HOW TO: Replace Sealed Cartridge Hub Bearings // No Special Tools! 

put the new bearing in the deep freeze for an hour first - makes it a tiny bit undersize and easier to press. Thanks for a nice clear film

Hell yeah! This was so concise and simple. Finally an end to my 4 hours online trying to find out how to switch bearings/what bearings are used in what hubs. Thanks for the video! :D

That tip to push the sleeve to one side...very helpful!

My nearest bike shop is six hours drive away. (Think remote Australia) This tutorial has saved my day. Thankyou!

I saw those drawings and was like, 'this guy's definitely an mechanical engineer'

I loved your delivery, mild humour and technical knowledge, great content definitely gives me the confidence to tackle the bearing replacement on my hubs! Many thanks

OMFG brother best video on the entire internet, simple clear concise I done my servicing's on four bikes now. WOW thank you, thank you, thank you. :)

You earned a sub just from the kickass drawing and explanation you gave. Thanks a ton!

The BEST tutorial ever. Very brief and easy to understand.

Thanks for the very clear and straightforward explanation!

Love this, good job the drawing makes a big difference.

Thanks for the how to. Have some wheels I will service using this method!

Excellent explanation. I like how you show theory of operation with your drawings first, absent on almost all RU-vid how-to videos. it helps us understand what we're doing as we go through the steps. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

The diagram was really clear, thanks so much for this

Great video - best bike repair video I’ve watched 👍

Your freehand sketches are great, somehow easier to understand than perfect straight-line engineering drawings. Thanks.

Thank you for such a clear and easy to follow set of instruction😎👍🏻

Thank goodness I found this video….and thank you!!!

Clear, well-edited, good communication - gave me the confidence to do it myself. Thanks!

I like that you always draw the anatomy and in different colors! I could understand visually. Thanks. Just subscribed!

Thank you for the video this is helpful information.

Excellent detailed install!!!' Thanks

I just use Simple Green to demuck my bike which does the job . I then spray / wipe on some WD-40 after the bike is dry as WD-40 makes things shiny , water resistant and helps prevent dust / muck from sticking . I would never wax my bike nor any part as wax builds up into tight sealed areas over time .

Done this process a few times on my own wheels but have to say this is one of the most clear and concise videos I’ve seen on this procedure. No expensive tools used, very articulate and informative.

Very concise, I like it😊

I've been searching and searching and this is by far the best tutorial for replacing bearings. Great job and thank you!

What a great lesson.

Thank goodness we went away from cup and cone bearings…

Best way to wash a bike is just a little lights mist of water to get it damp, then use a damp small washcloth, rinsing the cloth out under running water every so often to remove the dirt and debris as it builds up on the cloth and to prevent scratching the bikes surfaces. This whole soap suds your bike down fad is definitely purported by component manufacturers so you destroy your bike parts. There is simply no need to soap suds your bike. If you do have some oil/grease to remove on surfaces, use Super Clean in a water to cleaner ratio of 16:1 or 8:1 concentration and use use a towel or even cue tips to apply it only to those areas and then remove the degreaser using a towel, since hosing it down after could flush degreaser right into bearings. Take care of your bike and it will take care of you.

Excellent description.

I just stumbled on your channel, love your content my friend! This channel will blow up!

I'm thinking on purchasing wheels that use this type of bearing system, how long do your bearings last.

First video I have watched from this guy and I am so impressed that I subscribed. In particular, the animated drawing of the hub profile was useful to me.

Dumb question, but how do I know what bearings to use for my wheel?

This was great!

I really appreciate the tip about using the old bearing as a a drift. Wish I'd have seen this before I did all the bearings on my full sus with sockets.

Fantastic explanation of how to replace cartridge bearings. I especially love the way you create a DIY bearing press. Thanks!

Thanks for this video. I had a great experience with Hunt customer service, as well. I broke a spoke on my 2+ year old Mason X Hunt wheel. I contacted them and they said they would send a new spoke free of charge, or if I sent them the wheel the would replace the spoke and return the wheel to me. The process took about a week or 10 days, and they replaced two spokes and retensioned my wheel. So, thumbs to indeed, to Hunt. (so much that I bought another set of Hunts myself and encouraged a friend whose bike I was working on to purchase a set too)

Very helpful video. 5:55 i found the best way to help centre the inner sleeve is to put the wheel on it's side and level, then the sleeve will be vertical and the bearing will compress on to it squarely. As for cleaning, chain and gear degreaser might make your drive train look awesome but will liquify any bearing grease!

This is exactly what I needed and cannot thank you enough. After spending 60$ at i9 on bearings I was too cheap to spend another 80 on the press kit and extractor so I just got the end cap extractor. This was the last piece to my puzzle, the homemade bearing Press. Lol and of course tips on how not to destroy my hubs. Thanks again. Subbed ..

Great video again today, and also nice to get to root cause. Are you still going to use the Nano Cleaner, but just not anywhere near your hubs, or are you going to find a different cleaner?

