Using car shampoo for bike

[Doctor Morbius]

That would be a hub mfg diagram not a rim.

I was looking at Alex' web site for hub info because they supposedly make wheelsets also. However, one of the more knowledgeable employees at the LBS says that Alex doesn't actually manufacture the hubs. According to him the hubs are outsourced to another company and rebadged with the Alex brand name. At the bottom of this post is the description of three of my wheelsets. I also have an Ultegra/Mavic road set and three MTB wheelsets so the savings of DIY is significant.

What hubs are you riding/racing?

The difference is not so much in the labeling as production quality. Usually the bearings are of the cheap asian style that is of tight enough measure tolerance but not metalurgicly reliable in comparison to say a NTN or the like. On a large scale we use SC in the 6 ft diameter blowers at the radio station 24-7 3600rpm. The bearings were initially wearing out in a matter of 2 months. We repacked them with Valvoline #614 right out of the box and brought it up to 6 months. We got some NTN brand units and 614 them and they are 2 yrs and counting. That to me is a difference.

That certainly is a substantial difference. I'm certain the NTN bearings cost significantly more but it sounds like they are well worth it. 2 years is substantially more wear and tear than 2 months for the cheap asian bearings. Besides the cost of just the bearing is the downtime and labor to change out the el-cheapos every couple of months. Ergo, the cheap bearings become the more costly.

For a non-racer, such as myself, I wonder if there would be tangible results from swapping out the stock wheel bearings for the higher end ones. In your case I can see it because you will want every performance advantage you can get, wether it's weight savings or bearings. My rides only average between 15 - 17 MPH and my pedaling cadence is between 70 - 100 RPMs. Thats a huge difference from a 6 foot fan operating 24/7 at 3600 RPMs.

I have apost elsewhere on how to service them, I will see about linking it.

Thank you. Yes, I would like to read that.



Specs for '04 Specialized Sequoia:Sealed bearings
RIMS Alex ALX-290, 700c, alloy double wall, machined sidewalls
FRONT HUB Alex ALX-290, 20 hole, sealed bearing, black
REAR HUB Aex ALX-290, 24 hole, sealed bearing freehub, black
SPOKES Alex, 2.0mm (14g), stainless, brass nipples

Specs for '03 Specialized Allez Sport:cup and cone
RIMS Alex AT-400, 700c, double wall alloy, machined sidewalls
FRONT HUB Specialized, 28 hole, forged alloy, double seals, alloy QR
REAR HUB Specialized, 32 hole, forged alloy, cassette, double seals, alloy QR

Specs for '04 Raleigh Supercourse:unknown hub type
Hubset Alloy 28h w/sealed mechanism - whatever they mean by that
Spokes 14g Stainless Steel
Rims Alex R450 Machined Sidewall 28h

 

[ksheuk]

I use Honda Polish. I get it at the local motorcycle shop. Spray on, wipe off. No soap and water required. One can lasts forever and I can clean my bike (spokes and rims included) in about 5 minutes.

 

[Conniebiker]

I used to use Nashbar's sealed hubs(which were for the most part cool) but they discontinued.
My current hubs are Sunrace Juju. They are freeride labled and I believe it.

The cost is a funny thing. The NTN bearings still cost me 8 bucks per unit(2 per hub) at Granger. I will have to point out that Granger will not sell to non-commercial acounts, but you can set up your own easily. I set up one with my 'refurb shop' that I ran in my basement. Before that I would just use my real job's shop name. It will be pay in cash so it doesn't really matter, but they have to call you something on the invoice.
There are other bearing sources as well, they list in a lot of phone books. There are a couple of local bearing shops around here, but I haven't priced them out yet.

 

[Conniebiker]

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=82416

That should do it.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=82416

That should do it.

Thank you. I appreciate your help. I'll read up on this and start digging into those wheels tonight. If it quits raining I may even make a late night Walmart run to get some Valvoline 614. I think it would work better than the Shimano Spin Doctor grease that I've been using. Spin Doctor is a good grease, don't get me wrong, but it's a very light grease. I would prefer a heavier viscosity for wheel bearings.

SunRace ... now there's a name you don't hear that often. I have a SunRace cassette on one of my MTBs. Don't remember which model it is but I think it's an M90. It shifts very smoothly with SRAM chains too.

... again, thanks!

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I use Honda Polish. I get it at the local motorcycle shop. Spray on, wipe off. No soap and water required. One can lasts forever and I can clean my bike (spokes and rims included) in about 5 minutes.

A friend of mine has some of that. He demonstrated it on his Road King. It went on and wiped off as easily as furniture polish. I'm wondering how Lemon Pledge would work.