How to Grease Bike Wheel Bearings
Taking apart and greasing your wheel bearings is a good project for the intermediate bike repair hobbyist.
Up next in Bike Repair & Equipment (32 videos)
Every avid cyclist should know how to fix his bike; learn the basics in this video series.
You Will Need
- An old cloth
- A bicycle wheel
- 15 mm cone wrench
- 17 mm wrench
- Bike grease
- Soap and water
- A Socket tool (optional)
- An adjustable wrench (optional)
- A magnet (optional)
- A box of new ball bearings (optional)
Steps
-
Step 1
Remove wheel
Take the wheel off of your bicycle and lay it on a hard surface covered with an old cloth.
-
Start with the front wheel, which is easier to disassemble. Taking apart the rear wheel requires additional bike-specific tools such as a socket tool to remove the gear cluster.
-
Step 2
Remove locknut
Loosen the locknut with a wrench while holding the cone-shaped piece still with a cone wrench. Then remove the nut.
-
If you don't have a crescent wrench in the right size -- typically 17 millimeters -- then use an adjustable wrench.
-
Step 3
Remove cone
Loosen the cone-shaped end piece with the 15 millimeter cone wrench. Then remove the cone.
-
Step 4
Remove axle
Pull the axle out of the hub or cylinder and set it aside.
-
Step 5
Remove bearings
Use your fingers or a magnet to extract the bearings from the well of the hub.
-
Step 6
Inspect and clean
Wipe the bearings, hub, and cones free of grease and dirt. Inspect the parts for cracks or defects.
-
If the bearings are rusty, damaged, or misshapen you can replace them with new bearings purchased from a bike shop.
-
Step 7
Lubricate
Pack a generous amount of grease into the well that holds the bearings. Then coat the bearings with grease and replace them in the well.
-
Step 8
Grease opposite side
Repeat the process of cleaning and greasing the bearings on the opposite side of the hub.
-
Step 9
Reassemble
Reassemble the hub by reversing the process of taking it apart. Adjust the distance of the cones from the hub to make it fit securely.
-
Step 10
Clean up
Wipe away any excess grease and wash your hands with soap and water.
-
Ball bearing production facilities were major targets for Allied bomber forces during World War II.
