as above, must have changed my bearings 5 times this year in the rear hub. the fron hub has been done once and they are still running silky smooth.

im using proper hope tools and good quality bearings but the rear keeps going rough after less that 5 wet rides. i dont use a hose pipe or power washer and im using good quality grease.

so what am i doing wrong!?

The only thing I can think that would cause premature failure like that is drifting them back in using the inner races.

If you look carefully at the drifts, you'll see that one end is slightly concave to avoid transmitting force to the inner race. It does on mine anyway.

Alternatively, they're not in quite square.

What he said. Which ones are you wearing out?

do you mean one end of the bearing setter is concave? i havent looked that closely!

Al- they all seem to be going! but mainly the hub itself not the freehub

good quality bearings

Been shoping with kaesee?

1) Go to a bearing/transmission shop (yes, people will fake bearings and sell them on ebay)
2) Ask for caged bearings (not MAX/full compliment)
3) Buy SKF or comparable branded bearings
4) Fit them, ensuring that no load is on the balls. I.E. if its going onto an axel, push the inner race on, if its going into a shell, push the outer race, doing the oposite will kill them really quickly.

[edit] everyone else got there first

im using Hope bearings – as in 'proper' hope bearings. dont quite get this bit?? how do i do that with the hope tool?…

Fit them, ensuring that no load is on the balls. I.E. if its going onto an axel, push the inner race on, if its going into a shell, push the outer race, doing the oposite will kill them really quickly.

yes, one end of the bearing setter is concave (its very subtle). I am using an old set from the Hope XC days, so although there are enough drifts to do pro2's, they might have changed the tools since.

TINAS's point 4 is super-important.

ah right – well, there arent any actual drifts for removing the bearings in the new pro2 pack – and pretty sure the bearing setter is flat at both ends, but i havent checked to be honest!

not replacing the seals?

I'd replace the 2 seals and see how you get on like 18 says 🙂

nope not replaced the seals but i clean them regularly and they seem to be in good nick – maybe thats the next step!

Bent axle? Spin the cassette and see if it wobbles – mine did so I replaced the axle and I can see the bend in it.

something else to consider- what bike / frame is this rear hub being used in?

I have several customers with Orange 5's with quick release axle and they keep having Pro II rear hub and disc rear brake problems due to the back end of the 5 being quite flexible

esher – 06 heckler

messiah – worth a try actually as they have had some hammer! i'll check it later