Front wheel bearings on modern bike...HOW??

[DJ Bill]

I've been messing around with normal adjustable cone bearings for eons, but now I finally have entered the 21st century with a Specialized Crossroads Expert hybrid I picked up at the Salvation army yesterday..It has Araya rims, 700 tires, and skewers for quick disconnect hubs...and boy it is LIGHT!
But....the front wheel has some bad play in the bearings....and I've never dealt with modern wheel bearings before...

How do you remove them , where do you get new ones, any tricks to it? or am I bound to find the hub where the bearing sits is worn out and I'll need to build new wheels? With the wheel off I can move the axle laterally and I see what looks like the bearing moving in the hub end.

Not really a rat rod, but I am not on any modern bike sites and I know some here deal with new bikes...
I'd like to figure out what year this was made too, but can't find any serial number yet..

 

[mikeeebikey]

it is just like a regular axle only that one hallow and has a quick release in it.

 

[RustySprockets]

You'll have to examine and judge for yourself the condition of your parts, but this link gives a pretty good overview of how cartridge bearings are employed. (see the cut-away diagram.)

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Bicycles/Maintenance_and_Repair/Hubs/Cleaning_and_repacking_a_hub

Depending on the design, the cartridges may simply be pressed into the hub shell and have worked their way loose over time. It may be possible to re-seat these by driving them home using an inverted socket and a mallet. Other designs may use a pair of locknuts to take up the lateral "slop," much like a traditional cone.

I'm very surprised at the dearth of information and videos out there covering this topic. Something to add to my future classes, I think. Thanks, DJ Bill...you've identified a weakness.

P.S. To answer your other question, replacement cartridges are commonly sold based on their dimensions--inside diameter, outside diameter, and thickness. They're a commodity not restricted to bicycle applications.

 

[RustySprockets]

Here's another link, with better photographs, illustrating the replacement procedure.

http://projekto-b.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-replace-your-cartridge-bearings.html

 

[DJ Bill]

Thanks Rusty!

 

[DJ Bill]

Well, success, sort of.. We stopped for the day in Alma Nebraska, which has a cool 3 mile bike path I wanted to check out the new wheels on. I couldn't abuse it by running loose, so I took a closer look and there is a locknut and a cone nut on the hollow axle. So, I adjusted just like the old style bearings and off I went.. Bike is a 97 or 98 according to markings I found on the seat post, so I'm not sure just what version of cartridge bearings I have in there.. overtightening just the slightest bit locked up the wheel.

Anyhow, I put in 6 miles today, first bike riding I have done in a few months and I have to say a 1998 state of the art hybrid is a very cool ride. The previous owner had the seat mounted tilted down and I don't have allens in my truck so I had to live with that but it was the only problem I had with the bike. It was really sweet. Not gonna flip it, I might sell my FUJI mountain bike instead. (That was my real distance riding bike, but this blows it away.) The gearing is incredible on these newer bikes. Of course the cool factor is completely missing.

When I get home I will have to take a closer look and see if I really need to replace those bearings. mI already found cracked brake shoes so they are on the list, got the speedometer /computer sorta working too.