# grinding in rear hub



## fouadaswad (Jan 25, 2006)

hello all

Went for my Sunday ride, it was wet, and flatted twice. Anyways, upon coming home, i did the usual post wet-weather cleaning routine: remove chain; WD-40 chain; WD-40 cogset and cranck. wipe all reinstall and lube.

Problem i, after this operation, I got this grinding sound coming out of my rear hub everytime the wheel rotates (particularly audible when wheel rotates and pedals are stationary). I suspected that WD-40 might have seeped into the hub and disolved the grease. The LBS close to my work said nothing i could o about it. but i could continue riding it if the noise didnt annoy me. Still havent seen my regular LBS on this, but is this darn wheel still rideable, or am i gonna get killed soon? BTW my wheels are Alex ALX-220, in case it makes a difference.

thanks heaps for your assistance.


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## BikeGeek (Mar 19, 2005)

Probably best not to ride on it untill you get it repaired especially if you can wiggle the wheel side to side. It probably isn't unsafe but could definitly cause more damage to the bearings.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Finger test*



fouadaswad said:


> Problem i, after this operation, I got this grinding sound coming out of my rear hub everytime the wheel rotates (particularly audible when wheel rotates and pedals are stationary).


You need to remove the wheel from the frame and turn the axle with light finger pressure. If you can feel grinding or binding, then you have to overhaul the hub (or let it grind itself into oblivion). It sounds to me more like the noise is coming from the freehub mechanism, not the hub axle bearings. It may be appropriate to take it apart, clean it, and relube.


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## gmcastil (Jan 8, 2006)

Assuming that you have a fairly standard freehub (ie, not a Mavic, Hugi, or King) you should be able to fix it. It sounds like the freehub bearings need to be lubed. If you remove the freehub, you'll probably see a rubber or nylon seal. You can pry that seal out with a pick and blast it with WD-40 and clean out the bearings. After you've rinsed it, try running a bead of Phil Wood Tenacious Oil around it and working the bearings a few times. After you've done that, reinstall the freehub. You'll probably want to overhaul the hub bearings as well, since you've had to take them out to get at the freehub. Hope this helps.


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## fouadaswad (Jan 25, 2006)

*shouldn't the LBS have known all that?*

need to buy my own set of tools


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## gmcastil (Jan 8, 2006)

I work in a shop, so I'm not going to start pointing fingers, but many mechanics have become accustomed to simply installing and replacing parts, rather than servicing what is on the bike. Not to say that I've correctly diagnosed your problem - we won't know until you do it. But, this is a fairly common thing that happens to freehubs, so your LBS should probably have recognized it. It isn't a rocket - you just have to spin the cassette off the bike and listen for the grinding sound. If its there, then that's likely the problem. PM me and let me know how this works out for you.


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## fouadaswad (Jan 25, 2006)

I have to stress that I took the wheel to an LBS next to work, not my regular LBS. was in a hurry to get this fixed and did not want to wait till the weekend. 
The Mechanic did not even bother holding the wheel and spinning it. I was doing the spinning trying to get him to listen to the noises. If i had a cogset tool, i would have pulled the wheel apart myself. I guess i will run it by my regular LBS tomorrow for a proper diagnosis. Problem is, i will have to ride 18km to get to my LBS. Hope this doesnt aggravate the problem. 

Thanks. appreciate your the help. 



gmcastil said:


> I work in a shop, so I'm not going to start pointing fingers, but many mechanics have become accustomed to simply installing and replacing parts, rather than servicing what is on the bike. Not to say that I've correctly diagnosed your problem - we won't know until you do it. But, this is a fairly common thing that happens to freehubs, so your LBS should probably have recognized it. It isn't a rocket - you just have to spin the cassette off the bike and listen for the grinding sound. If its there, then that's likely the problem. PM me and let me know how this works out for you.


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## gmcastil (Jan 8, 2006)

That's crappy service. I have people come in everyday with "My xxx is making a xxx kind of noise". It might take a few minutes to figure it out, but that's the job of a mechanic. If the guy wouldn't even look at the hub, that's pretty weak.

I've worked on those Alex wheelsets before. I'm pretty sure that you just need to clean out and relube the freehub bearings. The only way to get at them is to pull the freehub, which will require cone wrenches and either a 10 or 12mm allen wrench.


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## fouadaswad (Jan 25, 2006)

turns out there is nothing wrong with the hub. like oyu said, freewheel bearing. By the time a i got to the LBS the noise had gone anyways. 
thanks for the help.




gmcastil said:


> That's crappy service. I have people come in everyday with "My xxx is making a xxx kind of noise". It might take a few minutes to figure it out, but that's the job of a mechanic. If the guy wouldn't even look at the hub, that's pretty weak.
> 
> I've worked on those Alex wheelsets before. I'm pretty sure that you just need to clean out and relube the freehub bearings. The only way to get at them is to pull the freehub, which will require cone wrenches and either a 10 or 12mm allen wrench.


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