531colin wrote: ↑10 Apr 2021, 10:30am You are probably right! Its too easy to assume "everybody knows....."
The "preload" is the compressive force on the bearing which is there all the time, before service loads are imposed, and during use.
You need "just enough" preload so that you can't wobble the rim when the wheel is mounted in the bike.
If you set up the hub like that when its out of the bike, and then put it in the bike and tighten the Q/R, you are putting an enormous load on the (relatively small) contact area. (Because the Q/R compresses the axle). This quickly results in the case hardening getting worn away on the cones, as in the other thread.
Note that hubs with cassette bearings aren't (usually?) provided with means for adjustment of bearing preload.
Okay just seen Bruce's comment
Have bookmarked the thread for future reading when I'm next doing maintenanceAll you really need to know is that there should be a little free play in the bearings which just disappears when the QR is used to secure the wheel in the frame. Everything else is pretty straightforward.