MTB front wheel bearings.

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.

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

On Monday, November 17, 2014 12:37:07 PM UTC-8, 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

e.g. http://www.damourbicycles.com/images...ts/2218124.jpg

-- Jay Beattie.

"jbeattie" wrote in message
...
On Monday, November 17, 2014 12:37:07 PM UTC-8, 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

e.g. http://www.damourbicycles.com/images...ts/2218124.jpg

-- Jay Beattie.

Thanks - I've got a few front wheels with warped rims, so no need to buy
more bearing balls just yet.

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"

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

"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.

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.

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.

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

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??


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 11/17/2014 4:37 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
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??



Measurement?
You're not cynical enough.

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

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. The idea being that the
balls rode between the inner and outer race and not rubbing against
each other.

As someone else relates, if there is a retainer then fewer balls are
used.
--
cheers,

John D.Slocomb