Help please: Anyone know how to service TNT hub bearings?

[gibbon_rider]

I have a TNT rear hub, with some pretty scratchy bearings. I'd like to service them, but I'd like to know what I'm doing first. Does anyone have a manual, or any guide, or indeed any words of wisdom at all about how to service the bearings? I can remove the axle easily enough, but I'm not brave enough to punch the bearings out without knowing what I'm doing!

Thanks for any advice you can give!

 

[syncrosfan]

But punching the old bearings out is exactly what you need to do. Punch them out, measure them, buy new bearings, press the new bearings in (maybe the threaded rod + big washer method should work fairly well). and you're done. Not really that much to it. What I usually also do to mine to make them lighter (I have a set of the beefier ones in titanium too) I did replace the steel freehub body which is standard Shimano, with a XTR M950 titanium freehub body. Alternatively what you could try if you're unwilling to mess with bearing removal, you could pop out the bearing side shield, flush out the old grease with WD40 or wax and grease remover , the re-lube them and hope that it will get rid of the "crunchyness". But generally I would go the route of new bearings (not very expensive) and buy some quality SKF or INA bearings that should hold a long time.

 

[gibbon_rider]

Legend! I wasn't 100% sure about what bearings to replace them with as I couldn't find the exact match in the UK. But I hadn't thought about taking off the shield and re-packing them

Done that now, and they're much better. Still not perfect, but good enough for the time being.

Thanks for your help!