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Wheel bearing damage??

by zedthegreat
Thu, Nov 17, 2016 12:27
4

All

My rear wheel has started making some 'funny' noises. In particular a kind of grinding noise, especially when spun backwards when off the ground or I back pedal.

I am not an expert, but I am guessing this is a wheel bearing issue. I run a rim brake Giant Defy 2 (2015) and use it in all seasons, so the stock wheels have been through around 18months use.

I suppose my question is 3 fold

1. If it is a wheel bearing, or similar, will I be doing extreme damage to continue riding for the next few weeks until I am paid? My weekly kms are c.140km.

2. How do I ascertain what type of bearing my wheel uses?

3. Any other thoughts what could make a noise such as this? I appreciate info is limited. I have cleaned the drivetrain and removed / refitted the rear wheel to ensure all alligned. No issues in shifting at the rear mech either.

Cheers

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4 comments

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zedthegreat | 7 years ago
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Cheers all. I've been off the bike actually since I posted as feeling a bit under the weather, but will have a look this weekend. I appreciate the advice. 

Suppose it is that question of whether it is more economical to replace or repair, esp not having all the required tools as of yet.....

For info, I do keep the bike clean, so it sounds as though I was on the right track.

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racingcondor | 7 years ago
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As has been said, take the wheel out and spin it on the axle to see how well it spins. I'd also like the chain if it's not done regularly.

My bet would be the freehub. Should be easy enough to get off though so I'd take the hub apart, clean and put a small amount of grease on the pawls (too much and they can start to stick).

You'll know pretty quickly what is wrong once you start to take it apart though.

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Acm | 7 years ago
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Firstly, is the chain cleaned and lubed regularly? If not then it could be the drivetrain making the noise rather than the hub. As said above, take the rear wheel out, hold it by the ends of the axle and give it a spin. If it rumbles, then it's the hub and hopefully you can get away with a service to sort it

There are 2 types of bearings used in hubs: cup and cone, and cartridge. The first step is to identify which type of bearing your hub uses. Cup and cone hubs normally have 2 spanner flats on each side of the axle where it sticks out of the hub (one for the cone and one for the locknut), often with a washer between them. Cartridge hubs can have spanner flats, but some have hex key holes where the quick release skewer goes through. If you're not sure upload some photos and I might be able to work it out from those.

If you have cup and cone hubs and they're rumbling really badly, they're probably toast as the bearing surfaces inside the hub will be worn and they can't be replaced. New ball bearings and cones will help, but the wheels aren't worth a huge amount and if you're not comfortable rebuilding them then it might not be worth the money to service them given that they won't be perfect and definitely won't last another 18 months without getting noisy again.

If they're cartridge bearings, you're in luck because replacing the bearings will render the hubs good as new (replacing the bearings means that both races and all the balls will be new). If you're reasonably confident working on your bike, it's not too difficult to remove the old bearings, read the numbers off them and order some new bearings from a bearing supplier (FAG bearings are excellent and won't break the bank). Otherwise take it to a shop and let them dealing with it.

Continuing to ride the wheels if the hubs use cup and cone  bearings is going to reduce the chance that life can be breathed back into them. If they are cartridge bearing hubs then it'd be good to replace the bearings asap, but you can probably get away with a bit more riding without too much permanent damage

 

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CXR94Di2 | 7 years ago
1 like

Take the wheel out of the frame and spin the bearings by hand to see if the feel rough to turn or make a noise.  The other possiblilty is the free hub is playing up.  Are the hubs marked with a make?  some wheel hubs are rebuildable, others not.

 

Is it this bike?

https://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/defy.2/19187/77295/#spe...

Looks like you can service them

https://www.reddit.com/r/MTB/comments/45tyzg/2015_giant_reign_2_rear_hub...

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