OK, so I'm trying to make my trusty old Patriot run a bit better and the rear wheel hasn't been spinning as freely as I'd normally like.

So today I brought a new freehub and in the bag were two bearings.

Having removed the cassette and the old freehub (which was a bit scored and knackered) I noticed the bearings in the hub do feel really gritty and rough.

How do you get them out?

Is it wrong of me to just tw@ the end of the axle with a hammer and assume they'll pop out one side and then the other?

I've never done this before so have no idea how or what tools are needed.

Ta.

There is a circlip inside the freehub that retains the bearing – not a good idea to ****t it.

Ta – but I'm still assuming even after removing the circlip (which I can;t see) that they will be a tight fit.

Is it a bike shop job or is it home bodgeable?

I did a Bulb hub @ home the other day, remove freewheel, gently tap out the axle in opposite direction to remove non driveside bearing, in fact its easy to see here http://www.hopegb.com/voir_PXCAR_image__tgrandeimage_1.html

The circlip retains a bearing in the freehub body, not in the hub itself. The hub bearings are removed by hitting the end of the axle

Top lad! That helps. But – there's 4 bearings on the picture – I am assuming that there isn't really 4 and just two?

It's a fairly easy to do the job at home, yes

Nope 4, 2 in the hubshell & 2 in the freehub

look here
http://www.mountainbikerides.co.uk/fettling/hope_hub.htm

I'm being thick – the other two bearings are inside the free hub – doh!

Cheers – I'll go hitting 😉

Theres 2 bearings in the freehub, and 2 in the hub body itself, so 4 in total

There's no circlips on the bearings in the main hub. I've taken them out with a bit of wood and a large hammer before and it can take quite a bit of force. When you put them back in you need to find something that just sits of the outer race, i found that one of the sockets out of my set fitted perfectly and a bit of grease on the outer face makes it a bit easier. What ever you do, don't foget to put the axle back in before putting the second bearing in, i know someone who did!

If you do take it to a bike shop i can't see them doing it any other way.

The two alloy spacer tubes are slightly different, get them the wrong way round and the freehub will have resistance when you do up the QR! Everyone makes this mistake 🙂

All bits removed 🙂

All I need to do now is reverse the process – but the Simpsons are on and I've got a beer…..

Hehee!

Sounds like a good idea to me!

Hmmm, it's still not happy.

I've pressed everything back into place – and again, the axle feels horrible, really nasty to turn.

I've also noticed the QR doesn't like going through the axle.

Is it possible to bend these things? That's about the only explanation that seems sensible……

It's possible, but I am ham fisted and haven't managed it with mine despite the 4lb lump hammer usage.

It may just be that either the axle is a bit scored or you've damaged the bearings putting them in. I've done that and it's a pain in the whatsits. Now have the proper bearing tool, it's in S Manc if you need it.

Alternatively you could have put the spacers in wrong as one of the above posters said. I've done that too and spent hours wondering why the freehub binds when it's in the frame under compression.

Is the QR spindle spangly and clean or a bit rusty?

Yes I've seen them bent & snapped – CRC do spares.

Yep, I've bent an XC hope axle before.

I don't think it's my ham fistedness. It feels as cruddy as it did with the old bearings in.

If you remove the axle the non-drive side stays on and it feels buttery smooth. Even the drive side one when pressed out feels fine.

It just feels a tad fecked when all pressed in place. It feels very tight (oooh-errrr) but the main concern is a nasty notchy feel as the wheel rotates.

I'll have a gander at either a new wheel (this one is ancient – 2000?) or a spares kit.

The concern I have is I've deformed the free-hub twice now in this wheel – it's grown a bulge on the inner edge that has caused the pawls to get nasty. Each time I've filed it down with the Dremel – but I think now may be the time to say ta ta to this wheel……