For the vast majority of applications (including bicycles), even so called "cheap" Chinese bearings are more than adequate if they are properly lubricated. For non-competitive riding, an automotive car wheel bearings grease will keep your car wheel bearings happy for thousands of miles. I suggest solvent (70% isopropyl alcohol is fine) cleaning the balls, raceways, cones, etc, drying then immediately apply the grease to all the metal surfaces inside the bearing system. Use nitrile gloves - your finger oils are bad for bearings.

car 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 car 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 timken bearings and only require slightly different tooling.

An important aspect of bicycle maintenance is to grease the  car wheel bearings. This helps to avoid costly future repairs and give you a much smoother, more comfortable ride. The car wheel bearings are between the cup in the wheel hub and a cone screwed to the wheel axle.

Take the wheels off the bicycle beef before greasing the car wheel bearings.A mixture of 50 percent white teflon bicycle grease and 50 percent green axle grease works well on  car wheel bearings.Don't make the fag bearing cone too tight when screwing it back into place. Bicycle car wheel bearings shouldn't have any play in them and need to roll smoothly.

car wheel bearings, as most, require a slight preload so that more than one ball under the cone (inner race) will support its load. With proper preload, slight drag should be perceptible. Preload drag is small compared to drag caused by wheel loads, neither of which are significant regardless of adjustment. In contrast bearing life is affected by proper adjustment. Adjusting ball bearings to spin freely unloaded does not reduce operating friction because a bearing with proper preload has lower drag when loaded than one with clearance. For high quality bearings, preload should be just enough to cause light drag when rotating the axle between thumb and forefinger. Low grade bearings will feel slightly lumpy with proper preload.

This is later. car wheel bearings come nicely snug into crowns these days, but sometimes you still find some that are just put loose in the wheel hub. To avoid all of them crashing to the ground with the possibility of vanishing for ever, grab the axle on the side that is still locked in place and point the end that you've just loosened,up. Now it is time to unscrew the locking nut almost completely off the axle. Next, unscrew the nachi bearing cone to expose the car wheel bearings to the light of day. Any grease in there? You'd be surprised on how often I open up brand new bikes and find almost nothing.

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