Last week i noticed some play in my XT rear hub. I therefore tightened the cones up. However, after fettling for some time i couldn’t quite get rid of a weeny bit of clicky play. So, yesterday, I stripped it completely (i left the freehub on), decreased the bearings, regreased them and put it all back together – possibly with the cones being a touch tighter than i’d usually expect. However, the weeny bit of play is still there… Am i missing something. Has anyone else had this problem? Could it be that the freehub needs to be tightened up on the hub shell? I’ve never had problems with Shimano hubs in the past, or needed to do anything with one of their freehubs. The hub’s only about a year old.

Thanks muchly for any advice 🙂

Races and / or cones worn?

Is the play still there when you put the wheel back in the frame and do up the QR? Shimano hubs require this for final bit of tightening ie will feel slightly loose when not on the bike.

Cups and cones look fine to me. No obvious grooves, which was what i thought might have caused the “click”.
The movement is only noticeable when the wheel’s put in the frame. Wheel feels tight. There’s just a weeny bit of movement that clicks. I am loathe to try tightening the cones up even more. They already feel tighter than i’d expect from my previous experience of other Shimano hubs… 🙁

Definitely worth checking the freehub’s on tight, ride with it loose and you’ll damage the threads in the hub shell, and if it works even looser it will jam up the bearings leaving you a 7 mile walk home in cycling shoes carrying a bike with a siezed wheel(which may well have chewed up it’s dropouts in the process).