Those of you with knowledge in the Way of the Bicycle, I need counsel.

Let me begin by saying I know nothing about how to repair a bicycle, and mine is a cheap one for cycling in the city.

One of the bearings of my front wheel said life is not worth living and broke down to pieces and flew off.

The shop tells me I need a new wheel. I took the ailing creature back home, removed the wheel and the axle, and found myself with the situation shown in the picture.

Is the piece at the top, still around the axle, part of the fallen bearing or part of the axle? It won’t budge, and the other bearing is impossible to remove because well, it turns. Because it is a bearing.

Do I need a new wheel? A new axle maybe…? I was hoping to save a lot of money by replacing the bearing myself, but it looks worse than I thought.

Thanks beforehand!

EDIT

Thanks so much for all your advice!

Tried the flathead screwdriver and WD-40 to get the inner bushing out, but it was impossible.

In the end, I got both -the bearing and the inner bushing of the bearing- out with the help of a bench vice, a hammer, and some personal frustrations.

The axle looks good and so does the thread.

I’ll now check the rest of my bike for any non-repairable issues, and if nothing appears to be wrong, I’ll buy two new bearings (the one I have left has “6000-2RS” on it) and go to my local repair café, because they way you all describe it, putting on the bearings is delicate business.

Here are also some photos of the hub and the spokes linked to it. I think everything looks okay with the wheel, which is why I found odd the full replacement. I want to believe it is simply because it is easier for them.

  • Ananääs
    5·
    6 days ago

    Looks like the inner bushing of the bearing, you might be able to tap it off with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer or such. If you do get it off as well as the other bearing (you should replace them both), check the numbers on the bearing or take it with you to a shop. There are a million different sizes and you need the exact one. You can try to use the old bearing as an installation tool to avoid breaking the new ones but it can be tricky as you need to get them sit straight on the hub. You may be able to assemble it by using the axle, old bearing, spacers that are the same diameter or larger than the bearing and axle nuts as a bearing press (put some grease in the cups first), but try to do it one side first and slowly because it’s easy to get it wrong.

    • wildflowertea@slrpnk.netOP
      2·
      6 days ago

      Tried the screwdriver without any luck, but it was worth the shot!

      In the end, bench vice and hammer did it.

      I’ll make sure to note down the numbers on the bearing and bring it with me when I go find new ones.

      Thank you!