Rear hub problems

[pablosuave]

I just got a bike and there is quite a bit of play in the rear wheel and a clicking noise when I pedal backwards. I assume this means I need to overhaul the rear hub. My question is how detrimental is it to ride in this condition, and how do I know if my hub is fixable or I need to replace it? Thanks.
Paul

[bobtravers]

Well, it should be serviceable...

Thing is, if you put a lot of mileage on a poorly adjusted hub, the bearing, cones and cup might suffer...

[Joe_W]

Well, some hubs are not really serviceable, it depends on the bearing type used. Without my crystal ball I cannot really tell in your case though. (hint: a picture might help us with figuring out what is wrong)

[pablosuave]

(04-30-2012, 02:41 AM)Joe_W Wrote:  Well, some hubs are not really serviceable, it depends on the bearing type used. Without my crystal ball I cannot really tell in your case though. (hint: a picture might help us with figuring out what is wrong)

Its a 1998 (I believe) XTR hub which I think is serviceable. It seems to be in pretty bad shape, is there a point at which the hub becomes unserviceable? I'm new to bike repair. Is this a pretty hard task? There is a local charity shop that allows use of tools and has experts on hand to help with repairs. I would like to know how to maintain my own bike. Thanks.

[nfmisso]

If the bearing cups - which are part of the hub and not replaceable - become excessively worn, the hub needs to be replaced.

Is it hard, no, take a look at Alex's video on this site.