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Front wheel - some water behind the end caps, so I pulled the seals off the '2RS' bearings and there was some water in there too.
The end caps are quite good BTW - there's a rubber seal, plus I made sure there was grease in the labyrinth area... but they're not designed for diving.
Rear wheel appears fine, which makes sense - the front wheel went the deepest (felt like it started to float) which is when I bailed.
I'll get to the rest of it tomorrow.
PS Anyone ever heard of a 'cream' or 'custard cream' bearing brand? Can't make sense of the writing.
You seem to be stripping the bike even though the majority of people when asked said no need. Out of interest, why did you ask when you were clearly going to do it anyway?
Not exactly related, but somehow relevant.
My 9 year old daughter wanted a fidget spinner for her small hands.
We've been designing one together & I bought the cheapest bearings I could find off ebay - £8 for 10 delivered.
They were clearly packed with grease so did not spin freely They are metal ring sealed ZZ variants.
As an experiment I dunked one overnight in neat degreaser, rinsed it well the next morning & .....no difference. They were still packed with grease.
I ended up pulling the seals off with a scalpel and dunking them again overnight. That loosened most of the grease, but they still needed scrubbing with a stiff paintbrush to remove the remaining grease.
I doubt dunking them in a river for an entire weekend would have removed the grease.
You seem to be stripping the bike even though the majority of people when asked said no need. Out of interest, why did you ask when you were clearly going to do it anyway?
Well maybe he was curious as to what others would do and having weighed up responses, thought 'bugger it, I'll check anyway'.
People are allowed to choose their own path without it turning into a contrived 'them and us' scenario.
As above, I'd check but I'm finicky with my kit. I've ridden with others who haven't touched their stuff in ages - since the last time it went to the bike shop for 'a service' and having half the transmission replaced...
The only time I have input is when they have regular mechanicals due to (apparent) neglect. That pees me off as it's avoidable and we all get to stand around admiring the mess.
Now would be a good time to reccomend (As I have done before) this stuff - I've used it in professional environments and it became clear that a by product of what its designed for, its that its perfect for mountain bikes, particularly us lot in the Uk riding through rivers all the time!
If your gonna clean and re-pack bearings, use this. One cartridge will last you years and years so its great value too.
Fundmentally, the grease stays where you put it, even when you dunk it, spray it, pressure wash it...
- Excellent corrosion resistance to protect in humid, damp or wet conditions.
- Highly tenacious lubricants, with outstanding film strength, ensure the specialty lubricants stays intact even in severe operating conditions
https://www.rocol.com/products/sapphire-2-bearing-grease
Its bright blue too which makes it really easy to use.
If taking the wheels off (and looking under the end caps) constitutes stripping a bike, then I don't really know how to respond.
Fair enough. Sounded like you also checked the rear and were going to "get to the rest of it tomorrow" so had me thinking you were checking everything. I couldn't give a toss either way, was just interested why you bothered asking when you knew what you were going to do anyway.
Now would be a good time to reccomend (As I have done before) this stuff
Thanks.
I've so far resisted buying anything else (been trying to get through my tube of Comma NLGI 2 grease)... but I need something better. I've had better grease for sure (better, as in it stays put for longer).
Been back on the MTB just under a year (1100 miles) - perhaps it's time. 👍
My only caveat would be an ebike. I’d definitely strip and dry that out properly as I don’t trust how waterproof they are buy a new one
😉 🤣 🤣