My only remaining hub with loose ball bearings.

The darker months bring out the macabre in each of us; for Gianni it was the extinction of his beloved Park Tool adjustable clamp. For me, I found myself mourning the fact that I recently purchased a headset press. Ignoring the fact that a Velominatus of my stature didn’t already own one, the mourn behind the mourn is where the interest lies.

What could possibly compel anyone to grieve over buying one of the most remarkable tools a person could own? I once installed a headset using only a wooden staircase, a two-by-four, and a hammer. My dad was surprised I managed to get the cups installed properly; my mother was surprised at the state of the steps. Using a press to install a headset is a beautiful process but it also doesn’t surprise anyone the way installing a headset with a hammer and a block of wood does.

In my life as a Cyclist, I have rarely required my own headset press; my dad owned a press when I was growing up and by the time I lived far enough from my dad’s workshop to merrit buying my own tool, headsets had evolved to the modern sealed cartridge bearing which only requires opposable thumbs to install. The headset press was running down the same trail upon which the whippoorwill was last seen right until some bright spark decided that screw-in bottom-bracket cups were too expensive to manufacture and that it would be a good idea to seat them directly into the frame. At which point the headset press made a surprising re-entry into the Velominatus’ toolbox on the same terms that my former headset installation technique impressed my mother.

I mourn this for two reasons. First, BB30 (and its relatives) are based on a sound principle where one increases the support to the fulcrum to keep it from flexing under load while simultaneously increasing the diameter of the crank’s axle to reduce flex there as well. The result is pretty obvious to anyone who has ridden a bike using this system; it’s like riding without a chain the first time you use one. The point missed is that the BB shell is made generically to a loose standard instead of specifically to a manufacturer’s requirements, and the tolerances aren’t nearly tight enough to keep the system from creaking without the application of Loctite or the like, which is an abomination in itself. A bicycle should not require Loctite, ever.

Second – and more concerningly – it brings into mind the point that we have strayed far from The Path.

There was a time when the adjustment of a bearing against its races was an art mastered by the great artisans of our sport. Bearings are designed to reduce the friction between two surfaces that need to rotate around one another and consist of a system of two races (a cup and a cone) and a set of metal or ceramic balls which sit between the races. Each of the races are attached to the rotating surfaces, and the chief business of the balls is to facilitate expedient movement between the two, mostly because balls are good at rolling, and not much else besides chasing if you ask my dog. How effective the bearing is (how much it reduces the friction) is a function of how smooth the surfaces of the races are, how round the balls are, and how little tension exists between the three.

Art is about expressing perfection in a world of flaws; within this definition, adjusting a set of bearings is perhaps the most perfect example of art. No surface is perfectly smooth and no ball is perfectly round, which means that all bearings are flawed. To combat this, we add lubrication which helps smooth out the imperfections but also increases resistance. The master artisan balances these flaws to achieve the state closest to perfection.

The first time I rebuilt a hub, I spent hours adjusting the system; first teh bearings would be so loose that the axle would rattle. Then I’d tighten it to where the bearings felt rough. Back and forth the pendulum swung until the bearings spun smoothly. My pride brimmed over at my own success. The Master takes that as a starting point and works from there until they find perfection. This is the sort of skill that, in the past century, not only demanded the highest pay among mechanics, but secured their reputation and fixed their place in the industry.

Today, we adjust bearings with an allen key. We press them in with a headset press if our opposable thumbs can’t do the trick, and then we use a hex key to tighten the sucker just enough that we can stand how it functions. Its no way to live, although I admit it is a practical way to live.

But we aren’t professionals; we are disciples. I don’t care about practical, I care about the experience. My Campa Record hubs still have loose bearings, but that’s the only bicycle I own which still holds this relic. And I don’t even own the tools to properly adjust them. So for 2015, I set for myself the following goal: I endeavor to rebuild at least one of my bikes with a full compliment of adjustable, loose ball-bearings – the headset, the wheels, the bottom bracket. That is my mission, that is my rite. I shall embrace the cartridge bearing as part of the modern bicycle, but I will journey down the path to maintain my skill in adjusting a true bearing.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

 

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

View Comments

  • Ceramics surely just have benefits at 10,000 rpm and up. On a bike, especially with some of the procedures that go into the races and design, you're throwing money away.

