First service for a wheel on a cheapo bike. Hubs were too tight from the factory (which I learned only months after) and discovered this during service. Was expecting wear on the cones, but not the cups. Could this be from an impact?
by iesalnieks
First service for a wheel on a cheapo bike. Hubs were too tight from the factory (which I learned only months after) and discovered this during service. Was expecting wear on the cones, but not the cups. Could this be from an impact?
by iesalnieks
5 Comments
Incredibly minor. That could be just a manufacturing defect. I’d repack and expect many long years of service from it. I’ve rebuilt far worse.
Totally fine. You can run a cup and cone bearing till it cracks through if you want. Just replace the balls once every year or 3 and even cheap ones last a long time
> Need advice on how much life is left in cone
That mark on the cone has zero impact on life. So, 100%.
> and what should/shouldn’t replace.
“the proof of the pudding is in the eating”
I *very much* doubt my ability to feel either of these two flaws in a built wheel. But the answer is simple – if one can’t rebuild this hub into a state where it spins w/o grinding, one replaces that which they can replace (the cone) and tries again. If they still can’t rebuild the hub into a state where it spins w/o grinding, one replaces the cup (AKA, the whole hub).
I’ve actually packed bearings with toothpaste or metal polish and rode 100 miles or so to “polish” those pits away. I assume the polish causes wear too, but if the pitting is bad and you hear grinding when you ride it’s worth it. My wheel lasted thousands of miles after this until the rim broke. That pit seems minor enough, and if you don’t hear/feel it when you ride, I’d just leave it and repack new bearings with grease.
Cheapo bike you say? Slap it all back together and ride until the noises it makes are intolerable, then look for a new wheel.