough, hearing creaking noise. I thought it was my chain so yesterday I replaced my chain and I also decided to remove the 19t freewheel I wasn’t using. in the process of removing the freewheel the weirdest thing happened my bearings popped out which was really odd so I ran down to my LBS to have them installed again. I’m wondering if i may have been riding with loose bearings and ruined something or are my bearings shot? The wheels are moving freely but the noises I’m hearing are not normal especially today I started to hear metal on metal sound when my wheel is spinning. Any advice?

Lazyass

With sealed bearings you can pull the bearing race out, stick your finger inside of it and spin it. If the bearings are shot it'll be obvious, it should spin smooth. As far as miles, who knows, they can all be different.

Dylansbob 

I something like this happen once. We figured out that the hubshell had ovalized enough for the bearings to fall out. Our theory was that when I had walked the axle back to get the chain right, I had introduced some torque through hub. Then riding forces twisted the hub shell causing the bearing seat to open up.

Rolla

4000 isn't a ton of miles, but not all miles are the same. Wheel bearings are pretty cheap, so I'd have the shop replace them just to take the guesswork out of it.

Mikefule

How many miles will depend on variables like your weight, tyre pressure, type of surfaces you ride on, how you've maintained them, the quality of the bearings, and so on.

I've just had the front bearings replaced on my fixed, but the back bearings seem OK. This is the first time I've replaced them in the roughly 14 years I've had the bike, but for some of those years I was not riding very often.

With sealed bearings, it is possible to ease off the cover using a craft knife/Stanley knife blade, clean them, add grease, and put the cover back on. A bit of a faff the first time but not a huge job really. You can do this with the bearings in situ.

Check that the problem you have really is the bearings and not just loose cones.

jay4usc

did you ruin your hub? Or still useable after wards? I have to order the bearings non of the LBS have them in stock

cxwrench

What size bearings are they?

jay4usc

6000

cxwrench

Hard to believe no shop has them in stock, that's a size that's used on a pretty regular basis. We stock tons of 6000, 68XX, 69XX, 608...

jay4usc

I went to 3 shops near me in Southern Cal and no one had them. It’s ok, I already ordered them

Broctoon

Modern Bike has them in stock, $4.64 plus shipping. I got some from them a few weeks ago.