[HAMR] Jan 29th

[andrew_s]

Shimano is the only major manufacturer to stick rigidly to cup & cone bearings. If you have the time and ability to keep these maintained, they will go on for ever.

<laughs a lot>

No.

I've had to replace the cones on several of my wheels. Pitting and a worn groove after maybe 10k miles. Bearings kept properly greased and seals hadn't failed.

Cup & cone bearings will fail like this if they are adjusted too tightly.
Tightening the QR will make enough of a difference that a wheel that seems correct off the bike will have bearings that are too tight when on the bike. You have to set the bearings with a small amount of play, so that it just disappears when you put the wheel in the bike.

[Nuncio]

I may have missed this, but did Zoe Williams ride with Steve at all yesterday?

I think she was supposed to rendezvous in a pub in Tewkesbury, but didn't turn up. But I did notice on Twitter that she and a photographer caught up with him in Milton Keynes.  I assume that was at base rather than on the road. If so, it would have been a bit of a nuisance if he was wanting to get to bed.

[Wowbagger]

The first test for wheel bearings is simply to test for side-to-side play in the wheel when the bike is off the ground.