Overhauling/repairing, or replacing, a driver bearing? (single bearing from ody vandero lhd 9t hub)

You can replace the bearings, I would do that. They are a few bucks each, older Ody drivers have 3 in them, newer might be 2.

Replace the bearings, make sure the driver itself is correctly lubed, and inspect for damages inside the hub.

Just replace the bearings. Also make sure any spacers or washers go back in correctly. And for future reference, there's no such hub as a rear vandero, the vandero is a front hub

dave lawrence wrote:

You can replace the bearings, I would do that. They are a few bucks each, older Ody drivers have 3 in them, newer might be 2.
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dave lawrence wrote:

You can replace the bearings, I would do that. They are a few bucks each, older Ody drivers have 3 in them, newer might be 2.

Replace the bearings, make sure the driver itself is correctly lubed, and inspect for damages inside the hub.

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I have a kink hub that's in great shape, my intent was to take a bearing out of that to put into my current driver, how would you recommend removing a bearing from a driver? I'm looking at it right now and I know I can *tear* it out but don't know how to remove it without damaging it!

(also, what about servicing bearings directly? Can the faceplate of a bearing be removed and the insides cleaned, like skateboard bearings? I looked and my Kink hub's bearings do not have any retention clips to remove, I don't suppose it's something I can use a sharp/thin knife's tip to pry out is it?)

"older Ody drivers have 3 in them, newer might be 2."
wow I'd always thought it was just the front bearing that you see when looking at the driver from its toothed side, didn't realize there was another behind it!

grumpySteve wrote:

Just replace the bearings. Also make sure any spacers or washers go back in correctly. And for future reference, there's no ...more

grumpySteve wrote:

Just replace the bearings. Also make sure any spacers or washers go back in correctly. And for future reference, there's no such hub as a rear vandero, the vandero is a front hub

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When you say 'go in correctly', is there something I should know or do you just mean to make sure they're fully seated? And how would you recommend I safely get the bearing cartridge out of my 'donor driver'? (have a kink wheel I'll be taking the bearings off of, but as it is I cannot think of a way to remove the bearings from the driver without harming them!)

And I always mix up which hub this is, it's a 4-pawl, lhd hub by odyssey, I know it's not in production anymore I swore it was the v&ndero though, which other hubs did they have in their last line?

(thanks for the tips btw!!)

You may be able to tap the bearings out from the opposite side, it all depends how much room there is really. You can't service bearings, and it's not worth it anyway, if the bearings are worn, they're worn, no amount of cleaning and grease will make them smooth again.
Just make sure that if there are any washers or spacers, you put them back in, in the order they came out, there's quite often a thin spacer between bearings to stop them rubbing on each other

The only real servicing on a sealed bearing that can be done is popping the seals off (usually with a pick or small knife blade), blasting them with degreaser until they are bare inside, put one seal back on, then adding a thin grease or oil and closing them up. Spin a bunch and wipe away whatever weeps out.

BUT this is something that not a lot of people do because the bearings are around 3-6 bucks each typically. Find out what code is on the bearing seal, and contact a local hardware store or small engine shop, or bearing shop if you have one.

Less work, then you don't put them back in thinking they will last a long time and then they crap out and blow up the driver too.

I'm just still confused how to safely remove a bearing, I'd really not have to ride an hour to the closest lbc that'd have loose bearing cartridges, *but* I have great bearings in a hub here I can use - I just have it sitting here on the table and I cannot think of how to safely get them out (any punching that's strong enough to dislodge these things seems it'd warp/damage them, like I was holding my mallet and a punch-type tipped metal rod, ready to bang it out, was afraid it'd damage the bearing and/or the donor hub I'm taking the bearing from which is a 9/10 condition hub)

You could invest some money into a bearing puller, or ask your local shop to do it. There's a good chance they'll be different size anyway

grumpySteve wrote:

You could invest some money into a bearing puller, or ask your local shop to do it. There's a good chance they'll be different ...more

grumpySteve wrote:

You could invest some money into a bearing puller, or ask your local shop to do it. There's a good chance they'll be different size anyway

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Never heard of a bearing-puller, but I just checked and it is the same size bearings thank god (luckily I had the nice bearings handy, and also happen to have the 10t driver for my lhd hub, so can tell it's same diameter but unsure on thickness)

I was pretty sure I'd be unable to remove a bearing without destroying it, but now my concern is my driver - it looks thick enough, so I'm assuming and hoping my concern is unfounded, but can I warp or hurt the driver by prying the bearing out of it? (I am going to go to my local bike shop and ask them if they've got a bearing puller, but they're morons and don't cater to any specialty riding (they stock a lot of Bell product..), am unsure they'll have anything beyond a socket set and wrench in their 'shop' lol

You could just tap the old bearings out of your current driver, and buy new bearings. It'll probably be cheaper than paying the shop to take your bearings out anyway

I've got the new bearings in-hand, I have an entire like-new (RHD) kink wheel I'm taking donor parts from, some of the bearings are loose on that axle (others are secured in the hub and driver), I have a loose one in-hand that I've double-checked is the same diameter as that of my odyssey LHD hub (model=? I keep saying vandero but believe that's wrong, it's not made anymore though)

You say I "could just tap the old bearings out", that's what I want to do - is it possible to do that without the bearing puller? Are you saying I can just use a flat-head & hammer to bang the old bearings out of my LHD driver without harming the driver? I've been thinking to do this, but am afraid of warping the driver by smashing the thing out lol, is it safe to just use a screwdriver&hammer and go in circles around it's inner-ring banging it until it's out? And presumably I'd get the like-new bearing I have into it in much the same way, only I'd be using the old/shitty bearing as a 'press' so I don't have to hammer the new bearing in directly - is that on-point? Kinda just smash the old one out of the driver by tapping it with a flathead from behind, then using the old one as a 'cushion' to hammer the new one into the driver?

BTW thanks for the help with this, I'm sure it's so obvious to you it's funny to have to explain it so clearly to someone lol, I'm just ignorant as fuck about hubs (and bb's), have hardly ever had to do any real work on them!

That's exactly it really. You shouldn't warp the driver at all. Although, if you can find a socket that's the same outside diameter as the new bearing and use that to tap it in instead of the old bearing. The inner race of the old bearing will push against the inner of the new, putting lateral force on it. Putting that force on the outer race will push it in without putting any stress on the bearings themselves