Put the flat wrench on the bearing cone between the hub and the locking nut. Put the adjustable wrench on the locking nut. Hold the bearing cone in place and unscrew the locking nut. The best position to do this is hunched over the wheel while it sits on the ground. Whatever you do, DON'T open the cones at all while in this position. Just unlock it so you can unscrew everything with your fingers later.

Now this is the fast way to regrease your bearings by just shooting grease in the bearings, screwing the cone back in, flipping the wheel over, hold the cone of the bearing you've just greased, grab the axle now facing up, unscrew it to reveal the other side bearings and pack them with grease. But the proper way is by taking everything off, clean all the cones, hub cups, bearings, repack with grease and reassemble. One great way to pack grease in wheel axles is by using a small feeder syringe. Only undo one side of the axle, this way you are sure that your axle is always centered when you reassemble it.

Reassembly is done screwing in the bearing cone back into place, but not too tight. nsk Bearings should be able to roll smoothly without axle play. Tightened the lock nut into place and check again. If you ever hear crunching noises while turning the axle, dirt has gotten into your bearings and you should start all over again. To avoid this, make sure you work in a clean place. If everything is clean, you might have small pits in your bearing cones or cup. Your bearings will be eaten away with time and it would be a good thing to replace those.

In order to repack rear wheels, you have to remove the gear cogs on them. In order to do this, you need a special socket to unscrew it. Check with your local bike shop for the proper one. Their are a few models and types. Coaster brake or inner speed hubs are almost bullet proof and very rarely need regreasing. Those should be handled by a pro.

Cheap wheel bearings support the wheel hubs on the axles. Bearings require a certain amount of pressure, otherwise referred to as preload. The specific amount of preload determines the number of bearings that support the wheel hubs at any given time. Cone flats thread onto the axles and press bearing cones against the ntn bearings. Adjusting bearing cone preload prolongs the life of the bearings. With proper preload, light drag should be noticed when spinning the wheels.

Wheels with quick-release levers present a challenge. Closing the lever alters the preload. Adjusting bearings on wheels that have quick-release levers may take several attempts.

The wheel bearings sit between a cone screwed to the wheel axle and the cup in the wheel hub. They must be properly adjusted and greased. To find out if they need greasing without taking everything apart, simply remove the wheel from the bike, support the axle horizontally with your fingers, and turn the wheel slowly--try not to tilt the axle as it rotates. If the wheel does not turn smoothly or you can feel tiny bumps in your fingers, then you must dismantle the bearing assembly and service the bearings.

Cheap wheel bearings should last for years and provide you with thousands of miles of travel---but they won't last forever. In some cases they even fail completely if they haven't been maintained correctly. Part of a maintenance schedule should include replacement of wheel bearings before they fail. The procedure isn't that difficult if you have about an hour and a few small tools. Front and back wheels are similar in procedure to change bearings and only require slightly different tooling.

Remove the wheel from the bike. If you are doing the back wheel, remove the gear cassette freewheel first by turning it counterclockwise. If it's too tight, apply the freewheel puller. Hook it on, loosen the freewheel and lift it off.

Lay the wheel on its right side, and work on the left side of the wheel. Take a screwdriver and pry off the rubber seal. Slide a 15 mm cone wrench onto the cone flats on the bottom for the back wheel, a 13 mm wrench for the front. Now place the 17mm open-end wrench on the nut on top and loosen it by turning it counterclockwise against the cone wrench.

Stand up the wheel. Using both hands from both sides, unscrew the locknut, cone and spacers. Now slide out the axle from the right side. Using a small magnet, remove all the cheap wheel bearings from both sides and count them. Clean off all the old grease.

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