# R4 rear hub...What's the deal???



## nosaj111

I have a set of Easton EA90SL’s that I have been riding since late 2008. I love the wheels, pretty much bomb proof, roll great, BUT, I have had nothing but trouble with the rear wheel. Every 2000 to 2500 miles the rear hub develops this terrible clicking/bearing noise. The first time (2200 miles) I disassembled, cleaned and re-lubed the freehub assembly, this seemed to clear up the problem. At about 4,000 miles the problem returned. I disassembled, cleaned and re-lubed the freehub. This did not help at all, I repeated the procedure and it did not help at all (2X disassembly, clean, re-lube). I need to buy new wheels for an upcoming build, I had set my mind on EA90SL’s. My questions is this…does anyone know what is happening with the R4 hubs?? I have seen many reports on this website about this exact issue with the R4 hubs but no one seems to know the exact nature of the problem. Typical outcomes appear to be that the owners are taking the wheels back to the shop (where purchased) or sending them back to Easton. I have yet to hear a credible explanation for what appears to be a fairly widespread problem. Is it the freehub mechanism? The cartridge bearings ? What?. I would love it if the Easton Rep could chime in and shed some light!! I would love to get Easton wheels for my next build, BUT, it absolutely won’t happen until this issue is explained/solved.


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## slimjw

I'm in the same boat, but am having the clicking/bearing noise even on the "new" versions with the cone wrench indentation on outside of hub. Mine started doing it after maybe 4-500 miles and have been rebuilt twice by shop to no avail. 

There is a similar post on the weight weenies site and someone there mentioned putting a small spacer in the axle on the side where it goes into the freehub. I posted a follow-up asking if the spacer fixed the issue, but no one has responded as of yet.

I am considering just taking the hit and having my rear wheel rebuilt on a hub that is not a total piece of crap, but would love to hear if someone has actually sorted out the root of the problem and has a simple solution before taking that plunge.


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## nosaj111

chance the Easton Rep. could respond to this thread??


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## macdonc

nosaj111 said:


> chance the Easton Rep. could respond to this thread??


I had (surprisingly) good service on the telephone with Easton. I wasn't surprised Easton provided good service but I figured an email would have been more effective... Anyway the guy on the phone was very knowledgeable and sent me a rear preload adjustor (with wrench flats), rear axle, new ceramic bearings, freehub grease and a front preload adjustor no questions asked. My rear hub bearings were coming loose all the time and the new adjustor fixed that. The other bits were more preventative than anything. Arrived to my door in a week. Excellent service. Give them a call.


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## tkjohnson21

I have the same problem, mine has been rebuilt once and serviced multiple times since I have had them, maybe 2000 mi on them now.


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## sfzx

*R4 hubs*

Hey guys on the R4 hubs. Great hubs but the adjust comes loose sometomes even with the new o-ring containing adjuster with the 19mm cone wrench adjust slots. When you dissassemble look for the groove on the main axle and add a very small tite o-ring there as well it will never move unless you change it. BUT you will have to buy a 1mm metric o-ring and stretch it over a small dremel stone then use a very fine sandpaper to thin that ring down so you can screw the adjuster over it thereby giving two o-rings to hold adjustment. This is on the rear wheel. Never any issue with front hub.


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## mtnroadie

sfzx said:


> Great hubs.


What? 

The rear hub are absolute junk! 10 min in light rain and I needed new bearings, which Easton provided.

Front hub is good ill give em that, and the braking is good.

Custom Edges or ZIpps for my next wheelset.


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## kneejerk

Problem with sealed cartridge bearing hubs that don't have an end play adjustment they need to have the manufacturing process to a 0.002" tolerance or less to keep the bearings from "eating themselves". Then you have the possibility of the adjustable type not being adjusted properly. If the hubs have screw in end caps, loctiting them in place can be helpful if done properly.

I've got a EA50 wheelset that to my surprise the rear hub bearings have gotten a little rough in only a few hundred miles. I'll keep an eye on them. I did my loctite routine on them when I discovered the problem.

I've got a DT 340 hub on my commuter with many many miles where the bearings are not suffering the same problems...... again it comes down to whether or not the bearings are getting side loaded once everything is tightened together. Sometimes you just have to move onto another hub (not necessarily another brand), to get relief.


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## easyridernyc

mtnroadie said:


> What?
> 
> The rear hub are absolute junk! 10 min in light rain and I needed new bearings, which Easton provided.
> 
> Front hub is good ill give em that, and the braking is good.
> 
> Custom Edges or ZIpps for my next wheelset.


15,000 miles through wind, rain, sleet, and snow 

not a peep.


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## Wheelieman

I have heard that there are some problems with the Easton hubs all over the internet. On the other hand the people that own Easton wheels absolutely love them. The main reason being that they are extremely durable and reliable. One person in this thread referred to them as "bombproof."

Why then does Easton continue to make great wheels but ship them with low quality hubs?


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## Z6_esb

I've had my EC90SLs for a bit now...has R4SL hubs though. The rear hub needed to be adjusted after 1000 miles. It says that on the website for maintaining them. They are awesome!


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## Wheelieman

It still seems like the Easton hubs are hit or miss. No consistency in their manufacturing leads to inconsistent results and comments from riders. Maybe they should switch to a different manufacturer for their hubs.

Could you imagine an Easton wheelset with a DT Swiss or Chris King hub? I know I can!!


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## triumph.1

slimjw said:


> There is a similar post on the weight weenies site and someone there mentioned putting a small spacer in the axle on the side where it goes into the freehub. I posted a follow-up asking if the spacer fixed the issue, but no one has responded as of yet.


I recently had my rear r4 hub start making the chain hang up and rendered the wheel unusable. A friend of mine noticed there was a .005 space on the non drive side end cap. He made a .005 spacer and put it on the inside of the axle lip/drive side and it cured the problem. Not the clicking issue, but I did remedy a problem with a spacer. I have a new axle kit coming, but will probably just stash it for some other time. I haven't had time to measure to see if this is a result of a recess in the hub being off or bearing wear. I'm guessing bearings got compressed and caused the gap.


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## Blue CheeseHead

Mine developed a click after 3 years of use. I replaced the bearings in the freehub and now all is good. You can get new cartridge bearings online for $7.50/ea. I think I paid $20/ea for hybrid ceramics. 

For the shade tree mechanics out there: to get the bearings out of the freehub, I cut a penny in half and dropped one half in behind the bearing. It provided a bearing point where a bolt could be put in behind it and press it out with a bench vise. Install was easy with a properly sized carriage bolt, washer and nut to press the new bearings in. It was a 15 minute job.


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