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Just DIY changed the bearings in my rear planet x superlight hub as they were shot, the new ones are enduros. The only thing is, they do feel exceedingly stiff/tight when turning the wheel by hand.
1. Is this something that will ease up over time?
2. In the grander scheme of things would it make much of a difference to rolling resistance?
Thanks
Enduros have lots of grease in which makes them feel stiff, when you try to turn the axle by hand, but makes almost zero difference to the action on the bike.
I say almost zero, as crazy pro racers (Peaty) oil their bearings and take the seals out to make them spin free-er for racing (but that's really only a mental difference to help them push hard - it's immeasurable).
Great, thanks for the info, I suppose oiling the bearings would require more regular maintenance (re-oiling).
They'll break in a little but like Brant says- it feels stiff to a finger but just think how irrelevant that resistance is in terms of a pedal stroke.
I found Enduros tight in my hope hubs and wet and dry'd the inner hub faces where the bearings pressed in ( talking thou's) stopped the hub crushing the bearing and making it stiff. Run nice and smooth now. Take them out and use a digital measure to see if the outer race is slightly larger. Again a few thou can crush the bearing inwards.Never took any grease out of them, as seemed fine. On a light rolling set of bearings, the difference is quite noticeable with wheels and BB.