Play in SON28 bearings

[geocycle]

I've just noticed a bit if a wobble on my SON28 dynohub.  Grasping the wheel at opposite sides can generate 3-5 mm of movement at the rim and a bit of a rattle. I know they are supposed to be a bit loose but I'm wondering if the bearings are a bit loose or worn. They've done 12000 miles. A web trawl suggests they are not serviceable? Any comments?

[JimK]

Here's one report, that play in the bearings is not a good thing:

http://travellingtwo.com/resources/power-to-go-the-son-dynamo-hub

Seems like 30,000 miles would be a more reasonable expectation. I hope you are still under warranty!

[il padrone]

Interesting.... Mine has now done something like 18,000kms (11,000 miles). There is not a sign of any play.

Have you checked your QR tension ??

[geocycle]

Mmm... Will check the tension but don't think that is the problem. Definitely not been submerged in water.  I'll see how this develops but might need to be back to SJS. Thanks for the data point il padrone, it's always tricky to know how long a problem like this has existed.

[pdamm]

I’ve been through 2 SON hubs now.  I got about 20,000 km (~12,000 miles) out of each one before I started to notice the wobble you mention.  I don’t think much of the claimed 50,000 km life.  Mind you several thousand km of each hubs life was spent on gravel roads with loaded front panniers so that may have contributed to early failure.

Peter

[geocycle]

Thanks peter, mine have also had a tough life with a good deal of miles off tarmac.  Did they wear quickly, or even fail from the point you first noticed the wobble?  At what point did you feel you needed to get it replaced?

[Cambirder]

Son hubs may not be user serviceable, but they can be repaired by Son or their agents at reasonable rates (see link below).

They are also covered by a 5 year warrantee so the repair may be free.

http://www.nabendynamo.de/service/pdf/Service_SON_e.pdf

[geocycle]

Thanks for the link cambirder.  I definitely have more than 0.5mm movement.

Now I have to decide whether to have the rim replaced at the same time I send the hub in for service... It's a CCS rim and has done 12000 miles, still looks fine but how long will it last?  Also a pain as we are heading into the dark nights,

[Andre Jute]

I've just noticed a bit if a wobble on my SON28 dynohub.  Grasping the wheel at opposite sides can generate 3-5 mm of movement at the rim and a bit of a rattle. I know they are supposed to be a bit loose but I'm wondering if the bearings are a bit loose or worn. They've done 12000 miles. A web trawl suggests they are not serviceable? Any comments?

Even 3mm is more than "a bit" of wobble, and 5mm is totally unacceptable. And after 12000 miles! This comes as a bit of a disappointment because the only justification for choosing a SON over a Shimano hub dynamo, besides snobbery, is the expectation that it will be sturdier and last longer on tour or for high mileage four-seasons commuters.

If it won't...

If you have to avoid gravel roads to preserve your SON, it really isn't much chop on a touring bike.

Mmm, I'm fortunate I have only the one SON, and rarely use the wheel in which it is fitted, preferring the Shimano-equipped wheels which are much better suited to a utility bike. But maybe I should sell my SON, which has covered under 3000 miles, all on tarmac, before this gets out, especially as I've never been enamored of these over-priced SON hubs, and the attitudes struck by their makers and boosters. (For newcomers, this isn't new with me. I'm not kicking a dog after it is down; I kicked this particular dog when it was squarely planted and dangerous: you'll find here and elsewhere years of comparisons by me of the SON and Shimano hub dynamos, with reasoned discussion of why the Shimano is the rational choice, except for third world tourers and very, very high mileage commuters. If SON is no longer good in those niches, it has no justification whatsoever except snobbery.)

[pdamm]

Geocycle

I noticed the wobble and attended to it fairly quickly so the wheel didn’t fail on me as such.  But the issue did appear fairly quickly, it wasn't something that I first noticed months and months before I did something about it.  The first one went back to Schmidt and they repaired it for free – I had to pay the shipping charges.  In the meantime I had put another SON hub on the front wheel and when that one started to wobble I moved over to battery powered lights instead.

I am inclined to agree with Andre about the SON hubs now.  I have come across several people who have had them fail at about 20,000 km and nobody who can say they lasted for the claimed 50,000 km life. 

Peter

[geocycle]

An update. I returned the wheel to SJS and they sent it Schmidt in Germany. It came back today with no note but I understand the bearings have been attended to. Whatever, it is now running smoothly with no lateral movement. The whole thing took 3 weeks and cost £65 plus postage to SJS as it was beyond the 3 yr warranty period. Overall I'm pleased to have it fixed and the service from SJS was exemplary as usual. Going back to battery lights as the main beam felt a real step backwards.

I decided not to replace the CCS rim as SJS think it will do a few more '000 miles.  I used a space front wheel while the dynohub was away and swapped out the Swiss stop blue blocks. I've decide to experiment by leaving the softer compound on for a while and see how they perform.

The packing from SJS was a work of art!

[Danneaux]

Good news, Geo'; thanks for the update! Very thoughtful of you.

Glad to know the problem is sorted and you're back on the road again.

Looking for'd to hearing how the other pad compound works for you over time.

Best,

Dan.