WTB: Suntour superbe pro hub bearings

[John Meerse]

Looking for a pair of sealed bearings for a front Suntour Superbe pro hub, from 1995-1996.

Please e-mail at [email protected]

Thanks, John

 

[Sheldon Brown]

John Meerse wrote:

> Looking for a pair of sealed bearings for a front Suntour Superbe pro hub, from 1995-1996.
>
> Please e-mail at [email protected]

These are standard industrial bearings, any decent bike shop should have them, and if not, you can
get them from a bearing supply house.

They will be identified by a number on the face of the bearing, probably a 4 digit number beginning
with 6. You may need a magnifying glass to read the number. My guess is 6000 or 6001.

Sheldon "That's An Easy One" Brown +---------------------------------------+
| There's nothing like not being dead | to improve a fellow's outlook. | -- Michael Flynn |
+---------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts Phone
617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com

 

[Dianne_1234]

Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> John Meerse wrote:
>
> > Looking for a pair of sealed bearings for a front Suntour Superbe pro hub, from 1995-1996.
>
> These are standard industrial bearings

Weren't Superbe Pros those unusual kind of precision bearing where the cone still screwed onto the
axle? I think SunTour Cyclone hubs had actual cartridge bearings as Sheldon describes, but the
Superbe Pros I've taken apart are not the same.

 

[A Muzi]

> > John Meerse wrote:
> > > Looking for a pair of sealed bearings for a front Suntour Superbe pro hub, from 1995-1996.

> Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > These are standard industrial bearings

"dianne_1234" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Weren't Superbe Pros those unusual kind of precision bearing where the cone still screwed onto the
> axle? I think SunTour Cyclone hubs had actual cartridge bearings as Sheldon describes, but the
> Superbe Pros I've taken apart are not the same.

1992 was the last season of full production. In the 1992 book, Superbe Pro and XC Pro are listed as
using cartridge bearings "for the first time" but the bearing size is not listed. After removing the
axle, just measure the bore and outer case with a caliper if you cannot read the number on the seal.
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

 

[Dianne_1234]

"A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > > John Meerse wrote:
> > > > Looking for a pair of sealed bearings for a front Suntour Superbe pro hub, from 1995-1996.
>
> > Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > > These are standard industrial bearings
>
>
> "dianne_1234" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Weren't Superbe Pros those unusual kind of precision bearing where the cone still screwed onto
> > the axle? I think SunTour Cyclone hubs had actual cartridge bearings as Sheldon describes, but
> > the Superbe Pros I've taken apart are not the same.
>
> 1992 was the last season of full production. In the 1992 book, Superbe Pro and XC Pro are listed
> as using cartridge bearings "for the first time" but the bearing size is not listed. After
> removing the axle, just measure the bore and outer case with a caliper if you cannot read the
> number on the seal.

If it is a cartridge bearing, then it's the SunTour standard 12x28x8 (ID, OD and width in mm).

But I'm certain most "sealed" Superbe Pro hubs used a precision bearing whose inner race ("cone")
was threaded directly onto the axle. These are not cartridge bearings, though they have seals and
precision races reminiscent of cartridges. Of course I'm not talking about the hubs from the
seventies with ordinary cup 'n' cone bearings, nice as they are.

 

[Logarto]

[email protected] (dianne_1234) wrote in message news:
>
> But I'm certain most "sealed" Superbe Pro hubs used a precision bearing whose inner race ("cone")
> was threaded directly onto the axle. These are not cartridge bearings, though they have seals and
> precision races reminiscent of cartridges. Of course I'm not talking about the hubs from the
> seventies with ordinary cup 'n' cone bearings, nice as they are.

This one surfaces on this NG every couple of years and it's my distinct pleasure to inform you that
you are all correct except possibly for Mr. Muzi's reference material where the dates are concerned.

The last Superbe Pro hub and a corresponding high end hub product from Specialized used a variant of
the standard 6001 cartridge bearing where the inner race and seal came out with the cone. Then you
could clean and regrease the ball bearings like any standard cone and cup hubset, from one side at
least. When this bearing wore out it was indeed possible to replace it with a standard cartridge
bearing of that size. I did this proceedure exactly once and while it appeared that you could
seperate the original inner race from the threaded "cone" I had a pair of the standard Specialized
Hub "cones" at my disposal so I didn't try. These hubs were being sold at least as far back as 1988
and I'd place their introdution with the Cranksets changing over to Shimano Bolt Circle dimensions.
Before that the Superbe Pro hubs were rebadged Sunshine Pro-Ams.

