Had a customer's vintage Raleigh lock up on me mid-test ride

I was taking a freshly serviced bike for a spin around the block in Portland. Halfway down the street, the rear hub just seized solid, nearly sending me over the bars. I walked it back, pulled the hub apart, and found the old grease had turned to glue. A full clean with Park Tool degreaser and fresh Phil Wood oil got it spinning smooth in about an hour. Anyone have a better trick for reviving those old oil-bath hubs?

3 comments

3 Comments

max_webb421mo ago

Try a solvent soak first next time?

black.laura27d ago

Yeah heat is the way to go for that stuff. Learned the hard way with a plastic gear once. A little patience with the low setting saves the whole part.

jennyflores1mo ago

It was actually a plastic part... solvents would have melted it. I ended up using a heat gun on low and slowly working it loose. A soak would have been a disaster with that material.