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Adjust

Adjust cup-and-cone hub bearings

Remove side-to-side play from a cup-and-cone hub by setting the cone and locknut. Cartridge bearings are replaced in a workshop instead.

Difficulty
Advanced
Time
40 minutes

This guide is still being written: only the main steps are described for now.

Tools you need

  • Adjustable wrench

    Otherwise: Pliers

  • Allen keys

    Otherwise: Multi-tool

Step 3Set the cone

With the wheel out, hold the cone on one side with a thin flat spanner, often 15 or 17 mm, and loosen the locknut with the Adjustable wrench (or else Pliers). Screw the cone in by hand until it touches the balls, then back it off by an eighth of a turn.

Lock the locknut again while holding the cone still. The axle should turn smoothly and without play once the wheel is clamped in the frame. If the hub feels gritty or has no adjustable cones, it is a workshop job.

See it on my bike

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