MTB front wheel bearings.

"John D. Slocomb" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 18 Nov 2014 06:36:59 +1000, Peter Howard
wrote:

On 18/11/2014 5:11 AM, Ian Field wrote:
Am I right to assume the front bearings also have 9 balls per race like
the back wheel - just smaller balls?

Great care was taken to poke the balls out of the hub onto an old
T-shirt, I ended up with 18 of them - losing an even number would be too
much coincidence!

Thanks.
Every cup and cone front hub I have ever serviced has had ten 3/16"
balls per side. Rear hubs, nine 1/4" balls.
If there are circular steel retainers holding the balls in their little
claws there can be as few as seven per side but for crowded balls in a
front hub, ten per side. Retainers are for convenience of assembly at
the hub factory.
Perhaps someone has been there before you, lost one and left out another
one to redress the balance.
PH

The old rule of thumb was that you installed one less balls than would
fit into the race. In other words if you could jam, say 11 balls into
a clean dry race you actually installed 10.

It did sort of look like too much room was left - now I know for sure it
should be 10.

Until I open some of the hubs with warped wheels, I have no idea whether
I've got any front ball-cages. Sometimes I reuse undamaged ones if they're
there to start with, but I never fit them to hubs that had all ball bearings
to start with.

"AMuzi" wrote in message
...
On 11/17/2014 3:39 PM, Ian Field wrote:


"AMuzi" wrote in message
...
On 11/17/2014 1:11 PM, Ian Field wrote:
Am I right to assume the front bearings also have 9 balls
per race like the back wheel - just smaller balls?

Great care was taken to poke the balls out of the hub onto
an old T-shirt, I ended up with 18 of them - losing an even
number would be too much coincidence!

Thanks.

The most common fronts have 10x10 of 3/16" balls.
Some 'mtb' models have 9x9 of 1/4"

Well they're not 1/4" - so looks like 10 each side.

BTW: is there a standard size for the cone flats on the front?

The bicycle tool kit I have includes a pressed steel flat
spanner for the back cones (that actually fit once I'd
ground the burrs off).

No sign of anything in there to fit front cone flats - looks
like either rummage all the other toolboxes for a flat
spanner that just happens to fit, or grind down a regular
spanner.

Spanner = wrench.

Most fronts are 13mm flats.

That's handy - I found a 13-14 in the tools jumble box I rescued from the
bins at the flats. IIRC - it was a plastic sack full of assorted bicycle
stuff, and they look better quality than the one in the bicycle kit (already
several tools have failed and been been replaced with better quality items).

If the cone flats are dodgy - I'll just search the scrap wheels for one's
that aren't.

"Frank Krygowski" wrote in message
...
On 11/17/2014 4:53 PM, AMuzi wrote:

Most fronts are 13mm flats.

As with everything, some are not. Notably, some current low-end cones[1]
are famously somewhere between 13mm and 14mm. It's annoying in front but
a real pain on the just bigger than 15mm but not 16mm rears.

[1] the ones with four flats. Yes, two chances to be off spec and they
fail twice.

! That's exactly was what was on that Toys-R-Us bike I fixed the other
week! What the hell? Is China instituting another measurement system??

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft cheese in disguise.

On 18/11/2014 18:24, Ian Field wrote:

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft cheese in disguise.

Those samurai swords were notoriously poorly made, weren't they...

"Clive George" wrote in message
...
On 18/11/2014 18:24, Ian Field wrote:

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft cheese in
disguise.

Those samurai swords were notoriously poorly made, weren't they...

That was before the industrial revolution.

On 18/11/2014 19:04, Ian Field wrote:
"Clive George" wrote in message
...
On 18/11/2014 18:24, Ian Field wrote:

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft cheese in
disguise.

Those samurai swords were notoriously poorly made, weren't they...

That was before the industrial revolution.

And since then they seem to have no problem working steel either. Or
indeed other materials. Shimano dominate the bike component market, and
that's because by and large their kit works.

Your comment was dumb. There may have been a time when "Made in Japan"
was a similar indication of quality to "Harbour Freight" or "Poundland",
but that has long gone - they're world leaders, setting standards rather
than trying to catch up.

On 11/18/2014 12:24 PM, Ian Field wrote:


"Frank Krygowski" wrote in message
...
On 11/17/2014 4:53 PM, AMuzi wrote:

Most fronts are 13mm flats.

As with everything, some are not. Notably, some current
low-end cones[1]
are famously somewhere between 13mm and 14mm. It's
annoying in front but
a real pain on the just bigger than 15mm but not 16mm rears.

[1] the ones with four flats. Yes, two chances to be off
spec and they
fail twice.

! That's exactly was what was on that Toys-R-Us bike I
fixed the other week! What the hell? Is China
instituting another measurement system??

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft
cheese in disguise.

Maybe at one time; in the 1950s, pressed steel toys from
Japan were indeed formed from recycled crap.

That does not describe anything I own from Mitutoyo nor the
excellent quality Tange frame tubes I buy regularly now.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 11/18/2014 12:58 PM, Clive George wrote:
On 18/11/2014 18:24, Ian Field wrote:

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft
cheese in disguise.

Those samurai swords were notoriously poorly made, weren't
they...

If IS had those, they wouldn't need to hack away at infidel
heads with a pocket knife...

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 11/18/2014 1:04 PM, Ian Field wrote:


"Clive George" wrote in message
...
On 18/11/2014 18:24, Ian Field wrote:

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft
cheese in disguise.

Those samurai swords were notoriously poorly made, weren't
they...

That was before the industrial revolution.

So you agree that premium quality steel in Japan has a long
and successful history.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

"AMuzi" wrote in message
...
On 11/18/2014 1:04 PM, Ian Field wrote:


"Clive George" wrote in message
...
On 18/11/2014 18:24, Ian Field wrote:

They're copying Japanese steel - which is actually soft
cheese in disguise.

Those samurai swords were notoriously poorly made, weren't
they...

That was before the industrial revolution.

So you agree that premium quality steel in Japan has a long and successful
history.

With the exception of bolt and screw heads on Japanese motorcycles.

If you attempt servicing with anything less than an impact driver, you'll
just gouge out the screw head.