New rear wheel?

[Bman]

Evening all.

Im not 100% on all these parts names, so I'll do my best. Correct me if im wrong, or ask if im making no sense.


Recently I noticed my rear wheel becoming a tiny bit wobbly. You could move the top of the wheel slightly even though the frame was still. Looking into it, It seemed that the locking nut(?) that keeps the bearings in place had worked loose. I decided to remove the whole lot, regrease the bearings and do the best I could to tighten it back up (as I didnt have the exact spanner for the locking nut). It was a bit of a compromise between it being still too wobbly and having too much resistance. I rode it for a while, it was better, but then worked loose again after about 10-20 miles.

So, I gave in and let the LBS look at it.

24hrs and £11 lighter, the LBS had replaced the bearings completely. Much better. However, The LBS bloke said "One of the rear cones is badly worn, probably the drive side". Ok, I thought. Its done 2500 miles. Then he said "Its going to need a new back wheel, But see how you go with this". I was eager to get back on the bike and get going, so I thanked the man and went on my way.

20-30 miles later, its developed a horrible clicking from inside the rear hub. I haven’t taken the bearing apart to investigate as I still do not have all the proper tools to put it back again (or at least, I assume, to properly tighten the locking nut). But I'm pretty sure its the bearings/cone/hub again.

So what is the LBS man talking about when he says I need a new wheel. Surely I only need a new hub capable of holding my cassette?
How much would a 9 speed hub set me back? I could get the LBS to fit it and true the wheel.

The bike in question is the one in my sig.

Thanks for the help

tldr; Bikes broke, needs fixing.

 

[biggs682]

sounds like the normal answer this day and age fit new part and throw old one away rather than repair , not sure where you are based in herts but these guys seem quite good never used myself but might be worth a try if close by

http://www.byercycles.co.uk/33R0908.html

 

[guitarpete247]

This diagram is from wikipedia on the Bicycle Wheel.

The bearing surfaces are the cups and cones. The cups are the surface in the hub shell and the cones are on the axle. If the cups are shot then it probably is just as cheap to get a new wheel as to remove the hub and rebuild the wheel with a new hub. But if it's the cones you can replace the axle or the cones alone. I've done this several times over the years .
If the bearing goes loose it needs sorting sooner rather than later as it will lead to one or both of the bearing surfaces being damaged.
When you rebuild the bearings always put new balls or ball races in (don't forget the grease ). Tighten, but don't over tighten. If they move from side to side they are loose. If they feel like they have grit in them when you turn the wheel they are too tight so slacken them off a bit. Trial and error till they are right. You will need cone spanners to hold the cone still while you tighten the lock nut.

This video from the Bicycle Tutor might help.

 

[Fab Foodie]

2500 miles ain't much for a wheel.
Clicking could be some crud or s damaged bearing, it can happen. I'm afraid the only answer is to open it up again and take a look. maybe they've put the wrong number of bearings in each side of the wheel. I've done that.
Knackered cups can be checked with a pencil, clean the cups and then run a pencil over the bearing surface, any pitting or cracks will be revealed by the pencil lead. Same with cones. New ball bearings cost peanuts, but I've re-placed the ones without too much apparent harm.

A pair of cone-spanners could be the best fiver you've ever spent....
http://www.inmotionproducts.com/shopexd.asp?id=70

Vaseline works perfectly as a cheap and readily available grease too. The beauty of cup and cone hubs is their simplicity and fixability.

If you're not happy to do it yourself, then maybe a different bike shop's opinion might be worth seeking.

 

[Bman]

Thanks for the replies.

Is rebuilding a wheel with a new hub really that difficult to do? I mean, so difficult a new wheel would be cheaper?

I need to get the bike fixed asap, on a budget. But I do not want to go around with an odd steel wheel. I assumed buying a new hub, and getting the wheel re-trued would be all thats needed.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Surely you can get a reasonably cheap rear wheel from Halfords or somewhere. I noticed you could get one for £35 from SJS Cycles, or even cheaper, depending on the number of gears. I tried building a wheel once, but it's quite a skilled job. My wheel was as wobbly as **** By the time I finished, I might as well have got a new one.

 

[Davidc]

If you're desparate to get the bike securely on the road then buy a cheap new wheel then get to work on the existing one.

As has been said if the bearing cups are genuinely shot and the rim is a cheap one then throw in the metal recycling at the local centre. Otherwise my approach is to replace loose bearings with caged ones - not expensive and makes life easier - and replace the cones unless they're perfect. Use bicycle tutor, Sheldon Brown or similar to learn how to set up the cones and lock them in place. Do use decent cone spanners, I've come across 2 sizes of cones, 13mm and 15mm. A ring spanner is good for the locknuts but not essential.

If you can get the old wheel going then your cheap one becomes a spare. If not it buys you time to get the best deal on a new one.

Unless your old rim is a good one in good condition then rebuilding the wheel probably isn't worth doing.

 

[e-rider]

Thanks for the replies.

Is rebuilding a wheel with a new hub really that difficult to do? I mean, so difficult a new wheel would be cheaper?

I need to get the bike fixed asap, on a budget. But I do not want to go around with an odd steel wheel. I assumed buying a new hub, and getting the wheel re-trued would be all thats needed.

it's a skilled job and quite time consuming too, so unless you have a very high quality rim it is usually cheaper to replace the entire wheel (unless you can do it yourself and have some spare time)

 

[Bman]

Yeah. Today, I bit the bullet. I took it into the LBS near where I work.

They replaced the rear wheel, reindexed the gears, bled the hydraulic disc brakes and replaced the rear pads.

£115 and I am happy (The wheel cost 80, there was one in-stock for 65, but the 80 one was better).

I would have flown home if it wasnt for that damn headwind (Isn't it always!)