# Sealed Bearings



## rickyd (Jul 27, 2016)

Anyone here ever attempt to save a damaged front hub using pressed in sealed bearings? Thanks Rick


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## momo608 (Jul 29, 2016)

rickyd said:


> Anyone here ever attempt to save a damaged front hub using pressed in sealed bearings? Thanks Rick



Be the first! Thought about it but I could always find a cheap replacement that made the idea not cost effective. You would either have to be very lucky and find a press fit bearing that fit with no machine work required or figure out how to chuck the hub in a lathe and machine it out to fit a pressed in bearing.


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## rickyd (Jul 29, 2016)

Ya I was hoping someone would have attempted this, and tell me don't waste your time. Seems as if every bike I buy with decent matching rims someone has allowed the front hub to get chewed up just enough to warrant swapping hub out.


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## rollfaster (Jul 29, 2016)

Me too Rick, I feel your pain. Good luck.


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## Duck (Aug 4, 2016)

All bearings do the same thing; They "Bear" different types of a load. If you decide to use the sealed type in order to provide a new race surface, as long as the new dimensions are workable, they'll work fine-Don't expect them to last as long as their greasable counterparts, however.


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## MrColumbia (Aug 5, 2016)

rickyd said:


> Anyone here ever attempt to save a damaged front hub using pressed in sealed bearings? Thanks Rick




I've never repaired old ones but I have made new hubs using sealed bearings. The internal dimensions of the hub shell need to be very different. There is no cones with sealed bearings but a special piece to go in place of the nut needs to be made that rides on the inner sleeve of the bearing only. Also there needs to be a spacer to go between the two bearings to hold them at the correct spacing. 

As far as durability goes, sealed machine bearings are made for high speed machinery with rpm's far exceeding that of anything that a bicycle will endure. My guess is they would last far longer than any bike or person will.


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## MrColumbia (Aug 5, 2016)

Some pictures of the bearing and special nut we made.


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## rustjunkie (Aug 5, 2016)

MrColumbia said:


> I've never repaired old ones but I have made new hubs using sealed bearings. The internal dimensions of the hub shell need to be very different. There is no con
> 
> As far as durability goes, sealed machine bearings are made for high speed machinery with rpm's far exceeding that of anything that a bicycle will endure. My guess is they would last far longer than any bike or person will.




I just learned what we commonly call "sealed" or "cartridge" bearings are technically "deep groove radial ball bearings". Having a tight seal they're very much less likely to get contaminated which is often what kills races/cones in bicycles, and they're more forgiving regarding adjustment. As with all things they're manufactured to different tolerance/fit & finish levels, so not always better than regular caged or loose balls.
Here's a neat vid:


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## MrColumbia (Aug 5, 2016)

I loved that show "how it's made". 

Making a hub to use these is far more involved than the traditional style bicycle hub. It would not be practical for bicycle manufacturers to go that route because of the added expense. We went that route because the hub shell would have needed to be hardened at least at the point where the bearing race is.


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