Author Topic: Hubs - Loose ball to sealed bearing conversion??? (Read 1979 times)

revcore · « **on:** March 10, 2008, 07:57 AM »

How difficult would it be to convert a set of hubs like these from looseball to sealed bearings?

motomagII · « **Reply #1 on:** March 10, 2008, 08:39 AM »

dont know but they look really nice hubs

Dark Diggler · « **Reply #2 on:** March 10, 2008, 09:17 AM »

revcore · « **Reply #3 on:** March 10, 2008, 09:33 AM »

Quote from: 94 Performer on March 10, 2008, 09:17 AM

Why?

Good question. Sure I could just go out and buy a set of sealed hubs, But as a project I thought about buying a set of cheap looseball hubs like the ones pictured and just mess around with them to see how difficult it would be to convert them to sealed bearings....Just for a bit of fun and a bit of a challenge.

Dark Diggler · « **Reply #4 on:** March 10, 2008, 01:35 PM »

Quote from: revcore on March 10, 2008, 09:33 AM

Quote from: 94 Performer on March 10, 2008, 09:17 AM
Why?

Good question. Sure I could just go out and buy a set of sealed hubs, But as a project I thought about buying a set of cheap looseball hubs like the ones pictured and just mess around with them to see how difficult it would be to convert them to sealed bearings....Just for a bit of fun and a bit of a challenge.

Cool, i heard recently that there are a few kids messing around with ceramic bearings in new school wheels at the mo as you can buy them as an aftermarket bearing, sealed or loose - Now That would be cool, suzue hubs with ceramic bearings

pointless..............but cool

perry · « **Reply #5 on:** March 10, 2008, 04:33 PM »

next they will be dry installing them and fitting the axle to a drill to simulate miles like roadies do

do you have a lathe handy ?

its likely that the hubs will be a simple tube with 2 steel cones pressed into either end , get your little finger in the hole and feel what its like inside

in an ideal world you could knock the 2 cones out and be left with a nice hollow tube . go to the local sealed bearing merchant and with the diameter you got from the vernier caliper get some that will just pop in

all well and good until an axle is slotted in and the bearings get pushed in , you will be needing a spacer tube too ( think how your sealed cranks work

)

thats only if the inside diameter of the hub is a standard sealed bearing size , if not itl need to be machined to suit

next will be a nice new standard industries heat treated axle

use some cone nuts to stop the whole hub shifting side to side on the axle