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| How to replace your Cartridge Bearings |
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10) It's time to put it all back together. I like to apply a small coat of grease to the bearing seats in the hub shell, and the bearing seat on the axle. This is just a small step in preventing rust from adhering to them in the future, and it eases the installation of the new bearing.
11) The most important thing to remember when installing cartridge bearings, is to apply the force to the race you are trying to seat.
What I mean, is that if you are pressing the bearing into the hub shell, the OUTER race is the one that has friction, so you should apply the force there. If you apply the force to the INNER race, you can prematurely damage the bearing through lateral loading.
12) What I do to seat the first bearing, is use a second bearing (old or new) butted up against the outer race. 
This allows me to lightly tap the bearing into place accurately. Be sure to take your time, working your way around the circumference of the bearing so that it goes in straight. You should rotate the hub around and eyeball it as you go so that you know it is not seating crooked. You will know when it is seated all the way by the sound it makes as you tap it. The sound will turn from a dull 'thud' to a 'ping' as the spokes resonate more once it has seated.
13) Now flip the hub over and insert the axle.
14) This is where the block of wood comes in really handy. You can now seat the second bearing in place by hand to align it, then use the mallet and block to drive it in place. Once again, take your time and make sure it goes in straight. Once the bearing is MOST of the way in place, you will need to add another bearing onto the axle, in order to drive the outer race all the way down on the bearing seat of the hub shell.
15) We're almost done. The axle and bearings are now friction fit together, and you can try turning the hub in your hands. The new bearings should feel ultra smooth compared to the crap you pulled out of there. The last step is to tighen the lock nuts into place. If you've driven the bearings in all the way with the mallet, the inner lock nut should lock into place without moving the bearing.
(Think back to Step 11, where I said that the force should be applied to the OUTER race. It's not the end of the world if the inner lock nut pushes the bearing in further, but it's not exactly great for the bearing.)
Tightening the inner lock nut should NOT stop the bearing from turning smoothly on a hub that takes standard 6000 series bearings
16) The very last step is to put the outer lock nuts on, and tighten them in place. They don't have to be super tight, just snug. Thats it! Now get out for a ride and enjoy your newly serviced hub =D
If you enjoyed this How To, found it helpful, or think I'm a fucking idiot and I'm doing it wrong, please leave a comment. If you want to read another interesting DIY, check out what Simon is doing to keep his turtles cozy.
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your information on the subject was one of the only ones i have come accross as someoen that did not know what to look for and it was inspiring me to continue my efforts.
im building a trailer to pull behind my bicycle and this is what i have been looking for from my knowlege so far.
thanks again.
Thank you!