-
If they are sealed bearings then they are likely assembled wrong someones put them in wonky and burred the inside of the bore, or they were machined wrong, or the bearings are crap/out of tolerance or there is a preload adjuster somewhere and its way way overdone.
Most sealed bearings (2rs) in bike hub sizes have a lot of stiction, feels sticky/sluggish in the hand, but on a bike its not really an issue. IN freehub's maybe as it will encourage the freehub to not freehub, they often have just 1rs, or open on one side and a metal cage /dust guard on the external faces with a small labyrinth seal to keep the muck out**tends to be like this on higher end road wheels. MTB wheels tend to have all the seals all the time.
BrickMan-
From the feel I think this is probably what's happened. I've emailed them and got this explanation, with an offer to return them for another set of they don't settle after a few rides, so that's that I'll try.
"The bearings used are high grease fill, SKF bearings which means they will appear a little tight to begin with. The seals used on the rear hub can cause some friction to begin with too, this means they keep more dirt etc out but both the seals and bearings will bed in after some use."
philphillyphilip
I bought some wheels from the recent superstar sale, and they have arrived with quite stiff bearings. The front even feels like it has notches... Is this normal for for brand new wheels? Will they bed in and be fine?
Another set of wheels I've had from them don't have any issues spinning out the box so I'm worried it's a defect. They're their V6 hub so sealed bearings. I'm half worried some part has been poorly machined and may never be right.
Thanks