Tyre hub bearings mystery...

Hi all, I was servicing a much-neglected road bike, and upon taking apart the hub bearings for the back tyre, I discovered:

- On one side, there were some balls missing, or at least there was a big space in the ring where the balls would normally go!

- The same again on the other side, plus a random tiny ball in there too.


Before servicing it, the wheel was not true (but I foolishly forgot to check beforehand, tsk), but I added some more same-sized balls to the bearings on both sides, and the wheel seems to spin noticeably less true... is that anything to do with the changes I made?

I've never seen or heard of hubs having space in the ball bearings, so wondered if anyone knew what that was about? And whether my adding more balls has contributed to the wonky wheel?

Cheers,

Sarah

The old british standard bkes had 9 1/4 inch in the rear, 11 3/16 inch front, and 11 1/4 inch in the bottom bracket.
Without going into replacement bearing cones the best you can do is fit new balls of the correct sizes. You should be able to turn the axles without stiffness, the best adjustment likely when the lock nuts are tightened is to be able to feel a slight sideways play at the rim.
Use a little light grease at reassembly.
There will probably be about half a ball gap when you have the right size and number.

Keith