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If it says 'sealed bearings' does this mean I never have to touch them until the day they eventually die? Or should I be squirting some lube in there regularly, even though I obviously can't dis-assemble and re grease like 'normal' bearings? I'm thinking Shimano jockey wheels here, but I guess the question can also apply to hubs, headsets, and even bottom brackets...
With most rubber sealed bearings you can pop off the seals and then add extra grease.
I run a very tough long lasting weather proof grease on the the bearings I fit, only a few brands like enduro and some others have weather proofed bearings.
Do you know how to get the seals out/off and back in?
They are [i]normally[/i] 'fit and forget'.
It is possible to pop the seals out of some of them and add/replace lube and in some applications e.g. external BB cups it can be worthwhile doing so. But you can do more harm than good if, for example, you don't get the seals seated correctly.
I have done some of the bigger ones, headset and BB, but wouldn't bother with hub bearings.
I've stripped, freed, cleaned and re-lubed SRAM jockey wheels but that was because they were seized solid so I had nothing to lose.
lifting seals possibly worsens the quality of the sealing but I almost always find bearings underfilled for mtb use (prolonged operation in kacky environment) so I usually lift a seal and fill em with grease. Some would say this afects operation of the bearing too but I've never seen early bearing failure this way and I've not seen/felt any evidence of impaired operation (but then how might I tell ?).
If you can pop the seals first and pop in some marine grease they should last a fair bit longer.
My view is not to pop the seals - I believe this leads to seal failure and then bearing failure.
good quality bearings have complex seals - they will be damaged on removal.
I get long life out of the sealed bearings in my wheels without removing seals
Hello TJ 😀
As I have said before, top end bearings have very good seals that can be removed with the right tools and tehcniques, then refitted properly.
Why not contact schaeffler and simply ask them about this
http://www.schaeffler.co.uk/content.schaeffler.co.uk/en/_global/contact-list.jsp
or accord the UK importer for SKF, I'm not sure where you got your info from, but you have most certainly not bothered to ask any experts.
Or as I have also suggested come over for a visit and I will demonstrate that the seals can be removed and replaced without damage to them.
Marine grease is quite a good grease, however there are other better greases for this task.
My view is not to pop the seals - I believe this leads to seal failure and then bearing failure.good quality bearings have complex seals - they will be damaged on removal.
But how well does the side of the bearing pointing towards the middle of the hub need to be sealed? On rollerblades/rollerskis I tend to take off the seal on the inside and leave it off for less drag (I'm a lot less anal about bike bearings).
I'm with Kaesae on this one.
I've not had a lot of luck with cartridge bearings over the years, but I've just fitted a set on my commuter/tourer (pretty cheap bearings admittedly, but I already had them) and popped the seals of and stuck some good grease in. It's the stuff we use in the quarries on machine bucket pivots, so it's up to the job I reckon!
I'll see how it goes....
🙂
i pop and grease mine ! i also clean / regrease = they last ages
paul
It must also depends on the seals. The seals on my replacement Hope (genuine so SKF or whatever) rear axle bearings were not at all tight fitting and could easily be removed without damage. One bearing had no grease at all in it, and the other had very little, so neither would have lasted 5 minutes if I'd just stuck them in
what are these specific tools and techniques for removing the seals then?
Swann Morton surgical knife and blade. Lifts seals off a treat!
good quality bearings have complex seals
Yes ,on gas turbines ,high speed pumps,jet engines..etc
Push bikes not so much. 🙄
as i thought sharp blade is all thats required and a strong thumb to reseat
in my last job we used dental tools liket these
well the mirror one is no good but the others work a treat 😀
Definitely not fit and forget.
Add grease not oil.
Decided to pop the seals open on my new Hope Pro2 front bearings to check the grease fill before installation. 50% of the bearings were lightly covered, 50% completly dry. Filled them full as possible and put them in with popped seal on the inside.
Whats a good grease then Kaesae?
Silkolene RG2 from motorbike shops.
almightydutch - MemberWhats a good grease then Kaesae?
His own unique man-grease. His mum helps him "make" it.
The seal is just a dust/debris/splash seal, it is not designed for immersion or to prevent water ingress, you need a primary seal for that. I've seen a few bike apps with a proper seal, hope rear hub for one, so popping the seal and reseating it is unlikely to make it any worse.