Ultegra 6500 Crunchy Hub

[mtb_frk]

Are these cones done for? Maybe just new bearings? Got them for free so not out anything otherwise, I doubt anyone still sells replacements.

[tellyho]

You might get lucky on a replacement. They don't look terrible to me. Assume you did the Bic pen trick to get a sense for small brinnelling? How are the races?

[zzy]

Naw those are fine. +1 to the ol ballpoint test. Even with a bit of roughness, with lots of thick grease those will spin fine for ages.

[Peter P.]

I've got a 9 speed 6500 series 32H rear hub in excellent condition if you just want to replace the hub.

[mtb_frk]

Originally Posted by zzy

Naw those are fine. +1 to the ol ballpoint test. Even with a bit of roughness, with lots of thick grease those will spin fine for ages.

Feels pretty smooth with a pen. Ordered some new bearings. Any suggestions to get the tension correct when I put it back together? I counted the threads before I took it apart so should be able to get close. I’ve never been good at adjusting cup and cone hubs though.

[zzy]

It's easy - thread a cone in enough that it starts to bind, then back it off till a tiny bit of play develops. That will define your range. Hopefully you still have the hub laced to a rim. Then slowly thread it back into until there is no play in the axle at all. Once you have a good tension, hold the cone in place while really tightening down the locknut, which will induce a bit more tension on the axle. Loose ball is very forgiving as long as you don't set it too loose. You can do micro adjustments by tightening the cone to the locknut or vice versa as needed. The key is to only work on one side while leaving the other where it was in last good known position, and make sure the axle never protrudes past the dropout.

[mtb_frk]

New bearins and its nice and smooth again. Now I just need to find a set of rims that are similar to my other wheelset (the old style belgiums) that won't break the bank.

[Veloo]

You can do this wrench trick to ensure it's just the right tightness when QRs are clamped.

https://youtu.be/Uxi7wTRGfZM?si=gbHvOgfWJSxp-qv6&t=307

[tellyho]

My favorite budget wide rims are Kinlin, with DR460 a close second. See bikehubstore for Kinlin choices.

[mtb_frk]

Originally Posted by tellyho

My favorite budget wide rims are Kinlin, with DR460 a close second. See bikehubstore for Kinlin choices.

Thanks for the suggestions. I thought no one wanted old school rim brake rims anymore.