No, I'm not talking about a baseball team. I'm describing the number of balls (bearing) at each end of a Campagnolo Record axle.
When overhauling my hubs yesterday, I knew I had to count to nine. Remembering the number is like riding a bike,
you never forget how. When it comes to bearings, count them coming out, and going back in. For they are sure to roll away.
We start with two cone wrenches that fit the cone and lock nuts. In this case I am using two 14mm wrenches. The lock nut was really TIGHT and now I have bruises on my hands from pressing so hard on the thin ends of the wrenches.
This photo shows most of the ball bearings (I have already temporarily lost two). One got stuck in the end of my magnetic tool, and the other rolled away onto the driveway.
Ok, now I have everything - grease-free parts, fresh grease, cone wrenches and a hub ready to accept the parts. In the photo below I have removed the dust cover. I'll fill the race with a thin coat of grease, insert the 9 balls (on each side) and put the axle back in.
It's a bit harder on the freewheel side, but by using one's little finger, coated with grease, it's possible to put the balls in place (9 on each side). I'd like to have taken off the cluster, but this one's been on for 25 years and it may take nuclear explosives to loosen it.
If your wheels don't have "regular" ball bearings, you will have a nice little sealed bearing assembly as you see below. The seals on either side of the bearing protect the balls and the grease from water and other contamination, but don't totally protect them from the effects of aging.
Now I just need to pry the dust cap up just a little until it's level with the end of the hub, screw down the race, adjust the play, add the lock washer, then tighten up the lock nut. And clean off the grease!
Now, insert skewer with springs, and fix the wheel into the frame. The bike should be ready to roll. Or at least to test. Shall we give it a spin? The cat says yes.
If everything has been done right, a simple push should get it spinning for about thirty seconds. Tiger will let us know when thirty seconds have elapsed.
