kcjc

Putting the bearing in the solvent, letting it soak, and wiping it off doesn't take that much time. Besides, one normally does that with cones and the axle. This is a non-issue.

You may have a point, considering the last time I let someone else touch my bike (I got lazy and couldn't find all my tools after 20+ years) and came back with problems. (They didn't put the new chain on correctly, and I broke a chain on a ride for the first time in my life. They lowered all my spoke tension, and my wheels were less true than when I had brought it in. I hand-build the wheels myself. They left the top nut on my headset loose when the tune-up didn't call for headset service. I supposed they were curious and had never seen a Stronglight needle-bearing headset.) Since then, I have done all my services. At both shops where I worked, you didn't get to work on a hub unless you knew what you were doing or were taught. It's the ability to guarantee the work. We let the customer decide if there is anything amiss. If it's not bad, you can get a few more miles by replacing the cones and bearings. The customer is informed and knows the limits (back to #1, it costs way more than the extra $10 if the bike comes back).

bboy314

Ok, but wiping and inspecting 18 ball bearings at a time is more labor cost than replacing them with a $3 set of bearings. At least that’s how every shop I’ve worked in tends to view it.

kcjc

You cannot tell by the feel?! How they roll on the bench, cupped them in the hand, or over the shop towel? You never double check them out of the bag? I never inspect the old bearings other than as a chuckle or curiosity before recommending a replacement wheel or rebuild with a new hub (no taker over the four years of wrenching). As I said, there is no need to degrease and reuse the bearing as advised by Bike Gremlin unless you can't find replacements (a temporary measure at best). Many of the stuff on his website are questionable.

bboy314

I’m not sure what you’re getting at, the point I’m making is even the time spent cleaning old bearings isn’t worth it to me compared with the cost of replacement.

kcjc

Simple. You and Bill Kapaun cite cost as the primary driver. The national average wage for a bicycle mechanic in the US is $20 an hour. Assuming the overall cost is 3x the wage, Bill cites $10 in labor, which translates to 10 minutes. That mechanic would not be employed too long if he/she boasted about that's the time needed to inspect the bearings (or even half of that). The two shops I worked in were never that busy where our hours were tracked to that level. We just couldn't guarantee the work. I'm more in line it's a bad practice because of wear.

Bill Kapaun

Maybe I used upper case in the word INSPECT for a reason?

Bill Kapaun

Maybe at least 1/2 of us put you on their ignore list because you pick & choose what's convenient?

kcjc

And what are you inspecting? Bearings out of round? Pitting on bearings? If you find that, the whole thing is already shot. Replacing with new is only the conversation left.

kcjc

Would you please because this is getting tiring and you don't have an idea what you are speaking of.

hokiefyd 

Thank you for that. Yes, the more I think about it, 1/8 turn is probably too far, and 1/4 turn is way too far. I do remember a few hubs where I did need a little extra cinch from a cone wrench...more preload than I could get by hand. But certainly...one wouldn't be able to go 1/4 turn beyond that...at least not without putting an unreasonable amount of muscle behind it.

eggnoggbubble

[scrolls up] err...yeah....fair point.

In my defense I'm a novice: I read the words but didn't really understand exactly how they translated to the physical objects all screwed together to make up my rear wheel......But yeah, I concede that the 3rd post did indeed tell me what I was doing wrong . Sorry for being dim, I'm learning, but slowly.....

Bill Kapaun

You'll figure it out....

andrewclaus

Some people learn best from a book, some from a classroom, others by doing. Or any combination of those. That's exactly what you're doing.

eggnoggbubble

thanks. Like i mentioned above, sitting down with a coffee to take my time and watch the whole video was where the revelation came in, watching bikegremlin actually do it all was the key. A good reminder to myself that I often find I learn things best by watching.....(ha, and also not to skip ahead to the bit I think I need.....)