I took my wheel off to inspect the bearings today. The bearings in the sprocket carrier were great, but inside the wheel, I could barely turn them by hand. When I was able to turn them, both bearings and the spacer turned together. Because everything was spinning together I basically had to use both hands to get them to turn at all. Is this normal or should each bearing spin freely from the spacer?
sdg24
Ideally, the inner race of the bearings should touch the spacers, so that when the axle is tightened everything is aligned and there is no lateral pressure on the bearings. In reality, since bearings are pressed in by tapping on the outer race (and they stop when the inner race touches the spacers) you often end up with a little bit of pressure on the inner races, which makes them and the spacer feel like one piece. Long story short, what you see is pretty much normal. As long as they spin smoothly (some force is required because of the bearing seals), you should be ok. If they feel notchy, then either one bearing was pressed in too much, or some dirt got into it, or a combination. You can try tapping lightly on the inner race (of both bearing), sometimes that's enough to release the pressure.
Thanks! They felt smooth when I could get them to move. At one point they seized up but I was able to rotate them back the other way and that solved the problem. Kinda hard when it’s all greasy anyway… tough to get a good grip.
Appreciate you confirming my suspicion that it was probably normal.
Appreciate you confirming my suspicion that it was probably normal.
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