Bitex hubs

[vorsprung]

The second best bike had a slightly odd road bike rear hub, 11 sp, 135mm OLN, QR with a disk brake

I had been using a XTR hub but the pawls were jamming, and the freehub body is frozen on so I had to get a replacement.  The whole wheel was in a poor state, the rim was dented too

The XTR hub only worked with one type of 11sp 11-34 cassette and so was less than ideal.

I found a replacement from Spa with their Bitex 106 series, built it into a SON Hydra rim

I've been using this wheel on the second best bike since May.  Although it's not winter I have been in Britain so I have found plenty of shit roads to ride along

I thought it was time to take a look at the hub it felt slightly notchy holding the axle spindle

Taking the hub apart isn't difficult.  Two 5mm allen keys to remove the LH end cap, then a 10mm plus 5mm to get the rest off.  The hub body just slides off.

The outer seals seem to be effective as there was no identifiable dirt in the pawl/bearing area behind.  The grease was black but nice, no grit

On the inside of the axle housing, the centre of the hub there are two sealed bearings 6902 one of them felt less than smooth so I replaced them both

To get the bearings out - they are press fit - was slightly more taxing but not too bad. 

There is a small section of sleeve right in the middle of the hub between the two bearings but this can be moved slightly to one side.  This gives access to a small section of the inner lip of the bearing from the other side.  I whacked it with a screwdriver, moved the sleeve around, whacked another bit etc etc and the first bearing eventually popped out.

The second was easier as it could be punched straight

Then I replaced them using the old bearings as chasers and reassembled.  After rebuild the hub didn't feel any better or worse than it had before, still slightly notchy

Overall the Bitex hubs are better than the previous Spa cycles cheap options, better seals, nice pawls

[aidan.f]

Was it the LH (exposed) or RH (loaded) bearing that was failing?  If the internal air-space could pressure equalise water would not be pulled past the seals and OEM bearings are often poor quality.

[vorsprung]

Was it the LH (exposed) or RH (loaded) bearing that was failing?  If the internal air-space could pressure equalise water would not be pulled past the seals and OEM bearings are often poor quality.

RH cog side.  There are also bearings in the freehub which I didn't investigate that might be the source of the notchiness so maybe I will have to have it apart again

[aidan.f]

Due to axial loads when cornering  I use LLU max bearings from Wych in my trike freehubs. No reason not to use them for a bike freehub if you want to increase service life .

Enduro Max Bearings Specification:
MAX bearings are filled completely with high precision Grade 10 balls for maximum load capacity. No retainer means these bearings have 35 percent more capacity. The balls must be filled by hand, through a precision slot ground into the inner and outer race.

52100 High Carbon Chromium Alloy Races:
Purest alloy steel with the toughness like no other. MAX bearings use CRC Marine Grease, will not wash out or break down under any extreme circumstances. Even salt water will not penetrate or break it down.

LLU Seals:
Two sealing lips on each seal, which ride in a matching groove on the inner race to make a labyrinth seal. The outer sealing lip repels dirt/water while the inner retains grease. These seals essentially form a “hydromatic seal” of grease when in operation, the grease forming a barrier in the groove

[Cudzoziemiec]

I found a replacement from Spa with their Bitex 106 series, built it into a SON Hydra rim

Snap! Nothing to more to say except it strikes a good balance between quiet and clicky. I think it's three years old and I haven't felt any need to look at it yet.