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Hed Kermesse C2

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Frodge

Jun 18, 2010
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Hey,
I bought these wheels about 6 months ago and have noticed a slight play in the rear wheel bearing/axle area. I noticed it when changing the tires out. It is not noticeable while riding, but if I rock the wheel left to right between the brake pads, I can feel the slight knock. I came from a set of American Classic Hurricanes that I put 25000 miles on that exhibited the same problem, and thought the Heds would solve it. It is by far, not a ridability problem at all, but is just a concern for future longevity of the set. Will a slight play in the axle/bearing area ruin the wheelset? This is only apparent if I grab the wheel and physically move it right to left......
 
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Frodge

Jun 18, 2010
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I spoke to Hed today. They said that the looseness was normal if it was not too loose. (A little is ok). But they went on to say that if it "bothered" me, they would resolve the issue.

That is what brought me here. He did say I could get it fixed if it bothered me.....
 
RDV4ROUBAIX

RDV4ROUBAIX

Mar 19, 2009
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Frodge said:
That is what brought me here. He did say I could get it fixed if it bothered me.....
Click to expand...

Sorry about that. Lately I've been having s.n.a.f.u. with my mod controls and managed to chop up your post.

Ride on brother. I still say you shouldn't be on loose hubs, it will only get worse over time.
 
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Frodge

Jun 18, 2010
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That is good to know. The guy at Hed said that it was not a problem at all.....Will this permanently damage the hubs? I am mechanically inclined, but have never taken a hub apart.......Is there a way to check and see if everything is tight on these wheels? I just dont want to take it apart without knowing the procedure........

Is this looseness a bad bearing issue? Axle issue? Or bad hub issue? Again, this knock is slight......not where it rocks back and forth ridiculously.....
 
RDV4ROUBAIX

RDV4ROUBAIX

Mar 19, 2009
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You can still ride them if there's just a fraction of play, it's just that more often than not it will loosen up. Doesn't matter if you spend 700 or 2k on a wheel set, they should be near perfect. That's just me though. FYI; HED is almost exactly 4 miles away from where I'm typing, in the same building that my dad's biz used to occupy when he was alive. Ironical.
 
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Frodge

Jun 18, 2010
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RDV4ROUBAIX,
I appreciate all your responses. The right thing to do would be to send them back at this point. I had a bad experience with another company with a similiar problem. The wheels were built by Reed Stellijus and are as straight as an arrow after about 3000 miles. My real concern is two different things: First, Since I am only less than a year into the warranty, I am concerened sending them back for a slight looseness, and getting them back untrue, or something worse. Second, I don;t really have a decent spare rear wheel :(
I was only using the if it ain't broke, don't fix it theory....
 
Black Dog

Black Dog

Mar 12, 2009
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I had the exact same issue with my Kermesse wheels. There was a lot of play in the rear hub. Hed sent me some spacers and they did not help that much. I sent the wheels back to them and the replaced the rear axel with a new threaded unit (the original axel was a friction fit). I just received them from HED a few days ago and the new axel is much better, but there is still some play. I am not impressed. I have built a lot of wheels on a lot of different hubs and I have never seen any play in a hub. I doubt that this will effect the longevity of the hub but there is no reason for this amount of slop!

I am going to ride them for a few weeks and if there is more play I will send them back, and I will ask them to pick up my tab for shipping. I payed to send them back the 1st time there was a problem and don't think that I should have to pay again. However, they are good wheels and HED has been very responsive and willing to help. Feel free to PM if you have any questions.
 
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Frodge

Jun 18, 2010
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Black Dog said:
I had the exact same issue with my Kermesse wheels. There was a lot of play in the rear hub. Hed sent me some spacers and they did not help that much. I sent the wheels back to them and the replaced the rear axel with a new threaded unit (the original axel was a friction fit). I just received them from HED a few days ago and the new axel is much better, but there is still some play. I am not impressed...............
Click to expand...
How can I tell which axle I have? If I take the skewer out, I can see a 5mm allen on each end. Is this the threaded axle? It's funny that you say there is still "some" play. That is what I think my rear wheel has. It is hardly noticeable when you go to check it, but being a German perfectionist, I know it is there. I too, will see if this gets worse over time. I do have a 2 year warranty. Something tells me this has more to do with the tolerances of the hub and bearing fit. If you have already sent it back, and still have slight play, what else could they do? I had a set of American Classics where the play was horrible out of the box, and it got worse very quickly. They replaced the bearings and it fixed much of the problem, but not all of it.
 
Bustedknuckle

Bustedknuckle

Jul 23, 2009
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Frodge said:
I spoke to Hed today. They said that the looseness was normal if it was not too loose. (A little is ok). But they went on to say that if it "bothered" me, they would resolve the issue.

That is what brought me here. He did say I could get it fixed if it bothered me.....
Click to expand...

That is nutz. No hub, when installed in a bike, should be loose. 'not too loose', what does that mean? Another reason I'm not a fan of wheelsouttaboxes in general and HED specifically.
 
Black Dog

Black Dog

Mar 12, 2009
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www.blackdogcarpentry.com
Frodge said:
How can I tell which axle I have? If I take the skewer out, I can see a 5mm allen on each end. Is this the threaded axle? It's funny that you say there is still "some" play. That is what I think my rear wheel has. It is hardly noticeable when you go to check it, but being a German perfectionist, I know it is there. I too, will see if this gets worse over time. I do have a 2 year warranty. Something tells me this has more to do with the tolerances of the hub and bearing fit. If you have already sent it back, and still have slight play, what else could they do? I had a set of American Classics where the play was horrible out of the box, and it got worse very quickly. They replaced the bearings and it fixed much of the problem, but not all of it.
Click to expand...

If you have to use two 5mm allen wrenches to remove the axel then you have the newer design. The end caps on the old design could be removed by hand. My 1st set had +/- 2mm of play at the rim. The new axel has less than +/- 1mm of play. I too am skeptical that they have a solution to this issue that will remove all of the play.
 
Black Dog

Black Dog

Mar 12, 2009
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Frodge said:
Mine is tenths of a millimeter. Maybe 1 tenth or less. IT can be felt and not seen.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the hub or the rim? If you only have a tiny amount of movement at the rim I would recommend riding the wheels for a while and seeing if it gets worse.
 
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Frodge

Jun 18, 2010
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Black Dog said:
Are you referring to the hub or the rim? If you only have a tiny amount of movement at the rim I would recommend riding the wheels for a while and seeing if it gets worse.
Click to expand...

At the rim, if I rock it by the tire......I don't honestly think they can do anything for this.......They have been like this since new and have not worsened....They currently have about 3k..........
 
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