    But, fucken whatever floats your boat. A ball bearing that is close to the other bearings in terms of millions of a mm and dissipates heat that isn't generated on a bike might be a good way to spend your money, in the same way heroin seems like a good idea at the time.

  • @Oli

    I love it when you have your bike in the stand and you put a wheel with a perfectly adjusted Record or DA hub in the fork and the wheel just slowly rolls around of it's own accord to have the heaviest part eventually settle at the bottom.

    Even my Circa 1980 Nuovo Record, high flange hubs do that, and that's with slightly pitted races.

  • @pistard

     

    I don't even bother trying to clean and reuse them. New balls are cheap and you don't risk putting grit back into the bearing. Just make sure to get Grade 25 or better and more than you need (so when you drop one in reassembly you can grab a clean one).

    I work on the principle that a god set of old balls beats a young set every time.....

  • @Beers

     

    Get a cheap rug or towel in a contrasting colour, I always work over one for this very reason, it stops those runaway fuckers dead in their tracks! And keeps chain spooge off the lounge carpet..

    I do usually aim at an oily rag but sometimes the darned things have a mind of their own.  The funniest one recently was the bright idea to use a tin so they couldn't roll away from the rag.  It's surprising how much bounce a ball bearing can get from the bottom of a tin...........

  • @Teocalli

    @pistard

    I don't even bother trying to clean and reuse them. New balls are cheap and you don't risk putting grit back into the bearing. Just make sure to get Grade 25 or better and more than you need (so when you drop one in reassembly you can grab a clean one).

    I work on the principle that a god set of old balls beats a young set every time.....

    or even a "good" set...

  • I have a mismatched wheelset that came on a bike I picked up used. Too good of a deal to pass on the complete bike. Open Pro rims to black Record hubs with silver DT spokes. The problem is one rim is black, one silver. Such a nice wheelset that I've never been able to bring myself to break them down and do it right. Life can be rough! But, one day, maybe soon I'll have matching rims.

  • @Nate

    @frank a clip of that scene used to be on youtoob. Couldn't find it on my phone so I punted. Now the narration is stuck in my head: "a quiet garden. Along toward noon..."

    I have the same memory kicking around in my noggin somewhere and had the same experience looking for it, albeit from the desktop.

    @Chris

    @Teocalli My Speedplays were never quite the same* after the London Cogal. Fortunately, for my patience and skill levels, the cartridge bearings are fairly easy to replace.

    *never quite the same can be translated from the Queen's English to murican as "completely fucked".

    That's a classic!

    @Oli

    I love it when you have your bike in the stand and you put a wheel with a perfectly adjusted Record or DA hub in the fork and the wheel just slowly rolls around of it's own accord to have the heaviest part eventually settle at the bottom.

    I had to look at the URL to see if I hadn't accidentally bounced over to the development site with old data when I saw your name. Good to see you back around these here parts.

    @Marko rode my steel with the Record hubs ('98) when he was here last and he kept coasting by everyone in the group on the descents with a shit-eatin' grin because the wheels rolled so fast.

    I can get my CK and Alchemy hubs to spin in the stand until the valve is at the bottom, but I adjust them so loose there is play in the axle. Doesn't bother me but its certainly less glorious than the Records.

  • @Jay

    As for me, I will stay with modern sealed/cartridge bearings and focus my attention on my pedal stroke and making deposits in the V bank.

    I think this is where I'm at. I remember, as a younger person, working in the high school auto shop and pressing bearings for various automotive applications. Much larger than those on a bike, yet still a giant pain in the ass. I am certain that there is a measure of manliness in possessing the know-how to replace my own bearings, but I'd personally rather ride my bike than press bearings into position. Also, someone mentioned in another thread that the capability of the average human to accurately feel small differences in performance (such as would be the case with free bearings vs. cartridge) is entirely negligible. So maybe I'll be OK.

  • @rfreese888

    2 / 2
    This reminds me, does anyone know where to get a replacement aluminum dust cover, as seen here on the Record rear hub?  I have a set of Chorus/Open Pros, and one of the covers is missing from the front hub so it exposes the black donut, as seen in the second pic above.  It really annoys me every time I see my wheel with one side silver and the other side black.  I've searched the interwebs for the piece with no luck.
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