- So the bearings on your bike take a lot of abuse.
Whether or not you're dropping a wattage bazooka,
riding through bad weather,
or just simply racking up the miles,
or maybe it's all of those.
Today, I'm gonna show you
how to make good of a rough feeling bearing.
Now, the tools you need really actually does depend
on where the bearing is actually coming from,
however, it's very likely you're gonna need
some Allen keys, a sharp knife or a pick,
some spanners, an old toothbrush,
some good quality grease, and some degreaser.
Those are the essentials really,
but again, just check with the manufacturer
for what exactly it is you need to remove that bearing
or that part from your bike.
So cleaning bearings is actually what you're gonna do
when they feel a little bit rough, a little bit gritty,
but they're not actually worn out,
so there's no side to side play,
there's no rocking of the part.
If there is, unfortunately that means new bearings time.
There's no way really of bringing them back from the dead.
Now, it is possible to service the bearings
while it is actually fitted within the component,
however, you're not really gonna do that thorough job,
so it's better to actually remove the bearing
completely from the part.
Now, if you are unsure on how to remove
any dust caps or axles,
please do check with the manufacturer
to make sure you're doing it correctly.
There are some rather rudimentary efforts
that I've seen before, and people have ended up
damaging parts, and that's not what you want to do.
What we're doing today is actually trying to save a part,
so you don't wanna end up breaking something.
Right, so you've managed to get the bearing out of the part.
Well done, that's the first difficult job
for some people to get their head around
without damaging everything else, good job.
So what you've got in the bearing
is a couple of rubber seals in this case.
What you're gonna need to do
is get yourself a pick or a very sharp knife,
be careful whatever you use,
and actually pick off that seal,
but in doing so, be really careful not to bend the seal,
'cause you're gonna have to reuse that.
So once your bearing's all taken apart,
what you wanna do is grab yourself some degreaser
and your old toothbrush,
spray it pretty liberally,
and just give it a good old scrub,
make sure that all the dirt is gone,
there's no grease, there's no grime.
Once that's done, just rinse it underneath the tap
just to make sure that all the degreaser is actually gone.
So now that you've got your bearing as clean as possible,
you're gonna wanna dry it.
If you've got a compressor, you are laughing.
This is gonna be so simple and fast for you.
You can just blast out the water
as well as any remaining dirt that's in there.
If not, you're gonna wanna get yourself a lint-free cloth
and dry that bearing as much as possible.
Ideally then leave it somewhere to dry.
If you live in the UK,
put it on top of a radiator.
You could do that probably all year round,
because we've always got our heating on.
If not, you could also try it even,
wait for this, in a bowl of rice.
Don't cook the rice, just some dry rice.
The moisture will slowly get absorbed.
Don't eat the rice afterwards though.
That's pretty important.
So you've got yourself perfectly clean,
perfectly dry bearing.
What you're gonna need to do now is refill it with grease.
Personally, I like to use a waterproof grease.
In the past, in the winter in fact,
I've even used marine grease,
making them as resistant to the elements as possible.
The choice, though, is up to you.
Now the next step is to get yourself some grease
and fill with a thin bead about two thirds of the way
around the race of the bearing.
Repeat the process on the other side,
and then just give the bearing a little spin.
Make sure that that grease
is actually distributed evenly throughout.
Then, if there is any gaps,
just put a dab more grease in,
give it a little spin again,
and then refit the seals.
Make sure, though, that you don't bend the seals
when you're doing it, otherwise
all the hard work you've done so far
is just wasted.
So now you've done the bearing,
you've refurbished it, it's running smoothly,
it's time to fit it back into where it came from.
I do recommend using a special bearing press tool.
There are people out there who use threaded rods
with washers and sockets, that kind of thing.
I don't recommend that, the bearing and parts,
they're just too fragile to risk it
unless you really know what you're doing.
Now, if it's a headset bearing that you've been working on,
don't be afraid to cover it in plenty of grease
before putting it back in the frame.
That way, you're gonna protect it
just that little bit more against the road spray.
If you haven't been able to save the bearing
and you need to buy a new one,
one bit of advice, don't buy cheap bearings,
and in fact, if you can,
buy some double sealed ones.
They tend to last just a little bit longer,
a bit more resilient to the poor weather.
On my winter bike, I actually use
a double sealed bottom bracket.
I find it just that little bit better
and a little bit longer lasting.
It's worth the investment if you ask me.
Now I hope this has been of use to you.
Remember to give it a big thumbs up down below
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and for two more great videos,
you can find out is jet washing bad for your bearings,
click just down here,
and to see Dan Lloyd service cup and cone bearings,
click just down here.