With the drawings is just very easy, well done

The drawback to using washers instead of a proper press with drifts, is it's hard to exert the forces evenly and keep it aligned while installing. Some bearings are tight enough to shift off-center, tilt, or bend even a thick washer. You do cover this at 5:15, though it is not always so easy to fix it. A proper press with drifts makes it so much quicker, easier, reliable and trouble-free.

The oldschool way. Thumbs up.

You made pressing the bearings in straight look easy! But I got it done and your video was super helpful. Thanks so much!

Very helpful, thank you! I have some 38-year-old Suzue hubs with cartridge bearings and they are just now starting to wear out. Replaced the bearings with some nice Phil Woods and it's as good as new.

Also yes kudos to Hunt - that's customer service right there

Thank you for that - exactly what i needed. I'll also second your high praise for Hunt's customer service after they replaced the freehub on my Gravel 30s in just three days and with no charge. I suspect it failed for the same reason as your front wheel bearings and they could easily have been less generous.

Does anti seize work instead of grease?

im newbie here 😊 can ask something ? what if i dont put that tube that you put in the middle of sealed bearing ? tnx for the response 😊

Rather than use a screwdriver to tap out the bearing you can use a dynabolt to attach to the bearing and tap out the bearing by hitting the dynabolt. See ozcycles

thank u bro. Ive been trying to fit a lowrider bike rim on a old schwinn town and country rear axle. (rear end fitted to lowrider bike frame). Bike rim with caoster break removed , trying to do pretty much this same process, except one side is 22mm . Other side is 30mm. Axle is 16mm. In exchange its taken space needed to lock onto axle. Is this like a rare occurance? i cant really find anything as such on the web. Maybe typing in the search wrong. But i have had it rolling. And it will be pretty good after i paint it and get it back together. 144 spoke gold twisted and fan pattern rims. White walls. Just the way it sits is sick! any suggestions would be glady appreciated and put into project . New subscriber. Gracias

great tutorial ! thank you ! btw seding new bearings even if it is your mistake it is great customer service!!

Your videos are great! Very informative and super clear explanation! Thank you for your time and dedication!

I have this similar hub but the inner cartridge is super super stiff and only gives around 1mm adjustment to knock out the bearing which doesn’t give me enough purchase to on on out the bearings, any advice?

Outstanding tutorial! Thanks so much!

Since I immersion wax my chains I don’t need any cleaning chemicals. I just hose the bikes and wipe off excess water. I get nickel plated cassettes and chains just to be a show off about how clean my drivetrains and entire bikes are. Anyone who thinks immersion waxing is too much hassle hasn’t done it, hasn’t done it right, isn’t thinking about the cumulative time of bike cleaning, or owns stock in a petroleum lube company.

another great video to save to my favorites since i have the same hunt wheels. thumbs up to hunt wheels on their customer service!

I know it’s an old video but just found it. It’s the best I have seen so far and the animated sketch is really world-class. Kudos!! I have two questions. 1) Isn’t there a bearing removal tool (like the Park tool for bottom brackets) for these small bearings? You know, the one that expands in the groove and allow to tap in on the whole surface. 2) Why don’t we put retainer compound here but we do on the bottom brackets? Thanks a lot, I subscribed

I’m enjoying the bike so far ru-vid.comUgkxMesz3KOGEmwmvyKQfLfrRSUXLFzfVHZA My only real complaints are the brakes and the pedals. I feel like a bike designed for bigger people should have much larger pedals and more heavy duty brakes. I’ve only gotten two really good rides out of it, minimal downhill action, and the brakes feel like they’re already going out. A larger person has more momentum, so I think this wasn’t thought through very well. Also, I wear size 13-14 wide shoes. My feet cramp up on these pedals that are clearly made for smaller feet. Since I’m not a pro rider (and I don’t think many are who purchase this bike) I don’t think that the straps on the pedal are necessary at all. None of this takes away from the enjoyment I get from riding, however. I’ll just head to a bike shop to improve on a few things.

Very informative, this will help me to do a replacement to thea bearing of my hubs.new friend here.thank you

Excellent video, made it easy to understand from a non-confident home mech like myself.

Great video, and even greater revelation for me. The Muc-off cleaner eats away the grease of the bearings! I have replaced my free hub three times this year and nobody understood why it would wear off so quickly. Well, turns out I started using Muc-off. So, which cleaner would you recommend instead?

I had my bearings replaced about 500 miles ago, and now the wheel has developed excessive play. I don’t use aggressive cleaners or jet washer, and don’t ride in bad conditions. Is there anything other than the bearing that lead to this? I can’t see anything obviously loose. Any idea? It’s disc thru axle and it is torqued up correctly

Exactly the same . My bearings gets literally destroyed, just only washing bike and degrease the transmission, thanks to the muc-off product shit. stupid as hell.

Any suggestions for better/best bearings for DT Swiss style hubs, is i9 good? speed ceramic or Chris king maybe too pricey for me. Thanks!

