MTB Rear hub seals

[mountain_lion]

The Stellenbosch mud feast this weekend, required me to open up the hubs on my Giant Anthem for a clean.

 

Front was generally OK, almost not needed to to any thing.

Rear non-drive side also not too bad, but drive side was a total mess!

Cone and bearings totally shot and more mud than grease in there.

 

The reason: drive side rear does not have a outer wiper seal, so the mud has free access to the bearings.

I had the free body replaced a month ago by LBS and there is already noticeable wear in the cup of the of the free body.

 

The winter in Stellenbosch = mud riding which I don't mind, but the wear and tear on the bicycle is getting a bit expensive!

 

Is there no better rear hub design available?

 

Surely it must be possible to have some sort of seal on the drive side?

 

or is component spec on the Anthem 2 just so low?

 

 

 

[Johan Bornman]

I agree with you. The seal on Shimano type hubs on the right hand side are a weakness in the hub setup.

 

On the front and left rear, the hub is protected with a labyrinth and wiper seal whereas on the right it is just a labyrinth seal that's easily overwhelmed by effective submersion.

 

What particular hub was this?

 

Cartridge bearing hubs fare no better there since mud builds up in those cavities and grind the seal away.

 

I recently took apart a new XTR wheel and thought that design may be a step forward.

 

 

[mountain_lion]

It is a Formula hub. Not sure which model; (original spec. for 2007 Anthem 2).

 

 

[mountain_lion]

 

Which XTR hub was that and is worth the extra cost?

Would it be worth it to rather get a new hub and build a new wheel on it?

 

As said before, I ride for fun and am more concerned with durability than weight. I am prepared to pay for quality (within my budget of course...)

 

 

[straatvark]

The reason: drive side rear does not have a outer wiper seal' date=' so the mud has free access to the bearings.
[/quote']

 

aha! Ditto here.

 

Caught mine in time before major problems, but certainly not new any more

[mountain_lion]

 

Now LBS is saying they cannot get axle + cones for the Formula hub I have.

So looks like I will need to get 2 new rear hubs (mrs mountain_lion has the same bike, although her cones are not as bad as mine).

 

What do I get that offers reasonable durability and sealing on the drive side without breaking the bank?

 

mountain_lion2008-08-07 14:36:48

[Johan Bornman]

Now LBS is saying they cannot get axle + cones for the Formula hub I have.
So looks like I will need to get 2 new rear hubs (mrs mountain_lion has the same bike' date=' although her cones are not as bad as mine).

What do I get that offers reasonable durability and sealing on the drive side without breaking the bank?
[/quote']

 

In my view, they don't come much better than Shimano, and at a great price too. The nice thing about Shimano is that all their hubs from XT down (excluding their Hyperama range) use the same seals, so you don't compromise when you go cheaper. The XTR hubs have the same system but built on an oversize aluminium axle and has less scope for intrusion than those on the smaller axles.

 

I had a look at the Formula website yesterday to see what could be wrong with their seals but there are so many hubs and about three different types of seals. I don't know which hub you have.

 

Basically, they have a wiper seal and labyrinth seal. However on some of those hubs I think the labyrinth is syspect.

 

Labyrinth seals rely on an air gap between two moving parts and if that is contaminated with mud, water gets in by capillary action and then approaches the wiper seal. As I've written before, a single wiper seal cannot separate two liquids (water and grease) and water therefore contaminates the grease. It is important to keep your labyrinth seals clean and free of grease. Some mechanics think there should be grease in there but they should be absolutely clean. Unfortunately on the rear wheel it is difficult to get in there due to the freehub and therefore that bearing is the first to go.

 

 

 

 

 

[GoLefty!!]

what you need is a MorningStar Freehub Buddy and replacable seals...

[mountain_lion]

You mean

 

http://www.morningstartools.com/freehub_buddy1.html ?

 

 

 

Looks interesting...

 

 

 

GoLefty: do you import this?

 

 

 

Looks like the tool is actually used to lube the freehub itself (something I have never done).

 

The seals could help above mentioned problem.

 

 

 

Where do I get?