06-15-2011, 09:54 AM
Hiya guys. Been cruising the internet for a while identifying problems and causes, but I could do with some expert input if at all possible, in figuring out which parts of what I'm seeing is causal, and which is just an effect of the issue.
A while ago I decided I'd had enough of being ripped off by the local bike shop, and decided to manage my own bike. It's fun aside from anything else, but I'm very new to this.
3 months ago my rear axle (hollow, 2 years old) broke, apparently without warning. Like a noob, I was more worried about getting back on the road than asking questions such as "Why?", so I bought a new axle online, replaced it, and things seemed to run better than ever.
Yesterday I suspected some problem with the rear wheel, and sure enough, I have two symptoms, but I need two questions answering before I can go ahead and fix this:
Q 1) Which symptom caused the other? I can see arguments for both
Q 2) What should I watch out for when replacing the axle this time to prevent this?
The symptoms mentioned are:
Symptom 1) Rear axle is bent very slightly at the bearings on the freewheel side.
Symptom 2) The corresponding cone in contact with the bearings is very badly worn. There is a bearing-shaped groove around its circumference at least 1mm deep.
Did something cause the bearings to wear the cone, bending the axle, or did something cause the axle to bend, which then wore out the cone? And what should I be watching out for to avoid this next time?
Will add some extra info here in case it proves useful:
1) I would love to simply blame shoddy parts rather than me own inexperience, but I don't tax it very hard beyond the odd pot-hole.
2) No parts have been replaced before except the axle. I have a new chain-set etc. ready to go on when I find the time to sort that.
3) When I took it apart the first time, bearings went everywhere, and I had to buy some new ones. I made sure these were very well greased, and the correct size.
A while ago I decided I'd had enough of being ripped off by the local bike shop, and decided to manage my own bike. It's fun aside from anything else, but I'm very new to this.
3 months ago my rear axle (hollow, 2 years old) broke, apparently without warning. Like a noob, I was more worried about getting back on the road than asking questions such as "Why?", so I bought a new axle online, replaced it, and things seemed to run better than ever.
Yesterday I suspected some problem with the rear wheel, and sure enough, I have two symptoms, but I need two questions answering before I can go ahead and fix this:
Q 1) Which symptom caused the other? I can see arguments for both
Q 2) What should I watch out for when replacing the axle this time to prevent this?
The symptoms mentioned are:
Symptom 1) Rear axle is bent very slightly at the bearings on the freewheel side.
Symptom 2) The corresponding cone in contact with the bearings is very badly worn. There is a bearing-shaped groove around its circumference at least 1mm deep.
Did something cause the bearings to wear the cone, bending the axle, or did something cause the axle to bend, which then wore out the cone? And what should I be watching out for to avoid this next time?
Will add some extra info here in case it proves useful:
1) I would love to simply blame shoddy parts rather than me own inexperience, but I don't tax it very hard beyond the odd pot-hole.
2) No parts have been replaced before except the axle. I have a new chain-set etc. ready to go on when I find the time to sort that.
3) When I took it apart the first time, bearings went everywhere, and I had to buy some new ones. I made sure these were very well greased, and the correct size.