LCGB Forums

Hello.
I've discovered a small amount of movement in my front wheel, side to side when held by the tyre.
The bearings were fitted new and I've only done approx 1470 miles on them, and the was no movement what so ever when built.
They are branded ( though I can't remember if they are Japanese or European )
I have a spare FAG set, but they seem to have a little play in them to. I'm reluctant to use them as I may have the same problem.
Does anybody know of a brand with no play, or problems ?
To be honest I have had problems with FAG bearings before, mag bearing gave up after approx 1000 miles.
Thanks.
Mac.

As incredible as it seems there also fake branded bearings on the market
Certainly FAG used to do an app where you could scan the code on the box with a result if the bearing was a copy or genuine.

For one moment I'm not suggesting yours are fake. Maybe worth investigating to rule any possibility out.

In general, the manufacture of bearings of a specific type will be in certain factories then branded & packaged with the brand as required. In essence, there should be no discernible differences between genuine products marketed by FAG, Koyo, SKF etc but - as has already been said - forgery is a huge problem.

If the bearings you have are not fakes, they should be endowed with the necessary running tolerance upon assembly. However, if the housings/journals have been subject to replacement on several occasions & by somebody without the best knowledge of how bearings should be fitted, housings in alloy can get baggy & even the harder journals could ultimately wear or have been reduced in diameter by an abrasive such as emery cloth.

I cannot think if there is a ‘class’ specific to the front hub assembly, but I reckon not. If that is the case, then a class of bearing with tighter clearances may alleviate the issue & not necessarily be too costly. Don’t quote me on this, but a ‘C2’ might do the job, though a good engineering power transmission outlet or a trade branch of a bearing manufacturer - such as FAG in Aston(?) - could verify what I suggest.