How to Replace Rear Hub Bearings

The bearings in your bicycle's rear wheel hub allow the wheel to spin freely around the axle without the drag of metal-on-metal contact. Over time, because the bearings spin round and round, carrying the entire weight of your body and the bike, the bearings may wear over time, leading to a bumpy ride no more efficient than a wheel without any bearings at all. Learn to replace the bearings in your rear wheel hub and keep your bike riding smoothly.

Things You'll Need

  • Cone wrench set
  • Adjustable wrench
  • New ball bearings
  • Bearing grease
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the rear wheel from your bike by loosening the quick release or axle nuts and pulling the wheel out of the dropouts. Gently set your bike on its left side so as not to damage any of the drivetrain parts.

    • 2

      Set a cone wrench in place on the axle nuts closest to the hub. Hold onto the cone wrench and spokes of the wheel with one hand to keep the nut from spinning. While doing this, use an adjustable wrench to loosen and remove the nut furthest away from the hub body.

    • 3

      Loosen and remove any other axle nuts on that side of the hub, then slide the axle out of the center of the hub. Use a flathead screwdriver or similar tool to carefully remove the bearing cover on the drive side and non-drive side of the hub. Pull the old bearings out of the hub and save them. Take the old bearings to your local bike shop to be certain you get an exact replacement for them.

    • 4

      Apply a liberal amount of grease to the inner bearing race on both the drive and non-drive sides of the hub. This grease will help hold the new bearings in place while the axle is out of the hub. Push the new bearings into the grease on each side of the hub one by one making certain that none of them fall into the center of the hub.

    • 5

      Slide the axle back into the center of the hub. Twist the smallest axle nut -- the one with a curved edge on one side -- onto the axle against the bearings. Twist the rest of the axle nuts onto the axle in the order that you removed them. Hold the first nut in place with a cone wrench, then tighten the outer nut against it using an adjustable wrench.

    • 6

      Slide the wheel into the dropouts on the frame of the bike and tighten the outer axle nuts to hold it in place. Take your bike out for a test ride to feel the big difference that a new set of bearings makes.