Stiff wheel bearings after replacing?

[frank.youngman]

The description is freehub inner spacer,comes in different sizes according to hub.It fits inside the rear of the freehub body.Its easy to miss because it only protrudes by 1-2mm.Interestingly when I fitted an Ekar groupset to my gravel bike I needed a new Campagnolo freehub to convert the Novatec hub and the seller went out of his way to point this part out.I found one of my missing ones under the fridge!

 

[baron von greenback]

Have you tried different bearing

 

[elite504]

What Bikeworkshop said.
But more likely what others have said, you're missing a thin shim washer somewhere under the freehub body, and tightening the wheel has put a side load on the inner race of that bearing. Plenty of vintage CNC hubs such as the Supereight or Nukeproof hubs utilised very thn shims, but finding them now may be a problem.

OR, the bearing is knackered. Try replacing that first, PROPERLY, loading the races correctly when pressing it together so as not to damage the new bearings. All being well, the bearings should be a pretty tight press-fit on both the hub shell or freehub body, and onto the axle.

Item 10 here is called "adjusted washer"
https://www.eshop.novatecwheels.eu/Data/2766/UserFiles/Drawings_3D_explosion/818SB_v25.jpg

There is a reason stuff like this exists (looking for no brand in particular):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13595549...mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item

 

[ishaw]

What Bikeworkshop said.
But more likely what others have said, you're missing a thin shim washer somewhere under the freehub body, and tightening the wheel has put a side load on the inner race of that bearing. Plenty of vintage CNC hubs such as the Supereight or Nukeproof hubs utilised very thn shims, but finding them now may be a problem.

OR, the bearing is knackered. Try replacing that first, PROPERLY, loading the races correctly when pressing it together so as not to damage the new bearings. All being well, the bearings should be a pretty tight press-fit on both the hub shell or freehub body, and onto the axle.

Item 10 here is called "adjusted washer"
https://www.eshop.novatecwheels.eu/Data/2766/UserFiles/Drawings_3D_explosion/818SB_v25.jpg

There is a reason stuff like this exists (looking for no brand in particular):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/13595549...mkcid=28&google_free_listing_action=view_item

The adjusted washer you mention is pictured on a completely different hub than mine. There's no such part I can see on the exploded diagram on my hub.

 

[ishaw]

Ok, so I've had a further go at this and grabbed some pics to show what I think may be an issue. That said, I've got it fitted to the bike and working now with a little slack in the nds axle cover.

So, with all the parts off, including bearings everything seemed in order. Bearings still smooth in freehub and hub.

Put it all back together, all bearings seated properly (though the inner freehub bearing has a small gap but I think that's by design as it won't go any further and a unused a sacrificial bearing and gave that some Welly and it took would go no further, see pic 3).

There is a spacer that slots over the axle and into the freehub that sits on the drive side inner bearing face. It protrudes a tiny bit, assuming it gives that little bit of space between the freehub and and surface it could bind against, but it really is minimal.

With it all back together loosely, everything spins nicely. If I do the nds axle cover up things get tight.

My solution was to back it off a touch so things were smooth and no play, then bolting it on to the frame.

Seemed to work as it's all held in place.

Oddly I did discover the whole wheel rocked slightly. The cause was the axle was too long, devious owner must have used a boost axle on the non-boost frame. Swapping a non boost axle on to it solved that.

Am I wrong to assume what I've done isn't how it should be done, and it should all be tight? If so, what do I need to do to allow it all to be bolted up tighter? If the axle spacer is a mm too short, what do I need, another spacer? Could it be worn? A spacer washer would be so thin.