Front Wheel Bearings

[penno350]

Any wise words on front wheel bearings chaps?   Just had mine collapse for the second time this year. 

[goudrons]

Buy quailty bearings rather than spanky****y ones.

Carefully flip one seal out of each bearing and apply some marine grade grease to the race, then pop the seal back.

(fit the side you tampered with inwards in the hub)

Everyone has different ways of fitting.

I have a drift I made that fits the outer but not the seal or inner and drive them in without heat, but a socket of the correct size works as well.

Some heat the hub to expand it, some freeze the bearing to contract them and some do both.

What you don't want to do is whack the inner part of the bearing, just the outer ring.

I've given up jetting washing my bikes, forcing water into every cranny just causes more issues than it's worth.

I put it away dirty after I've wiped most of the crude off before I come home.

Strip the chain off then allow the bike to dry for a few days, no longer or the cow**** starts to taint the alloy.

When it's dried 99% comes off easy with a stiff brush, the rest comes off with a bucket of soapy water and a few assorted brushes.

The chain I brush off the crap and wash it off in white spirit in a small bowl, oil it up and store in a plastic bag.

They seem to last me years like this.

After refitting it, a quick spray of chain wax holds the oil on longer.

[woody]

Also make sure you have the centre spacer tube fitted between the bearings as if it is missing, or too short if it's the wrong one, when you tighten the spindle it will push the centre of the bearings inwards and that can cause them to fail pretty quickly