Pop the seal off the bearing and clean/grease them. Save a few dollars and time wasted waiting on shipping or travel time to the shop.

TY for this video. I havent taken apart hubs yet. I ride lots so this will help me considerably with my magnesium alloy rims. I like your animated schematic a lot. I bike lots and usually change wheels before the bearings fail. You mentioned cleaners as a possible cause of corrosion. I am certain you are correct. Water pulls away oil particles slowly and cleaner likely does that too. Storing the bike in a really hot spot will do that also.

Great video! Clear, concise, and highly informative. Thx!

Nice job i think I'll try this myself..i see myself doing this job on a regular cause my bearings are exposed..

Really useful video, love the cross section diagram too 👍

What a brilliant video. I wish all RU-vid videos were like this.

Lectric has a problem with bad rear axle bearings on the XP Trike. They have no fix at this time and will replace entire trike. Not acceptable to me as I want better bearings and am willing to do it myself. They won’t tell me how to remove the axle on the offending side. Anyone work on this yet?

Ugh dang muc off!!! We were using that weekly! Done with that now! So glad you brought that up!

Great information. So do all new hubs have these bearings. I have a Bombtrack beyond 1?

Love yout tutorial sir thank diy soon press bearing tools

So, I had the exact same issue on a different set of wheels. Guess what the commonality is...Muc Off cleaner! Straight in the bin it goes

Oh boy i am using the muc off cleaner. I need to check my bearings now. What do you suggest for a bike cleaner?

Can you suggest how I can enlarge my axle to 12mm dia. I dont see any sealed bearings 25mm od and 12mm id. Thanks

The grease in bearing’s on bike would it be worth manufactures using marine grease instead?

Thank you, you've answered my questions. Best.

What do you recommend to clean the bike with?

Got 4 new bearings for my rocker bmx but sadly it's got completely different axles i only replaced 2 bearings the other 2 old ones won't come out and they're sealed like these but yeah idk I'll see what a bike shop can do and another bike i bought from them its an amazing brand it's a kink street bmx and the brakes don't work and the cranks do this weird jolt type movement and clank really loud noticed right after i got the bike anyway thank you so much tho and i just now subscribed

How do you remove the dust cap of a front hub? I'm stuck in that part. Lol

Top tier video! Thank you so much

Very thorough and well explained 👍🏻

What do i need if the wheel is slightly moving i changed to new bearings but it continues moving slightly

Great video. But what hub bearing cab comes off that easy?

You say here stop when the bearing is seated? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7SRa1tpU4XM.html does this mean hub has some kind of limiter for the bearing not to go too much inside?

haha :) best is how you remove end cups :D in real life it's not that simple: D

I am replacing my cheap Fulcrum Racing 5 wheel bearings which really didn't last long - months only. (Bearings used by parent company Campagnolo on my Campag wheels last 1000 times longer). I had read years ago that new cartridge bearings quite often are generic and not greased properly for bike wheels and the extreme impact and torsional loads involved. My new replacements from Ebay were definitely compatible but I thought I would check inside before installing. Sure enough, there was very little grease in each (of the 4) with lots of voids and it was of a thin gelatine like consistency. I took off seals and have packed them both sides full of Motorex 'Bike Grease 2000' . Heavy duty and extremely water resistant grease. These will last a lot longer this time.

WOW! 😊 Thank-you so much. My front wheel bearings are horrible! My front wheel turns with so much resistance, and the balls actually dropped out, and I was picking them up like an old Jew picking up pennies. I'm going to do this hub overhaul and thorough wipe down tomorrow 😄. Afterwards I'll be shopping for 2 new bearings. 🛍 I sure appriciate this video. Last week I remoed, cleaned, and reinstalled a valve engine cover on my car, this week an overhaul on the front wheel 👏

I cant get it out like this, it wont move for me to make a bit space so i can catch it with something from other side 🤦‍♂️

Fantastic video, well done man. Perfect explanation that's easy to understand.

super helpful video, thanks

3:55 I have both front and rear QR and a guitar slide with washers. Should work My rear is a 5 Palin 11spd with 8spd cassette.. There's literally nothing holding it together the cassette and hub pull right out.. Ends no threads. Gotta watch the seal stays in place. Best left with tension in the triangle. 120 triple clicker makes some noise. My shimano 4050 cones causing strife with my discs. To 32H two Palin hub coming.

Excellent! Very well done and articulated.

thank you for the great advice - all sorted !

Yeap...that Muc-Off does a good one on the bearings. I found out real quick after using it a couple of times and my wheel bearings were toast. Funnily enough, the pivot points were ok so i figured it was easy for it to drain whereas the hub/wheel bearings were enclosed and moisture stay trapped. In any case, I'm more careful with that product now. Also, even though it's a year older, this is still a great and informative video 👍

1:20 You skipped through this part too fast. I didn't get it. That is what I want to know how and tools I need to expose the cartridge bearings for examination and service. Maybe somebody can do a video that shows how to do this from the beginning.