[surftime]

Recently after about 140 miles i noticed some sound and then play in the front of the bike - my new SJ FSR 29er. I didnt know what it was until i saw there was a small amount of side to side play in the front wheel. The front end made noise and the play made it flex

Took it to the repair store and they tightened it but could not get it perfect - they said i could pick it up and ride.

Question is - what should i do. Its a new expensive bike - obviously i should get the problem part replaced - right? They said that might take a trip to specialized or at least they would have to send it out. But shouldn't they just be able to take another front wheel and slap it on there? Finally if i keep riding could the problem get worse.

Sorry i dont know the exact name of the problem part but im pretty sure its just the bearing or case that holds the bearing

 

[MikeHarvey]

I've got a 2011 Stumpy FSR and mine did the same thing. The front maxle will loosen just enough to let the wheel have some play. I would notice it because when it would loosen up, the rotor would make a noise against the brake pads when I turned a corner. When I would notice it, I would just stop and give the maxle a quarter turn or so, and after a couple of hundred miles of riding, it has stopped doing it. I think it may take some settling of the bearings in to the hub to get to the point of where it doesn't loosen up any more. I also had to tighten the rear suspension bolts after the first couple of rides as a couple of them were working slightly loose. There weren't making any noises, but I would just check things after the first couple of rides and find them loose. Once I got the break in miles on the bike, everything has been great since then. The shop where I bought the bike was very helpful, and had told me to give it a few rides and if I were still having problems to let them know and they'd take care of it, but everything's been fine since. I would give it a little more time and see what happens. If you notice it getting loose, stop and adjust the maxle assembly (it doesn't take but 30 seconds) and then ride a little more to see how it does.

 

[surftime]

Thanks Mike

 

[MikeHarvey]

No problem, hopefully everything settles in on yours as it did on mine.

 

[MightySchmoePong]

Recently after about 140 miles i noticed some sound and then play in the front of the bike - my new SJ FSR 29er. I didnt know what it was until i saw there was a small amount of side to side play in the front wheel. The front end made noise and the play made it flex

Took it to the repair store and they tightened it but could not get it perfect - they said i could pick it up and ride.

Question is - what should i do. Its a new expensive bike - obviously i should get the problem part replaced - right? They said that might take a trip to specialized or at least they would have to send it out. But shouldn't they just be able to take another front wheel and slap it on there? Finally if i keep riding could the problem get worse.

Sorry i dont know the exact name of the problem part but im pretty sure its just the bearing or case that holds the bearing

Personally I wouldn't want to ride a brand new bike that cost that much money with any issues at all. They should order the replacement part while you ride the current part, then replace it when it arrives.

 

[erichwic]

What's a maxle?

 

[stewfish1]

I have the same problem. I have tightened the axle as much as I can. I have also tightened the allen bolt for the release to the point where it is so tight it is damaging it when I close it. I think either the axle is too long or the Specialized hub spacing is incorrect by just a hair.

It will be going to my lbs soon to have them look at it. Hope they replace it or get me a new hub on the cheap.

 

[surftime]

I have the same problem. I have tightened the axle as much as I can. I have also tightened the allen bolt for the release to the point where it is so tight it is damaging it when I close it. I think either the axle is too long or the Specialized hub spacing is incorrect by just a hair.

It will be going to my lbs soon to have them look at it. Hope they replace it or get me a new hub on the cheap.

Thanks for the replies

There you go thats my problem. the LBS has called out to Spech. They didnt call it user error but slightly hinted at it because since i ride it while it was loose i probably damaged something down there.

What is a Maxel? Well thats what another person posted. Its a long skinny axle thing that hold the wheel in.

.....BUT how do you take that thing off or how do you tighten it???? Sorry but i dont get it. I think you pull and twist? right?

 

[WR304]

h
What is a Maxle? Well thats what another person posted. Its a long skinny axle thing that hold the wheel in.

.....BUT how do you take that thing off or how do you tighten it???? Sorry but i dont get it. I think you pull and twist? right?

"Maxle" is the name for the proprietary thu bolt skewer used on the Rock Shox forks. Fox forks use a similar system but it's called 15QR.

You want the skewer to be tight so that there's no play.

Have a look at these videos showing how the Rock Shox Maxle works.

 

[surftime]

Thanks so much, ill give it a go when i get home

 

[MikeHarvey]

Hmm, it's disappointing to hear that there are several people having problems with this front hub assembly. I'll have to keep a close eye on mine as since it last showed any signs of being loose, I've probably logged another 200-250 miles on the bike without any issues at all. Maybe I just got lucky and have one that'll be problem free from now on. Please post back if you guys find out what Specialized is going to do for you on this.

 

[stewfish1]

Update on my '11 Stumpy FSR comp 29er front hub issue.

My LBS was going to replace stock front hub with a Hope Pro II with Specialized picking up the tab. Got the Hope hub in and mounted it and the play was even worse than the stock hub. I don't know what else to do. Probably just going to ride the stock hub and see how things go.

Anyone tried a different hub with success?

 

[dnoyeb]

Whats up with that LBS? Did they hire a new tech?

 

[WR304]

Update on my '11 Stumpy FSR comp 29er front hub issue.

My LBS was going to replace stock front hub with a Hope Pro II with Specialized picking up the tab. Got the Hope hub in and mounted it and the play was even worse than the stock hub. I don't know what else to do. Probably just going to ride the stock hub and see how things go.

Anyone tried a different hub with success?

Unless the Hope hub was faulty then the problem sounds like it isn't the hub bearings.

Have you measured the dimensions of the different hubs, width of the fork dropouts and length of the skewer to see if there are any discrepancies? If you can narrow down what may possibly be causing the play it should be fixable.

 

[surftime]

i had the same issue and the LBS fixed it - just drop it off and nicely tell them you will pick it up when its fixed. Dont waste too much time on it

 

[Ride On]

It's not the hubs, it's the Maxle. I had the same issue with a new Revelation out of the box. Swapped out the Maxle Lite for a regular Maxle and all was good. It's clear the threads on the end off the Maxle are not cut to adequate length, preventing proper purchase. Pretty sure it's a 2011 Maxle Lite problem exclusively. Don't ride it with play, nothing good can become of it. Ride On.

 

[subspd]

I am having the same problem. It apears to be the Hub to me. Dropping it off today to see what they say.

 

[subspd]

So they say that specialized told them it is just a small tollerance issue. They told them to use locktight as a way to close the gap on the area where the play is. Sounds like Specialized has a quality control issue and needs to do a recall on this front hub to me. They have had my bike two days now still no word on if any of the "fixes" have fixed it. I want a new wheel/hub.

 

[SJDude]

What QR do they have on the 29er? My last few SJ's have had the spesh "skraxle" which I'm not really a fan of. The Skewer is the axle and the end has enough mass that if you leave it in a position that trail vibrations can undo it (ie skewer forward on the front fork) it comes loose. It's okay on the front hub since you can position the axle back out of the way and in effect its own mass tightens it.

The problem is the rear wheel. Placing it in the aft position makes it so vibrations on the trail cause a clockwise rotation (which tightens it) but now it's vulnerable to breaking if you fall over. This happened to me last season and instead of a $5 Shimano QR it's a $35 spesh special order. NFG IMHO.

Not ready to join the 29er cult yet so not sure what you have... Damn Garry Fisher...

 

[subspd]

Yeah on the 2011 FSR it's a 20mm maxle thru axle. Should NOT have any play in it...