SON delux bearing service?

[Ben T]

Has anybody got any experience with getting a SON delux hub's bearings serviced?
DIY feasible? If so, what's the procedure?
If sent away, where to, and could you send it as a complete wheel, and how long did it take, and was it good when it came back?

Mine has resistance, to the point where it hardly does one revolution without stopping if you spin it (but not so bad that it's unrideable).
There's also scraping noise, which sounds very much like the brake pads catching - to the point where I thought it was that, until I took the whole brake caliper off completely and realised it was the hub.

Also, if I undo the QR, and spin the wheel, there's no resistance and no noise. But if I have the QR done up even fairly loosely, the resistance and noise is there.

It is from 2014 so coming up to 7 years old and is well used.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Sounds like internal corrosion. I think (but don’t know for sure) that SJS is Schmidt’s agent for repairs.

https://nabendynamo.de/en/dealers/

[Ben T]

Sounds like internal corrosion. I think (but don’t know for sure) that SJS is Son’s agent for repairs.

ah right ok cheers, will contact them.

[citoyen]

When I had mine serviced a few years ago, they let you send off either the hub alone or the complete wheel. Since I needed a new rim anyway, I dismantled the wheel and sent off just the hub. As LWaB says, you have to go via SJS - you can't send it direct to Schmidt. It was all very straightforward to organise though.

And not only did it come back working like new, they had polished it up beautifully so it looked like new, too!

[Ben T]

When I had mine serviced a few years ago, they let you send off either the hub alone or the complete wheel. Since I needed a new rim anyway, I dismantled the wheel and sent off just the hub. As LWaB says, you have to go via SJS - you can't send it direct to Schmidt. It was all very straightforward to organise though.

And not only did it come back working like new, they had polished it up beautifully so it looked like new, too!

excellent!

[andrew_s]

The Sondelux is serviced as a bare hub, so if you send it as a wheel, there'll be an additional wheelbuilding charge, I expect.
It's only the Klassik hubs that can be serviced in a wheel

[Ben T]

The Sondelux is serviced as a bare hub, so if you send it as a wheel, there'll be an additional wheelbuilding charge, I expect.
It's only the Klassik hubs that can be serviced in a wheel

I got a reply from SON saying it’s “better” if it’s dismantled from the rim and spokes (but that I need to go through the distributor, SJS) but the reply from SJS said they send them to Germany as a wheel. Anyhow  I’ll send it to them and let them deal with it, cos they seem to sound like it’s routine for them.
No need to ever swap the rim cos it’s disc.
Might have to wait till after late May tour now cos probably wouldn’t come back in time, will just have to do the tour with it a bit graunchy !

Even if they charge me £20 that’s very good value compared to the time it would take me to even dismantle it let alone build it again.

[quixoticgeek]

The Sondelux is serviced as a bare hub, so if you send it as a wheel, there'll be an additional wheelbuilding charge, I expect.
It's only the Klassik hubs that can be serviced in a wheel

I got a reply from SON saying it’s “better” if it’s dismantled from the rim and spokes (but that I need to go through the distributor, SJS) but the reply from SJS said they send them to Germany as a wheel. Anyhow  I’ll send it to them and let them deal with it, cos they seem to sound like it’s routine for them.
No need to ever swap the rim cos it’s disc.
Might have to wait till after late May tour now cos probably wouldn’t come back in time, will just have to do the tour with it a bit graunchy !

Even if they charge me £20 that’s very good value compared to the time it would take me to even dismantle it let alone build it again.

I wouldn't. If it's making that noise now. By the time you've done a tour there's a chance you've done irreversible damage to the hub. Send it back. Get them to fix it, sooner, rather than later.

J

[Ben T]

Had thought of that but then I thought it’s winter road salt that’s causing it to get bad, not general miles.
‘Spose I could use the wheel off my trek but it’s bolt  through so I’d need an adapter, and another rotor as it’s a different size.
Will have a think about it, cheers.

[quixoticgeek]

Had thought of that but then I thought it’s winter road salt that’s causing it to get bad, not general miles.
‘Spose I could use the wheel off my trek but it’s bolt  through so I’d need an adapter, and another rotor as it’s a different size.
Will have a think about it, cheers.

It means there's no lubrication on the bearings. It's a really good way of fucking it up.

Ultimately. It's your choice. I wouldn't risk it.

J

[aidan.f]

As lwab sez it's possibly internal corrosion. Clearances between the rotor and stator are small. There is pressure equalising pipe connected to  a small hole in the centre of a QR axle. This prevents water being sucked into the hub through bearing seals. That hole can be blocked.

[jsabine]

Had thought of that but then I thought it’s winter road salt that’s causing it to get bad, not general miles.
‘Spose I could use the wheel off my trek but it’s bolt  through so I’d need an adapter, and another rotor as it’s a different size.
Will have a think about it, cheers.

It means there's no lubrication on the bearings. It's a really good way of fucking it up.

Ultimately. It's your choice. I wouldn't risk it.

Sounds sensible enough, though on the other hand if the Delux uses cartridge bearings it's probably only a really good way of fucking up the bearings, which are going to be replaced anyway ...

A good while ago, I lent someone no longer OTP a 6-bolt QR SON28 wheel: if the offer of that for your tour is helpful, it would give me an excuse to see if the other person is still using it. You'd probably still need another rotor though.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I don’t think it is purely a bearing problem in your case but suit yourself.

[Ben T]

A good while ago, I lent someone no longer OTP a 6-bolt QR SON28 wheel: if the offer of that for your tour is helpful, it would give me an excuse to see if the other person is still using it. You'd probably still need another rotor though.

 thanks a lot for the offer.... I think if it had a 180mm rotor it would be the best... so yes please if it has and is QR and if you or they aren’t going to want it, but otherwise I have a feeling the hub on my audax bike is centrelock so I’d be able to put the 180 rotor onto that and I’d only need a QR adapter. Cheers anyway though

[citoyen]

It's only the Klassik hubs that can be serviced in a wheel

Of course. I was forgetting there's a difference. Mine is the "Klassik" (though it was just the standard option when I bought it).