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What is a bike hub?

Author

Eleanor Gray

Published Mar 17, 2026

What is a bike hub?

A hub is the center part of a bicycle wheel. It consists of an axle, bearings and a hub shell. The hub shell typically has two machined metal flanges to which spokes can be attached.

Regarding this, what is a free hub on bike?

A freehub is a type of bicycle hub that incorporates a ratcheting mechanism, and the name freehub is a registered trademark of Shimano. A set of sprockets (called a "cassette") are mounted onto a splined shaft of the freehub to engage the chain.

Beside above, how do I service my free hub? Clean area above cap as well.

  1. Blow dry with compressed air. Use normal precautions when using compressed air.
  2. Use a liquid lubricant in the back side and front. Spin freehub to work lube inside.
  3. Grease freehub mounting-bolt.
  4. Install freehub and any spacer onto hub body.
  5. Assemble and adjust hub as with hub overhaul.

Keeping this in view, what is the difference between a freewheel and a freehub?

Both wheels have hubs, but only the rear wheel has a freewheel. On most modern bikes with multiple gears, the freewheel is built into the rear hub and the whole assembly is called a freehub. The freewheel was built into the rear gear cluster and that whole assembly screwed onto the hub.

How does a bike hub work?

The hub is the central part of your bike's wheels (front and rear), which connects to the wheel's rim via the spokes and through which the axle is fitted, enabling the wheel to freely spin on two sets of bearings.

How do I know if my free hub needs replacing?

Check the freehub for wear to see if it needs replacing or just cleaning and relubing. To do this, firmly grab the splined body and give it a wiggle. If it moves more than a couple of millimetres side to side, replace it. Otherwise, a good clean and oil will do ?ne.

Why do bike hubs click?

That clicking sound is the pawls as they run across each ratchet tooth, sort of like a tiny Wheel of Fortune wheel. The pawls thread onto the hub body and spin whenever the bike is moving.

Do hubs make a difference?

Hubs that are "louder" usually have more engagement points. This means your drivetrain picks up faster, so less energy is lost. Hubs that have sealed cartridge bearings or needle bearings usually never need to be replaced, they're far stronger and stay cleaner.

How does a bike freewheel work?

Mechanics. The simplest freewheel device consists of two saw-toothed, spring-loaded discs pressing against each other with the toothed sides together, somewhat like a ratchet. Rotating in one direction, the saw teeth of the drive disc lock with the teeth of the driven disc, making it rotate at the same speed.

Why do bike wheels wobble?

If it's wobbling side to side, there are two problems that are possible; Your cup-and-cone bearings could be loose or your wheel could be out of true (slightly buckled.) Take your wheel off and hold the axle. Wobble it up and down a few times. Worst case scenario, you could be looking at missing spokes or a bent axle.

Why is my front bike wheel wobbling?

The balance between these two sides is what keeps your wheel true and prevents wobble. So, if your wheel wobbles to the left, that means the spokes on the right side are too loose to keep things balanced, or the spokes on the left are too tight.

How do you remove a hub from a bike?

Remove A Bike Wheel's Freehub Body
  1. Access the freehub body. Remove the wheel from the bike.
  2. Dismantle The Bearing. Dismantle the hub bearing and remove the axle.
  3. Unscrew freehub body. Slide a 10mm hexagonal key into the hub from the right-hand side. Turn the key anti-clockwise to release the freehub mechanism from the rest of the hub.

Can you change the hub on a bike wheel?

Simple answer: yes, but it's not worth doing. Cost of hub, spokes, nipples and having wheel rebuilt will exceed the cost of a new wheel. Even if you re-use the spokes a new wheel will still be cheaper. Wheel building requires special equipment, expertise and time to do correctly.

How much does it cost to build a bike wheel?

For a decent front wheel you could expect to pay $100 for hub, $50-90 for rim, $1 per spoke, then maybe $80 labor to build the wheel (ballparking decent parts, can go up or down depending on what you get). So $250-300 for a front wheel (it would be a pretty nice wheel at that).

How do I know if my bike bearings are bad?

Worn out or dry bearings will feel rough, metallic and dry. Sometimes they're so dry that if you pull your finger fast across the axle you can make the axle keep spinning because there's no grease inside the bearings to slow it down.

How many ball bearings are on a bike hub?

Hub Assembly
Place ball bearings in both cups and cover with more grease. Make sure balls are seated flat in cup. For rear hubs, the common number is 9 balls of 1/4-inch diameter per side. For front hubs, the common number is 10 balls of 3/16-inch diameter per side.

Are all bike hubs the same size?

Bike hubs at a glance:
Rear hub width varies widely, but the most common sizes are 130mm for road and 135mm for MTB. There are two main hub types, front and rear.

What is hub spacing?

The spacing of a frame/fork is measured from the inside surfaces of the dropouts, where they come into contact with the locknuts of the wheel's axle. Halo Dropout spacing. The hub spacing is measured from the outside face of the lock nuts (or equivalent), this is commonly called the “O.L.D.” (Over-Lock-nut Dimension)

How do you spread bike forks?

Install the bolt in the axle notch of the forks. slowly move the nuts outward gradually spreading the fork. I did it slowly over several hours although I don't know if it is really necessary. You will want to go 3mm-4mm wider than needed as the fork will spring back a little when the bolt is removed.

Are Joytech hubs any good?

Novatec hubs feature on a heck of a lot of new bikes, you just don't know about it. They are one of the biggest hub manufacturers in the world. Bottom line is they are what you'd expect, not the best hubs in the world but not junk either. You can find parts but from odd sources like eBay and direct from China.

Do all cassettes fit all hubs?

Most cassette hubs are compatible with Shimano cassette cogs. SRAM cassettes and most Miche, IRD and SunRace cassettes use the same inter-sprocket spacing as Shimano, but at least some SRAM 10-speed cassettes do not fit aluminum-body Dura-Ace hubs.

What does freewheel mean on a bike?

In mechanical or automotive engineering, a freewheel or overrunning clutch is a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft. In a fixed-gear bicycle, without a freewheel, the rear wheel drives the pedals around.

How does a flip flop hub work?

Flip-flop hubs, also called double-sided hubs, are rear bicycle hubs that are threaded to accept fixed cogs and/or freewheels on both sides. They are traditionally found on track bicycles, but can also be found on other single speed bicycles.

Are cassettes better than freewheels?

When you're simply cruising along i.e. not pedalling, or going backwards, it spins freely. A cassette is the more modern option and has quickly overtaken the freewheel. It comprises a collection of independent cogs set on layered rings that come apart and slot onto the body of the (also more modern) freehub component.

Can you put any cassette on a bike?

A bicycle cassette is the cluster of sprockets located on the rear hub of your bike, slotting onto a freehub body and held firmly in place with a threaded cassette lockring. A typical cassette can have anything between five and 13 sprockets, although most modern bicycle drivetrains use either 9, 10 or 11.

Are SRAM and Shimano hubs compatible?

SRAM, SunRace, IRD: mostly compatible
Most cassette hubs are compatible with Shimano cassette cogs. SRAM cassettes and most Miche, IRD and SunRace cassettes use the same inter-sprocket spacing as Shimano, but at least some SRAM 10-speed cassettes do not fit aluminum-body Dura-Ace hubs.

Can you convert freewheel to cassette?

To the OP, the simple answer is no, a freewheel hub cannot be converted to accept a cassette of any type. At a minimum you need a new hub.

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