I received a Racing Zero (Campagnolo wheel) from a customer.
In earlier model years with white flange hubs and white label rims,
when equipped with red spokes, it becomes a model called "Racing Zero Red Passion,"
but this is the regular model—just this particular color of Racing Zero.
The customer requested a full overhaul, so I started by checking the front wheel.
They mentioned the rear hub rotation feeling rough,
but the front hub rotation is also sluggish.
There was a slight centering offset.
Of the ball races on the left and right sides, on one side only
there was a sign—a harbinger, the first stirring of symptoms—of incipient spalling.
So I replaced all the bearing components on just that one side.
After reassembly, I trued the wheel (it was nearly true) and centered it.
Next, the rear wheel.
The hub axle wouldn't turn by hand.
It wasn't a case of parts being installed in the wrong orientation like some Shimano wheels I've seen before,
nor was it that the bearing preload was adjusted too tight.
I stuck a 5mm Allen key into the end and gave it a hard "crunch" once, and after that
it could be turned by hand. Though the feeling was abnormally rough.
Compared to this, the cloudiness in the front wheel's rotation is nothing.
The bearing area was corroded somehow, and since time had passed between when the customer last used it
and when I touched it, the rust had set in. That seems to be the reason
the hub axle wouldn't turn by hand initially.
In cases like this, it's often the bearings on the outside of the freebody,
or on the inside—or both—that are rusted (the inside alone is almost never the case),
and secondary rust ends up on the hub axle...
But there wasn't any.
Which means the bearings in the hub body itself are the problem.
Hmm, bad premonition...
↑Non-freewheel side
↑Freewheel side
I replaced all the bearing components on both sides.
I cleaned everything, greased it, and reassembled it.
The centering was spot-on.
These aren't photos taken after the work, but the centering is spot-on after the work too.
When you remove the cone and adjust the bearing preload, the centering can shift slightly,
and since I haven't checked the temporary centering on the rear wheel, I don't know what the original state was.
If it had shifted, it would be by only a sheet of paper or so.
The customer also asked me to install the tires,
but I messed up.
I fixed it.
The Racing Zero and Shamal Ultra rims have a higher rim depth on the rear rim.
So when using 2WAY-FIT rims with tubeless tires,
sometimes people say "the rear tubeless valve is shorter than the front,"
but that's because the included tubeless valves come in one length,
and since the rim depths differ front to rear, it just looks that way visually.
This time, whether the customer was aware of it or not, I'm not sure,
but the tubes they provided me had valves of different lengths.
When I installed the tire on the rear wheel first,
I ended up using the shorter valve on the rear wheel.
So in the previous photo, the front wheel's valve protrusion looks large,
while the rear is oddly short.
It's a pain to redo, but since I'm the one who messed it up,
I swapped the tubes front and rear.
As a somewhat similar (but different) issue, the inner cable that comes with a lever,
or that's included in a cable kit for one bike,
has one of the two cables that's designed for the front and is shorter.
So if you use the rear-length cable on the front (and cut it),
the remaining cable won't be long enough for the rear.
I personally don't mess this up,
but those who do their own maintenance have probably done this at least once.
I think they should just include two rear-length cables,
but the cost savings the manufacturer gets by skimping
is probably not insignificant from their perspective.
In earlier model years with white flange hubs and white label rims,
when equipped with red spokes, it becomes a model called "Racing Zero Red Passion,"
but this is the regular model—just this particular color of Racing Zero.
The customer requested a full overhaul, so I started by checking the front wheel.
They mentioned the rear hub rotation feeling rough,
but the front hub rotation is also sluggish.
There was a slight centering offset.
Of the ball races on the left and right sides, on one side only
there was a sign—a harbinger, the first stirring of symptoms—of incipient spalling.
So I replaced all the bearing components on just that one side.
After reassembly, I trued the wheel (it was nearly true) and centered it.
Next, the rear wheel.
The hub axle wouldn't turn by hand.
It wasn't a case of parts being installed in the wrong orientation like some Shimano wheels I've seen before,
nor was it that the bearing preload was adjusted too tight.
I stuck a 5mm Allen key into the end and gave it a hard "crunch" once, and after that
it could be turned by hand. Though the feeling was abnormally rough.
Compared to this, the cloudiness in the front wheel's rotation is nothing.
The bearing area was corroded somehow, and since time had passed between when the customer last used it
and when I touched it, the rust had set in. That seems to be the reason
the hub axle wouldn't turn by hand initially.
In cases like this, it's often the bearings on the outside of the freebody,
or on the inside—or both—that are rusted (the inside alone is almost never the case),
and secondary rust ends up on the hub axle...
But there wasn't any.
Which means the bearings in the hub body itself are the problem.
Hmm, bad premonition...
↑Non-freewheel side
↑Freewheel side
I replaced all the bearing components on both sides.
I cleaned everything, greased it, and reassembled it.
The centering was spot-on.
These aren't photos taken after the work, but the centering is spot-on after the work too.
When you remove the cone and adjust the bearing preload, the centering can shift slightly,
and since I haven't checked the temporary centering on the rear wheel, I don't know what the original state was.
If it had shifted, it would be by only a sheet of paper or so.
The customer also asked me to install the tires,
but I messed up.
I fixed it.
The Racing Zero and Shamal Ultra rims have a higher rim depth on the rear rim.
So when using 2WAY-FIT rims with tubeless tires,
sometimes people say "the rear tubeless valve is shorter than the front,"
but that's because the included tubeless valves come in one length,
and since the rim depths differ front to rear, it just looks that way visually.
This time, whether the customer was aware of it or not, I'm not sure,
but the tubes they provided me had valves of different lengths.
When I installed the tire on the rear wheel first,
I ended up using the shorter valve on the rear wheel.
So in the previous photo, the front wheel's valve protrusion looks large,
while the rear is oddly short.
It's a pain to redo, but since I'm the one who messed it up,
I swapped the tubes front and rear.
As a somewhat similar (but different) issue, the inner cable that comes with a lever,
or that's included in a cable kit for one bike,
has one of the two cables that's designed for the front and is shorter.
So if you use the rear-length cable on the front (and cut it),
the remaining cable won't be long enough for the rear.
I personally don't mess this up,
but those who do their own maintenance have probably done this at least once.
I think they should just include two rear-length cables,
but the cost savings the manufacturer gets by skimping
is probably not insignificant from their perspective.