Help fixing bike please
- Thread starter JWC86
- Start date
Wow. What a deal. That’s incredible!
Ok so here's a update.
I greased the steering head bearings, they seemed very good, no play or notchy feeling.
Rear suspension is back together with all new bearings, I was surprised that they didn't use bearings on the pivot at the top of the shock (just a bushing) since every other pivot is a bearing. It was seized up so I got that cleaned up and lubricated well.
Rear wheel bearing replaced, free hub bearings replaced(this took care of the excess play in the cassette). The free hub was pretty dry when I disassembled it, I wasn't sure what the protocol is for them, I lubed it with super lube which is a pretty light grease, it functions fine but doesn't have that loud "clicky" sound when it free wheels like it did before. Still free spins very smoothly thou.
Still have to put the chain on and adjust the rear derailleur. Add some Stan's inside the tire and should be ready for a test ride.
I do have one thing concerning me however, the rear wheel doesn't free spin like it should, only a couple turns and comes to a stop, something is dragging for sure. It's not the brakes, did it before I installed the calliper. Perhaps the grease in the freehub was a bad idea? Any ideas would be appreciated.
EDIT: just went searching after I posted this and found this video, in the first minute he explains well how to tell if its the freewheel that is sticky or not.
I greased the steering head bearings, they seemed very good, no play or notchy feeling.
Rear suspension is back together with all new bearings, I was surprised that they didn't use bearings on the pivot at the top of the shock (just a bushing) since every other pivot is a bearing. It was seized up so I got that cleaned up and lubricated well.
Rear wheel bearing replaced, free hub bearings replaced(this took care of the excess play in the cassette). The free hub was pretty dry when I disassembled it, I wasn't sure what the protocol is for them, I lubed it with super lube which is a pretty light grease, it functions fine but doesn't have that loud "clicky" sound when it free wheels like it did before. Still free spins very smoothly thou.
Still have to put the chain on and adjust the rear derailleur. Add some Stan's inside the tire and should be ready for a test ride.
I do have one thing concerning me however, the rear wheel doesn't free spin like it should, only a couple turns and comes to a stop, something is dragging for sure. It's not the brakes, did it before I installed the calliper. Perhaps the grease in the freehub was a bad idea? Any ideas would be appreciated.
EDIT: just went searching after I posted this and found this video, in the first minute he explains well how to tell if its the freewheel that is sticky or not.
Took the free hub apart and wiped out 95% of the grease and replaced with a light oil. Reassembled and its better but still not how it should be, after inspecting it looks like its the resistance in the new hub bearings. I'll run it for a bit and see if it gets better.
I set the derailiur stops and indexed it then all I had left to do was put some fresh Stan's sealant in the tires and I was going to go for a test ride last night. When I tried to take out the valve stem cores the they were seized to the body and the little threaded rods just broke off.
So no test ride yet, I should be able to get into the local bike shop tomorrow and pick up some new valve stems...
I set the derailiur stops and indexed it then all I had left to do was put some fresh Stan's sealant in the tires and I was going to go for a test ride last night. When I tried to take out the valve stem cores the they were seized to the body and the little threaded rods just broke off.
So no test ride yet, I should be able to get into the local bike shop tomorrow and pick up some new valve stems...
It sounds as if the bearing is end loading, slightly askew, or something is rubbing. The wheel shouldn’t have that much drag. And good catch with the grease. That’s a no no. Some hubs do use solid lube (e.g. Chris King ring lube or Hugi/DT star ratchet designs) but never in a freewheel or cassette body with springs and pawls as they’ll stick.
Picked up a set of valve stems yesterday, installed them and poured some sealant into the tire while I had the bead broke.
Went for a test ride and it feels like a new bike again. The suspension seems to work much smoother now which is not surprising given the condition of the pivots.
I’d like to thank everyone that contributed to this thread for your help. Really isn’t much to these bicycles once you see it all and now I have the tools to service it myself which I will be doing on a regularly moving forward.
Thanks again all!
Edit to add: forgot to mention the bike is completely quiet now, no creaks from anywhere, it really does feel like a new bike.
Went for a test ride and it feels like a new bike again. The suspension seems to work much smoother now which is not surprising given the condition of the pivots.
I’d like to thank everyone that contributed to this thread for your help. Really isn’t much to these bicycles once you see it all and now I have the tools to service it myself which I will be doing on a regularly moving forward.
Thanks again all!
