Rebuild a bicycle rear hub

Step 13 Close it up

Using the same method on the freehub side, you should be able to grease that side's bearings as well. Start closing the cones into the bearings to set an initial preload. This is a good time for a simple bearing check. With the locknut free from the cone, rotate the bearing in the direction that would tighten the cone (or clockwise from the now-locked freehub-end). The cone should only tighten to the point of giving minor resistance, and should not feel too gritty or rough. If this procedure results in the axle wanting to act as a bolt and clamp down with the loose cone as a nut, then replace the hub as a set. A little resistance is to be expected, but if it simply screws in and locks, the bearings as a set is shot and unrecoverable.

The axle should never be able to tighten the bearings down to the point of needing hand tools to maintain that direction when one bearing cone is loose and free to tighten on it's own.Under no circumstances should the bearing tighten itself regardless of a reasonable amount of torque, including that which would exceed acceptable preload. If for any reason this test fails, replace the entire hub.

Slide the cassette on (it only goes on one way) and tighten the locknut down to about 40 kg/cm. There still might be some freeplay in the cassette itself, and it may not seem tight enough, but don't worry about it. The locknut is designed to resist loosening and you don't want it too tight or you may not be able to remove it again.

Using the proper cone wrenches, lock the loose cone to allow a just-barely detectable amount of free-play in the hub. With the chain diverted so that the wheel spins free, double-check for freedom-of-rotation and the lack of freeplay laterally at the brake pads. Once you have the preload perfect, hold the cone steady as you lock the locknut down. Again, double check to see that you have everything square and that there is no wiggle or binding in the bearings. The closer to perfection in setting the bearings you get, the longer they will last.

The quick-release lever should require no less than hand pressure on the lever to safely hold the wheel in place (at least for the front wheel) and no more....I suggest you keep them as tight as you can without having to hammer on them, which you should never do...

With the chain mounted again, spin the wheel forward while backpedaling to squeeze out excess grease from the hub, and wipe up any that escapes. do this for a minute or two and all the excess should be purged and you are good to go.

While you are at it, now might be a good time to do the same for your front hub as well, and the procedure is much more simple as well. Enjoy!