Hub cones the same front and rear?

wrote in message . ..
Just bought four new pyramid brand hub cones all the same. Upon
disassembling my wheels I notice I have 3/16 inch loose bearings in
front and 1/4 inch bearings in back. The cones look the same and a
close match to the replacement cones. doesn't seem to be any
difference except for the width and location of the wear on the cone?
Are some replacement cones ground multi purpose so that they will
accomadate both 1/4 inch and 3/16 inch balls?

I was just pondering this since I just replaced my rear axle and
cones. I suspect that a cone is not too specific to a single bearing
size, as long as the seal positions are not shifted too much, but the
hub is specific to one particular bearing size.

wrote:

I have the old 3/8 26 TPI axles front and rear. My LBS gave me the
only thing he had for 26 TPI axles and they looked about the right
size although they had aluminum dust covers that I had to remove. Any
cone that is designed for 9 loose 1/4 inch bearings will have similar
race profiles since the spacing of the bearing cannot vary that much.

What surprised me was that the LBS said these same cones could be used
to replace the front cones that use 10 loose 3/16 balls?

That is the usual axle size for Asian-made BMX hubs. Your cones
should work in either hub, though they should not be switched between
front and rear once the balls have established a track. Remember to
readjust them once they have worn in a bit.

You should definitely use new balls when you replace the cones. Balls
from a single batch are closely matched in size, so don't mix batches.

Chalo Colina

wrote:

I have the old 3/8 26 TPI axles front and rear. My LBS gave me the
only thing he had for 26 TPI axles and they looked about the right
size although they had aluminum dust covers that I had to remove. Any
cone that is designed for 9 loose 1/4 inch bearings will have similar
race profiles since the spacing of the bearing cannot vary that much.

What surprised me was that the LBS said these same cones could be used
to replace the front cones that use 10 loose 3/16 balls?

That is the usual axle size for Asian-made BMX hubs. Your cones
should work in either hub, though they should not be switched between
front and rear once the balls have established a track. Remember to
readjust them once they have worn in a bit.

You should definitely use new balls when you replace the cones. Balls
from a single batch are closely matched in size, so don't mix batches.

Chalo Colina

wrote:

Just bought four new pyramid brand hub cones all the same. Upon
disassembling my wheels I notice I have 3/16 inch loose bearings in
front and 1/4 inch bearings in back. The cones look the same and a
close match to the replacement cones. doesn't seem to be any
difference except for the width and location of the wear on the cone?
Are some replacement cones ground multi purpose so that they will
accomadate both 1/4 inch and 3/16 inch balls?
Usually the cones for 3/16" (10x10) bearings have a 9mm hole
in them not 10mm like the 1/4" balls ( 9x9) kind.

To see if a cone is suitable, measure the diameter of the
shiny bearing track on the old cone. Now lay your caliper on
the new cone. Is that diameter well away from an edge? If
so, it will work. Other things to look for are outer
diameter. It has to clear the dust cap but not be so small
as to allow dirt in. Some systems require a dust cap to
press on the cone itself. A socket or freewheel tool works
well for that.

Also look at the depth of the cone - can you get a wrench
on it when it's in place? I'm assuming you already screwed
it on your axle and the thread is the same.

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

wrote:

Just bought four new pyramid brand hub cones all the same. Upon
disassembling my wheels I notice I have 3/16 inch loose bearings in
front and 1/4 inch bearings in back. The cones look the same and a
close match to the replacement cones. doesn't seem to be any
difference except for the width and location of the wear on the cone?
Are some replacement cones ground multi purpose so that they will
accomadate both 1/4 inch and 3/16 inch balls?
Usually the cones for 3/16" (10x10) bearings have a 9mm hole
in them not 10mm like the 1/4" balls ( 9x9) kind.

To see if a cone is suitable, measure the diameter of the
shiny bearing track on the old cone. Now lay your caliper on
the new cone. Is that diameter well away from an edge? If
so, it will work. Other things to look for are outer
diameter. It has to clear the dust cap but not be so small
as to allow dirt in. Some systems require a dust cap to
press on the cone itself. A socket or freewheel tool works
well for that.

Also look at the depth of the cone - can you get a wrench
on it when it's in place? I'm assuming you already screwed
it on your axle and the thread is the same.

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

On 6 Oct 2004 21:26:24 -0700, (Chalo) wrote:

wrote:

I have the old 3/8 26 TPI axles front and rear. My LBS gave me the
only thing he had for 26 TPI axles and they looked about the right
size although they had aluminum dust covers that I had to remove. Any
cone that is designed for 9 loose 1/4 inch bearings will have similar
race profiles since the spacing of the bearing cannot vary that much.

What surprised me was that the LBS said these same cones could be used
to replace the front cones that use 10 loose 3/16 balls?

That is the usual axle size for Asian-made BMX hubs. Your cones
should work in either hub, though they should not be switched between
front and rear once the balls have established a track. Remember to
readjust them once they have worn in a bit.

You should definitely use new balls when you replace the cones. Balls
from a single batch are closely matched in size, so don't mix batches.

Chalo Colina

Thanks for the reassurance. The cups in the hubs are polished mirror
smooth after 30,000 miles. The contact area appears to cover about 80
degrees in the cups. After riding to the store to buy new 3/16 balls
the cones polished up over an area of about 20 degrees at the sharper
radius of the french curve shaped race profile low on the cone. the
balls are well supported radially. Apparantly the cones really are
universal both front and rear hubs spin smoother than when they were
new.

On 6 Oct 2004 21:26:24 -0700, (Chalo) wrote:

wrote:

I have the old 3/8 26 TPI axles front and rear. My LBS gave me the
only thing he had for 26 TPI axles and they looked about the right
size although they had aluminum dust covers that I had to remove. Any
cone that is designed for 9 loose 1/4 inch bearings will have similar
race profiles since the spacing of the bearing cannot vary that much.

What surprised me was that the LBS said these same cones could be used
to replace the front cones that use 10 loose 3/16 balls?

That is the usual axle size for Asian-made BMX hubs. Your cones
should work in either hub, though they should not be switched between
front and rear once the balls have established a track. Remember to
readjust them once they have worn in a bit.

You should definitely use new balls when you replace the cones. Balls
from a single batch are closely matched in size, so don't mix batches.

Chalo Colina

Thanks for the reassurance. The cups in the hubs are polished mirror
smooth after 30,000 miles. The contact area appears to cover about 80
degrees in the cups. After riding to the store to buy new 3/16 balls
the cones polished up over an area of about 20 degrees at the sharper
radius of the french curve shaped race profile low on the cone. the
balls are well supported radially. Apparantly the cones really are
universal both front and rear hubs spin smoother than when they were
new.