#3 Overhaul: Wheel Hub

This is the first overhaul post of many and considering that I had to go through the effort to remove the freewheel to get to the hubs, the overhaul starts at the wheels or more specifically the rear wheel. 

(left) The freewheel with the freewheel removal tool inserted inside. (Right) from the top down: the axle, locking nut, cone and then the bearings can be seen. The bearings on this particular hub are closed bearings, some wheels (typically older ones) come with free/loose bearings.

Firstly, to access the rear wheel hub the freewheel has to be removed. To remove this the correct removal tool is needed and they come in many different shapes; e.g. some have indent teeth to slot into the center of the freewheel. Some removal tools come with a built-in handle to help stable the tool upon removal, my tool does not therefore an adjustable wrench is needed with the tool to remove the freewheel. If you want further detail of the removal of the freewheel then stay posted or check 'Blog Posts' for the future post on the freewheel overhaul.
Once having access to the hub the next step is to remove the outer nuts and sometimes washers and then the outside of the cone is exposed. Once the cone has been undone then the bearings can be seen and if a cone and nut from any side has been completely removed then the axle can be removed from the hub. If the wheel has loose bearings then be careful when opening the cones as the bearings on both sides can fall out; you will want to count how many bearings are needed in the hub or you may want to reuse them, not lose them.

Grease used: Lithium Marine Grease

Here is a before an after image of the cone, bearings and axle. All components have been thoroughly degreased and cleaned before being greased and installed. Normally it is recommended to cheaply replace the bearings with new ones but these bearings were in great condition and I decided to reuse them. An important step is to make sure the threads on the axle and inside the cone are not damaged and are clean before reinstalling into the hub. Once cleaning is complete then lightly grease the threads, the cone and apply a thorough amount to pack in between the bearings (image on the right). Once these parts are finished then move on to the hub. 

Here is the before and after image of a full degrease and clean of the hub and I mistakenly left the bearings in the first photo. Any bicycle degreaser or mineral spirits will work fine here, I have even found amazing results when using car engine spray degreaser. It also helps to have a variety of brushes and cleaning tools, even an old toothbrush will work perfectly and remember to wash off the cleaner with water and then dry the components and try not to use a metal scrub (e.g. wire wool). Once all components are clean then they are ready to be greased and installed.

Thoroughly grease the inside of the hub and insert the bearings on both sides, the grease will hold these bearings in while inserting the axle. Insert the axle being careful not to move the bearings and then screw on the cones, leaving an equal amount of axle on both sides of the hub to be put back on the bike later. As this is the rear wheel, on the freewheel (threaded) side there will be a metal spacer between the cone and the locking nut, make sure there is still an even amount of exposed thread on both sides of the axle after installing this. Then add the locking nuts after the cones but before tightening the nuts, make sure the cones are securely tighten leaving next to no play but making sure the bearings can still more smoothly/freely. When happy with the cones position, use a wrench (typically 15mm) to hold the cones while using another wrench to tighten the nuts. When complete, test that the wheel spins smoothly and with no play (movement) when pulling the axle, it should look like the image below where I have also added the skewer. 

Final rear wheel assembly with the skewer added. The freewheel has also been added but will later be removed again for a maintenance overhaul.

The next post will be a double on which tools and products to use and also the overhaul and the dissemble of a freewheel.