I have no idea how any of this applies to the still collectable Superbe Pro Track Hubs, but I'd love
to find out. Even more elusive than this tidbit was the structural role of the grey plastic plugs
that went into the Sante' downtube shifters.

 

[Paul Southworth]

In article <[email protected]>, dianne_1234
<[email protected]> wrote:
>"A Muzi" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
>> > > John Meerse wrote:
>> > > > Looking for a pair of sealed bearings for a front Suntour Superbe pro hub, from 1995-1996.
>>
>> > Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:<[email protected]>...
>> > > These are standard industrial bearings
>>
>>
>> "dianne_1234" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> > Weren't Superbe Pros those unusual kind of precision bearing where the cone still screwed onto
>> > the axle? I think SunTour Cyclone hubs had actual cartridge bearings as Sheldon describes, but
>> > the Superbe Pros I've taken apart are not the same.
>>
>> 1992 was the last season of full production. In the 1992 book, Superbe Pro and XC Pro are listed
>> as using cartridge bearings "for the first time" but the bearing size is not listed. After
>> removing the axle, just measure the bore and outer case with a caliper if you cannot read the
>> number on the seal.
>
>If it is a cartridge bearing, then it's the SunTour standard 12x28x8 (ID, OD and width in mm).
>
>But I'm certain most "sealed" Superbe Pro hubs used a precision bearing whose inner race ("cone")
>was threaded directly onto the axle. These are not cartridge bearings, though they have seals and
>precision races reminiscent of cartridges. Of course I'm not talking about the hubs from the
>seventies with ordinary cup 'n' cone bearings, nice as they are.

I bought a Superbe group in 1990 or 1991, the Schwinn rep was selling them for $200. I don't have it
any more but the hubs were just like all the other Sansin/Sunshine hubs out there, with the 6001
bearing. I don't actually know the model year of the group I bought but the hubs were basically just
like Sprint and Specialized hubs at the time.

To the original poster - if you take a bearing out and go to your local bearing supply, I bet a
dollar you will leave with a set of new bearings. Try the yellow pages.

--Paul

 

[A Muzi]

> [email protected] (dianne_1234) wrote in message news:
> > But I'm certain most "sealed" Superbe Pro hubs used a precision bearing whose inner race
> > ("cone") was threaded directly onto the axle. These are not cartridge bearings, though they have
> > seals and precision races reminiscent of cartridges. Of course I'm not talking about the hubs
> > from the seventies with ordinary cup 'n' cone bearings, nice as they are.

"logarto" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> This one surfaces on this NG every couple of years and it's my distinct pleasure to inform you
> that you are all correct except possibly for Mr. Muzi's reference material where the dates are
> concerned.
>
> The last Superbe Pro hub and a corresponding high end hub product from Specialized used a variant
> of the standard 6001 cartridge bearing where the inner race and seal came out with the cone. Then
> you could clean and regrease the ball bearings like any standard cone and cup hubset, from one
> side at least. When this bearing wore out it was indeed possible to replace it with a standard
> cartridge bearing of that size. I did this proceedure exactly once and while it appeared that you
> could seperate the original inner race from the threaded "cone" I had a pair of the standard
> Specialized Hub "cones" at my disposal so I didn't try. These hubs were being sold at least as far
> back as 1988 and I'd place their introdution with the Cranksets changing over to Shimano Bolt
> Circle dimensions. Before that the Superbe Pro hubs were rebadged Sunshine Pro-Ams.
>
> I have no idea how any of this applies to the still collectable Superbe Pro Track Hubs, but I'd
> love to find out. Even more elusive than this tidbit was the structural role of the grey plastic
> plugs that went into the Sante' downtube shifters.

Thanks, logarto, that's more clear. Here is a scan of the original document I cited earlier:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfromthepast/93STPG7.JPG Note the misspelled 'developmens' besides
the nebulous phrasing 'for the first time'.

So as you note the 1989 catalog is the first one in whch the Superbe Pro hub part numbers
(HB-SB-00F, HB-SB-00R) which carry the "sealed bearing" designation. That book only shows a small
hub icon in the system chart. There are no road hubs pictured or described in the 1989 Superbe Pro
section at all.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971