Hope Hub Bearing Wear

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I've had a few hope hubs, and the bearings have running flawlessly for several years. I'd say an above average life span, and if they do ever go, they're sealed bearings so they're easy to get out and easy to replace.
 
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That might have been the case with cup and cone bearings where you leave them a little loose so that when the QR is done up they are just right. Sealed bearing hubs for the most part have machined axles/spacers that space the bearings correctly so that the QR load does not squeeze the bearings themselves. The squeezing load should be all on the inner race on the axle and spacers on end of axle. They shouldn't be able to move sideways relative to the ball-bearings/outer race therefore no compression load on bearings.
 
In my experience the older ie retro hub bearings seem to keep on going for a long time, all depends on how much use they get and in what condition as well though. ie. My retro bike gets out once a week on average, so the bearings will probably outlast me!
By comparison, my modern bike with Hope pro2 hubs munches through bearings in around 12 months, but then it gets far more use all year long, and the last set of bearings were decent quality too.
Either that or they don't make the sealed bearings like they used to !
 
I get 5000 miles or so out of a mid-price bearing (like KSK) in my Hope Lightweights. That's until there is the slightest perceptible play at the rim. Probably things would last a little longer with SKF or NSK bearings.
 
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I have a pair of Hope/Mavic wheels and before I put them on a build I had I got them checked, hubs and trued at a reputable wheel builder up here in Jockland. The bearing were changed at that time, now I don't use a pressure wash and (I think) they haven't done massive miles and yet their now needing changed. I'm beginning to wonder if they were in fact changed or the bearings were the cheapest of cheap :?
 
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Or maybe they battered the feck out of them with a percussion device when fitting them.
The other possibility is that one or more weren't seated properly when fitted so were being compressed by QR.
 
The only sealing is the thin lip seal on the bearing itself - it's substantially less than the labyrinth of a Shimano hub with the combination of grease and that big outer rubber boot. Cheaper bearings don't have such a good seal.

A regular little smear of grease around the axle makes some difference.
 
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