The spacers on the front wheel of my jogging stroller are destroyed by wear and tear and now the wheel slides all over the place. Can anyone take a look at the photos that I took and recommend something that I can use to replace those spacers that will be durable and get the job done?
by GrannysGlewGun
7 Comments
A bike shop should be able to get you a new wheel with bearings that will last much longer.
Spacers are no longer the problem. What we see in the first photo nestled against the hex nut is the “cone” – the outer bearing race. All the ball bearings are gone. And that means there is very likely damage to the “cups” – the inner bearing races. If the inner bearing races are damaged then the wheel (most likely) is trash. If only the outer races are damaged the wheel can be saved.
If you feel up to the task of rebuilding this wheel, to start, we need close-up AND CLEAN photos of those cups and cones, as well as a good look at the axle threading. Otherwise, it’s a job for a shop.
Honestly this hub looks so far gone, it’s probably not possible to fix properly. What you seem to think are spacers, I believe are in actuality one of the bearing surfaces (cup). These are often pressed in, but you’re not likely to find replacements as they’re generally not considered replaceable components.
That said, I’d consider giving a crack at a not-proper fix. Measure the inner diameter of the hub and the outer diameter of the axle. See if there’s a more or less perfectly sized sealed bearing available. Knock out what’s left of the cups and press those in instead… Hopefully. If there’s not magic/serendipitous sized bearings, you’d need to fabricate additional parts to make it work. This post existing tells me you are not up to that task.
In likelihood, this is going to be a wheel replacement.
Is that a 10″ wheel? It’ll give dimensions on the tire sidewall. The easiest and cheapest route may be to find a used kids bike, trike or strider with that wheel size and scavenge a wheel off it.
Those would be bearings, not spacers.
In the pic, we see a cone, which is backed out far enough the bearings probably fell out. Inside the hub should be a cup. The thing is probably beyond repair, but if the races on the cup and cone, where the bearings run, are reasonably smooth, you should be able to get new bearings and tighten it all up. Maybe you can take apart the other wheel and measure the bearing size to get replacements. Loose bearings are pretty cheap, a bag will come with more than you need. The hard part will be tightening it up again with the correct tension.
You need a new wheel. The cups are gone and any attempt to replace them by a pro will be more labor than a new, better wheel. If you can find a used child’s bike with the same size wheel at a thrift store or garage sale that would be the most likely DIY fix.
OP is still jogging