Ok, this is a serious question as feelings are mixed.
7500 mile bike ride in 4 months through africa.
King hubs, bb and headset. Do I need to take spare bearings.
I think yes, suppliers think no, friends are mixed...
I am limited to weight for luggage so something would have to be sacrificed.
What would you be sacrificing? will you have tools to service them?
IMO If the bearings are good when you start and you can re-pack them with grease regualrly as you go to keep the worst of the cack out you would probably be ok.
I would take spare for bb and hubs, cos you won't be able to get them in Africa ,with king you probably won't need them, but if you do and you haven't got them, I would imagine it would be a major hassle.what do a full set of bearings weigh, 300 grams
THey will all be brand new bearings, well i will probably do a couple of hundred miles before i leave. I'm kinda thinking spare hub and bb bearings, not the headset.
i will have the tools to service them,
maybe a stupid question, but are bearings not standard sizes? I appreciate quality differences and all that, but surely standard size bearings are available in africa if required desperately?
i will have the tools to service them,
Take a set. if you dont they will shag themselves 2 miles into the trip... if you do take them, you wont need them. HTH
meehaja - not really a stupid question, in africa you can buy individual ball bearings, however you can not (without major difficulty) buy the other bearings
I didn't think the king bearings were replaceable without big heavy specialist tools.
Sounds like a great trip - where are you heading?
I'd say don't bother with spares. You are taking King bearings that should cope fine with that kind of mileage / abuse. Also, it sounds like you are going to be away for a few months and should you be unlucky enough for the bearings to fail there should be enough slack time in your trip to get a lift to the nearest town and get a replacement set sent out to you.
My own experience of African travel is that you cannot predict everything that will befall you and you need to be able to adapt and make do. There will be someone, somewhere out there who will help you 'make a plan' and keep you moving for the mishaps that come from left field.
lol you want hubs you can fix on route , cup and cone mate...lol.. maybe some shimano ones..
Deffo take a cone adjustment tool for the hubs but i wouldnt bother with spare bearings. (CK hub user still on the original bearings 8 years on)
Chirs king = over priced...the free hub will go at about 4000 miles on no service, take stuff you can replace on the way...
Midlife crisis - he is doing a guided trip around africa costing many thousands "for charity"
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/so-doing-something-for-charity
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/oops-ive-entered-the-tour-dafrique-2012
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fundraising-ideas-1
Hows the £45 000 target coming on? Still expecting people to pay your entry fee for you?
Personally, for that sort of trip, I wouldn't be taking ANYTHING I couldn't strip and service with a minimum of tools. I'd use XT/XTR cup and cone hubs. I'd imagine you could find grease along the way, and a couple of packets of bearings in your spares kit will keep them running forever.
TandemJeremy - MemberHows the £45 000 target coming on? Still expecting people to pay your entry fee for you?
You should probably grow up and move on.
I think the king kit sounds like a high tech solution and like some of the previous posters can't help wondering if a more low tech approach with universally available parts wouldn't be a better option. I'm curious; what bike are you riding? Also be interested to see some pictures of it and the full spec....
Sounds like an awesome experience btw
Cheers
RR
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