McMoonter posted pics of our recent x Scotland ride and the antique I was riding. After the trip, I found some minor play in the BB and couldn't find my old C spanner to adjust.
Another one arrived this morning followed by a spot of leisurely fettling. What's this, back wheel a bit wobbly as well...? Seems the driveside cone/locknut had come undone and were in the process of unwinding.
That could have been embarrassing miles from anywhere. Just goes to show, keep an eye on em and invest a bit of time to avoid future aggro.
Or, come out of the dark ages and use a hub with cartridge bearings 😛
Philistine 🙂
Yeah, like my CB hub with cart bearings that needs constant attention and is made of swiss cheese 😉
Unlike my old formula hubs on my generic budget wheels that have been going for years and I've never touched them once. Still smooth.
But in general, you can regularly fettle, or leave it and fettle the bits that go wrong at the time. I've been doing the latter but results in regular fettle as one bit fixed another bit goes, and so on. Always maintaining something, especially if you have a few bikes.
I do try to check everything critical is done up though before a ride.
Dark ages hahaha
I use cup and cone on race wheels as if you dont wield spanners like a gibbon you can gain precious seconds just by preparing hubs correctly
I have long tried to persuade my most regular riding companion of the virtues of preventative maintenance. We rarely had a ride which wasn't interrupted by some mechanical problem of varying severity. However he has bought a new Tallboy so we have a period of grace before bits begin to wear out and break on the trail. When I tell him I think his bike needs some job doing he turns and says," I have literally no idea what you are talking about"
I was in my LBS the other day discussing bouncing the bike up and down a few times to identify the rattly bits, with the mechanic. It seems that even this is too much trouble for a lot of people.
Yeah, like my CB hub
CB, you say? 😛
Fettling with special single use tools is a sheer pleasure. I still have a complete set of Campagnolo spanners and a lovely tacx fixed cup bottom bracket tool which has a locking screw which inserts from the adjustable side so there is no chance of knuckle skinning.
Big fan of cup/ cone bearings nothing rolls as quick as a high end loose ball hub
Seems the driveside cone/locknut had come undone and were in the process of unwinding.
They do that. 👿
Loctite them on (just the pesky drive aside ones) and lock them together REALLY tightly. Never had one loosen off since doing this. 😉
trail_rat - Member
I use cup and cone on race wheels as if you dont wield spanners like a gibbon you can gain precious seconds just by preparing hubs correctly
orangeboy - Member
Big fan of cup/ cone bearings nothing rolls as quick as a high end loose ball hub
+3
Never mind the way they roll, there's another advantage. Any crap that gets in tends to get flung out whereas in "sealed" bearing it stays in the groove and grinds away forever.
All a cup and cone needs is a little maintenance from time to time - on a mtb that means cleaned out and new grease and they will last forever. When the balls are getting a bit past it, then about £2 buys you a new set. WIth no maintenance they don't last long, hence their reputation amongst the unmechanical as being unreliable.
If you go back 100+ years, the surfaces our grandparents were riding on weren't much different from trail bike stuff yet their unsealed hubs lasted forever. Their commuting mileages eclipsed anything the average trail bike sees. All it took was a little oil dribbled in after a wet or muddy ride and new ball bearings probably once a year. If you buy a vintage British bike that's been looked after, odds on are that it has its original hubs and BB even though its mileage by now is the same as a worn out car.