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Returned yesterday from a very long, wet ride. After cleaning the bike today of much road grime and lubing chain, derailleurs, cables, I noticed the rear Hed 3 barely spins freely. I used some Park Chainbrite on the cassette w/ a toothbrush... could I really have compromised the bearing grease doing that? Maybe it was the rainy drive home on the rooftop rack (2 hrs mostly hiway). After spinning it by hand a bunch it seems to be a bit better but now I hear an occasional squeak! Do I need to repack the bearings? If so, how?
Thanks, Milo
Hey Milo,
Yeah, unfortunately the roof rack in the rain thing may have allowed some water to make its way in the wheel somehow. 2 hours in the rain on a roof rack at highway speed is pretty tough on your gear.
If it makes you feel better though, you did the right thing by getting on the preventive maintenance right away. Good job.
There is a chance that hub needs be dissected and maybe even new bearings pressed in. I would run it over to your LBS and let them have a look. Hed wheels are pretty darn good so it should clean up OK but it might take a little work.
Good luck with that!
Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
Is it the freehub that has a problem or the wheel axle? Contact HED or the store you bought it from. Hed is pretty responsive to online queries and by phone as well.
I bought the pair direct from Hed about 2 yrs ago. I posted to their tech help e-mail earlier - I'll post their reply here if/when I get one. How would I tell if it's the freehub or axle? Seems like the axle, I guess.
Can't believe I drove with it up there in the rain now - live & learn.
I did a bike race in the rain quite a few years ago, and the next day I got a flat so I turned the bicycle over and the seat tube was still full of water. Doh.
I only have Hed 3 fronts. These are symmetric with a cartridge bearing on both sides. In the rear I assume they use the cartridge bearing on the left and the freehub bearing on the right, with possibly another cartridge bearing on the right. If you are so inclined you can remove the axle - you will need a couple of cone wrenches, and typically you need to remove the cassette from the freehub first as well. If you are not comfortable with doing this you should let your shop or Hed take care of this. Rotate the bearing on the left by hand to see if it is rough and noisy or OK. I use a special tool to remove cartridge bearings. I dunno about Hed but on the freehub side typically there are some 1/4 inch ball bearings loose with Shimano compatibles. You could replace those or just try repacking them with grease, checking the races on the axle and the freehub for any unusual wear.