Edit to add: forgot to mention the bike is completely quiet now, no creaks from anywhere, it really does feel like a new bike.
Just a couple of thoughts:
1. Are the rear hub bearings cup-and-cone where you need to set the pre-load? If so, you probably need to loosen them up a bit to get them to spin freely once you have the skewer tightened. They may spin freely with the wheel loose, but the pressure from the skewer will overtighten them and they will wear out quickly. A set of 15/17mm cone wrenches is required to get that right.
2. The upper shock bearing is an impregnated copper bushing or PTFE bushing. Neither require lube and should be mounted dry. they should feel very tight off the bike. The amount of rotation is just a few degrees. Feeling over tight is good here.
1. Are the rear hub bearings cup-and-cone where you need to set the pre-load? If so, you probably need to loosen them up a bit to get them to spin freely once you have the skewer tightened. They may spin freely with the wheel loose, but the pressure from the skewer will overtighten them and they will wear out quickly. A set of 15/17mm cone wrenches is required to get that right.
2. The upper shock bearing is an impregnated copper bushing or PTFE bushing. Neither require lube and should be mounted dry. they should feel very tight off the bike. The amount of rotation is just a few degrees. Feeling over tight is good here.
Thanks for the info.
1. The rear hub bearings are just standard
ball bearings.
2. I’ll look into that but they seemed like just plain old aluminum. No slick coating by any means at all.
If you have loose balls in your rear hub crank down on the freehub side and adjust from the left side. As noted, leave a tiny bit of play or looseness to account for the skewer end loading the cones. To get a feel for this you could actually insert washers or a set of dropouts if you can procure them and feel how much this can affect the adjustment. It’s quite surprising for the uninitiated.
I’ll have to look into this further as I have no idea what you’re talking about when you say “cones”. There was a ball bearing in the free hub side that is “stationary” in the wheel and another ball bearing in the part of the free hub that attaches to the cassette. No roller cone style bearings. Maybe I just have the terminology wrong or I’m missing something?
A common round ball bearing in a bicycle is either loose (as in your hubs) or enclosed in a retainer. If the latter, it’s called “caged” while the former is called loose.
That bearing is installed in a hardened steel race called a cup, because aside from the hole it resembles a cup. The part of the hub axle that rolls against the bearing is called a cone (because it’s conical) and is replaceable. The cones are threaded onto the hub axle and affixed with spacers and locknuts. They’re usually adjusted with very thin wrenches (called cone wrenches) that are thin enough to slide into the flats of the cone and still clear the locknut.
On a rear hub it’s good practice to affix the freewheel (or cassette) side of the hub first then adjust the other side such that the axle spins freely but has no play or looseness. Except when a quick release skewer is used in a hollow axle and a very small amount of play is required because when the skewer is tightened against the dropouts the cones compress a tiny amount which tightens the adjustment slightly. Thus, if you achieve a “perfect” adjustment off the bike and install it, the wheel bearings will be too tight and the wheel won’t spin freely and premature wear ensues.
That bearing is installed in a hardened steel race called a cup, because aside from the hole it resembles a cup. The part of the hub axle that rolls against the bearing is called a cone (because it’s conical) and is replaceable. The cones are threaded onto the hub axle and affixed with spacers and locknuts. They’re usually adjusted with very thin wrenches (called cone wrenches) that are thin enough to slide into the flats of the cone and still clear the locknut.
On a rear hub it’s good practice to affix the freewheel (or cassette) side of the hub first then adjust the other side such that the axle spins freely but has no play or looseness. Except when a quick release skewer is used in a hollow axle and a very small amount of play is required because when the skewer is tightened against the dropouts the cones compress a tiny amount which tightens the adjustment slightly. Thus, if you achieve a “perfect” adjustment off the bike and install it, the wheel bearings will be too tight and the wheel won’t spin freely and premature wear ensues.
Have you looked at a Chris King Ahead set? Those were all the rage back in the day, not sure if they're still around
Thank you for that detailed explanation, I appreciate it.
The reason none of that was making sense to me is mine doesn't have a "cup & cone" style bearing. It's a cartridge bearing hub, so none of that applies in this case but I do thank you for taking the time to write that out.
Cup and cone bearings have real advantages in cases (e.g. bottom brackets, hubs) where the system bears side loads. They’re more expensive to manufacture to a high standard, and much more demanding to adjust though.
Cartridge bearings can still end load, and proper alignment is critical.
Cartridge bearings can still end load, and proper alignment is critical.
Makes sense.
