How to Rebuild Vintage Rear Bicycle Hubs

Vintage bicycle hubs have a tendency to wear out and stop rolling properly because of grease leakage, weather wear and other factors. Luckily, many old hubs are made in a way that will allow you to pull apart, regrease and overhaul the hub body, making for one smooth ride when you're finished. The process is not difficult if you have the right tools, so learn how to rebuild a vintage bicycle hub at home, and get that old bike back out on the road.

Things You'll Need

  • 13 mm cone wrench
  • 15 mm wrench
  • Ball bearings
  • Bearing grease
  • Freewheel tool
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the rear wheel from your bike by loosening the rear axle nuts and sliding the wheel out of the dropouts. Attach a freewheel tool to the center of the freewheel on the drive side of the bike. Turn the freewheel tool counterclockwise to loosen and remove the freewheel from the hub. This will allow you to reach the hub cones, necessary for taking the hub apart.

    • 2

      Attach a 13 mm cone wrench to the inner hub cone, the small nut with a notch in it near the hub body. Use the cone wrench to hold the cone steady, then turn the outer axle nut with a 15 mm wrench to loosen the hub cones. Twist both cones counterclockwise until they fall free of the axle, then slide the axle out of the hub.

    • 3

      Remove the bearings from the inner race on both sides of the hub and set them aside. Take these bearings to your local bike shop to acquire replacement bearings of the same size. Any bike shop will be able to measure and count them out for you.

    • 4

      Apply a liberal amount of bearing grease to the inner race on both sides of the hub. Use this grease to stick the new bearings in place in an equal number on both sides of the hub. Most older hubs use eight or nine bearings per race. Slide the axle through the hub from the non-drive side and thread on the small and large axle cones removed previously.

    • 5

      Twist the small axle cone into place against the bearings until it is tight enough to hold the bearings in place while still spinning smoothly. Use a 13 mm cone wrench to hold this cone in place, then use a 15 mm wrench to tighten the outer axle nut against it. This will keep the axle cones from loosening while you ride.

    • 6

      Twist the freewheel onto the hub clockwise until it stops. Don't worry about tightening the freewheel excessively; it will tighten as you pedal the bike. Slide the wheel back into the dropouts at the rear of the bike, tighten the axle nuts and take the bike out for a test ride to feel what a difference your rear hub repair has made.