Lurkin
100 kW
My commuter bike (Trek X-Caliber, BBS01 250w, Dolphin pack battery) has a Shimano HB-RM66 Cup and Cone hub on the front. Its a very basic hub, just what came with the bike.
Late last week, the hub was making a few scrappy sounds. I disassembled, greased with Shimano Premium grease generously and reassembled. The 'cap' appeared to be pitted, so I used a rounded piece of steel and hammer to knock it back into a circular shape. The seal in between the cone and this cap was damaged. The cap was goobed with clean grease, the bearings were dry as bones as what was the cup and cone. I have disassembled and re greased this previously, the greasing was very generous. Anyway, the plan was to ride on this until I have acquired a cap and replace it could never end up the same as new.
I rode 80km on Monday, and another 40km to work on it yesterday fine. Upon leaving work yesterday, there was decent 'cronk' sound and it appears the hub has completely given way, i.e. the cap part connected to the cone was off and the bearings were spilling out. I will take it apart in the weekend to inspect.
The cap in the diagram below is connected to the hub itself (has Malaysia written on it) and appears to be a press fit to the hub.
Diagram: https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwihuI-I-_jLAhUCmpQKHePNBV0QFgggMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsi.shimano.com%2Fphp%2Fdownload.php%3Ffile%3Dpdf%2Fev%2FEV-HB-RM66-3254.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEegPSmUqu86WlMZNNSqxSflBqysg&sig2=S2PZKCcl_ZgO-C9jmF7P8w&cad=rja
A couple of things to ponder from this:-
- Using bike parts as ebike parts could be putting increased stress on the hub. Could this have lead to premature failure?
- Are cup and cone bearings the best for an ebike or is a cartridge style better?
- The wheels are 29er. Could the increased wheel side also stress the hub differently?
The ultimate question is: is it worth trying to get another identical hub (so the wheel rebuild is easy) or is it worth switching to something else?
Late last week, the hub was making a few scrappy sounds. I disassembled, greased with Shimano Premium grease generously and reassembled. The 'cap' appeared to be pitted, so I used a rounded piece of steel and hammer to knock it back into a circular shape. The seal in between the cone and this cap was damaged. The cap was goobed with clean grease, the bearings were dry as bones as what was the cup and cone. I have disassembled and re greased this previously, the greasing was very generous. Anyway, the plan was to ride on this until I have acquired a cap and replace it could never end up the same as new.
I rode 80km on Monday, and another 40km to work on it yesterday fine. Upon leaving work yesterday, there was decent 'cronk' sound and it appears the hub has completely given way, i.e. the cap part connected to the cone was off and the bearings were spilling out. I will take it apart in the weekend to inspect.
The cap in the diagram below is connected to the hub itself (has Malaysia written on it) and appears to be a press fit to the hub.
Diagram: https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwihuI-I-_jLAhUCmpQKHePNBV0QFgggMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsi.shimano.com%2Fphp%2Fdownload.php%3Ffile%3Dpdf%2Fev%2FEV-HB-RM66-3254.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEegPSmUqu86WlMZNNSqxSflBqysg&sig2=S2PZKCcl_ZgO-C9jmF7P8w&cad=rja
A couple of things to ponder from this:-
- Using bike parts as ebike parts could be putting increased stress on the hub. Could this have lead to premature failure?
- Are cup and cone bearings the best for an ebike or is a cartridge style better?
- The wheels are 29er. Could the increased wheel side also stress the hub differently?
The ultimate question is: is it worth trying to get another identical hub (so the wheel rebuild is easy) or is it worth switching to something else?