How to Fix a Shadow Raptor Front Hub

Shadow Raptor hubs are made for BMX-style bicycles. They spin using a 3/8-24 bearings set in the cartridge cylinder. Most repairs for any hub, Shadow Raptors included, are based on the bearings being dry or the grease being compromised. In order to repair this dried cartridge, it must be removed from the Shadow Raptor; this requires some special tools.

Things You'll Need

  • Bicycle-cone wrenches
  • Replacement 3/8-24 bearings
  • Bicycle grease
  • Freewheel-remover tool
  • Magnetized screwdriver
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Disengage the front brake on the bicycle and unscrew the front wheel hub via the nuts on the axle. Use cone wrenches to unscrew the nuts.

    • 2

      Pop the rubber gaskets off the sides of the Raptor freewheel hub. Insert the freewheel-remover tool, a set of long tweezers with toothed jaws, into the side slits around the Shadow Raptor hub. Turn the freewheel remover counterclockwise to remove the freewheel.

    • 3

      Pry the cartridge bearings out of the Shadow Raptor hub using a magnetized screwdriver. The magnetization allows you to keep a grip on the cartridge bearings as you pull it away from the hub.

    • 4

      Inspect the cartridge bearing and the bearings in the edge of the cylinder. Look for rust, flat sides on the bearings or dried out grease. Remove any flat or rusty bearings and push new bearings (3/8-24) into the cylinder. Squirt bicycle grease along the cylinder and smack it against the palm of your hand several times to pack the grease.

    • 5

      Push the cylinder with the repacked and replaced bearings into the hub. Use the freewheel tool to place the hub back into the wheel housing. Turn it clockwise to lock it back into the hub.

    • 6

      Push the rubber gaskets back onto the sides of the hubs and then place the wheel back into the front drop-out on the frame. Use the cone wrenches to tighten the lock-nuts on the Shadow Raptor hub and keep the wheel on the bicycle frame.