Fitted a pair of Hope-issued SKF bearings in May. They've developed a tiny amount of lateral play already.
Should I be pished off with them?
Probably, but it seems to be the time they last. Tiny little bearings aren't they?
Seems to be very variable - I get years, PeterPoddy gets days 🙂
I would say just a summers use is not much tho - but its a simple job to change them
I get about 10 months, maybe you just got unlucky and some dirt got in
Cheers.
Back up to the shop in a minute then to buy another pair...
You're not running Pikes are you?
Known issues with 20mm axle wobble with Pro IIs.
If the original (factory fitted) ones lasted longer, maybe you didn't fit them 'square'?
Still on the orginal ones from 2007 doing 100+ miles a week
I put new bearings in (proper Hope ones) did one ride and they are still fine!
But they are now sticking to the axel (RS Maxel) - never did that before. You can see two rusty colour stripes on the axel where it contacts the bearings
Seems to be very variable - I get years, PeterPoddy gets days
He's not wrong. 🙂
They SHOULD last years (My XC hub bearings last years) but they don't.
Why? Becasue the Pro 2 is a compromise hub. In the days of the XC there was the Bulb as well, for tougher duties, but they trimmed that down so the Pro 2 did everything with the aid of adaptors. And it does that just fine.
But pick up an XC bearing and a Pro 2 bearing and look at them from the side. The XC bearing looks like a Polo mint, the Pro 2 bearing like a Hula Hoop.
To make the hub adaptable there was a compromise - Smaller bearings. And they don't last as long.
Simples.
Also, an XC has the same beairngs front and rear. 6 bearings of the same size to change at both ends of the bike. the Pro 2 has 3 sizes in the rear alone!
Small bearings with virtually no seals (especially in the 20mm axle case). Of course they get knackered quick.
yup i get really poor wear times out of my pro2's
2-3 months of 2-3x weekly rides
Don't buy them from a bike shop; take one along to a bearing stockist and get double shielded for less money than from the LBS.
My LBS did them for cheaper than anywhere I could find on the 'tinterweb.
used a proper Hope press to fit them.
Running 20mm Maxle on Thors.
Is there a 20mm hub that uses bigger bearings?
I run mine with Pikes. This'll be their 4th winter with no issues.
Mine are into their 3rd year, occasionally I'll regrease them when I remember. Bike gets used everyday commuting to work offroad.
I get 6 months max.
Years / thousands of miles for me. I suspect a variable clearance / quality control issue especially with some forks. so on some hubs the bearings get misaligned or get end loads they can't take thus wear prematurely.
my pro 2's ate bearings too.
Mine are just on the way out after about 10 months use.
I'll be properly packing the replacements with grease.
I run mine with Pikes. I'm in my 5th winter with no issues.
No issues on the other bike either. Replaced the rear ones allright.
My last set were 'proper' Hopes but I took the shields off anyway to czech grease fill and about 1/3 of the balls had no grease at all.
just had a thouhgt. i bought the bearings in May, but only fitted them when my Thors were away for service and was using different forks and wheel for a while.
Which means I've only been using them since August, less than 2 months 🙁
It does seem strange that a 'premium' product has almost no sealing.
Lasted me about 12 months. Got the bearing tool kit, bought some new bearings and all sorted in the space of about 10 minutes. Very simple. Have these on my winter bike which gets caked in mud on every ride.
You're not running Pikes are you?Known issues with 20mm axle wobble with Pro IIs.
I am, mine are well wobbly! Must get round to doing something about that
Yeah, I had problems with mine, new bearings would sort it but only for a very short while. Grrr.
Getting new forks (new Pikes) solved it for a while.
Getting some Marzocchi 44 RC3s solved it for good!
Seems to be very user-specific though - some folk get on fine.
Not knowing exactly where the front wheel will go just makes a descent more interesting
Correct. It just steers round the rocks!
Shh! Don't give away the secret of my radness!
fwiw both sets of my pro2s bearings seem to last a couple of years
1 is on my xc bike fox floats, 9mm thru axle theyve been fine on some grim bb destroying peaks rides and lots of muddy welsh weekends
the other on my dh bike 20mm bolt thru marzocchis theyve seen abuse in the alps and uplifts in the uk
years for me on pro 2s too, but i also re-grease them.. i do that to all bike bearings especially suspension ones even (and most importantly!) when new. Makes a big difference as many new bearings are " under greased" for a bike application IMHO.
Radioman - I get years and I don't disturb the seals to regrease.
2-3 months for me everytime,shite!
Got a week out of a set in Morzine - it was wet for 3 days, loads of free play and as rough as a rough thing - siezed solid by the time I got back home, have never got more than a couple of months out of a set in the UK - very poor sealing.
Peter's right. The pro2 is a compromise hub. However, the original Hope Bulb 20mm, biggun and now the pro2 20mm all use the same bearing. The physical arrangement of spacer and circlip is identical.
In 20mm form, its easy to see that the bearing has less shielding from general gyke and its always been known that the 20mm hope fronts need a little more TLC because of this.
If you don't regrease, or pack from the outset, one won't see much lifespan from the bearings. This is a maintenance vs design issue IMO, but its certainly not a new one. We, as mtb'ers face this with virtually every component with moving parts - Fox forks with their slack seals requiring increased service intervals, rear shock placement, suspension pivot placement, headset seals, gear cables, chains and lubrication intervals, etc...
Fact is, some people are shiite at looking after their kit or don't recognise when it should be looked after, or think about any kind of causal link between how and where they use their equipment and in what conditions, with the possibility that their kit might, just might, need a bit more TLC than the manual suggests.