Trek Bontrager rear bearing failure boost 148 hub

[WWJ]

Hi, I have just discovered that the rear hub bearings have failed on my 4 month old Trek Powerfly 5, the bike has only done 500 miles.
I have discovered several cases of this on several forums.
My question is can I upgrade the rear hubs, rather than replace with original set.

 

[Philly G]

Hi, I have just discovered that the rear hub bearings have failed on my 4 month old Trek Powerfly 5, the bike has only done 500 miles.
I have discovered several cases of this on several forums.
My question is can I upgrade the rear hubs, rather than replace with original set.

If you mean can you buy nicer hubs and get them laced up to your existing rims, yes you can, but in my experience Bontrager wheels are not great quality and you'd be better off investing in a higher quality wheelset. What you could do in the meantime is just fit higher quality bearings. Keep on top of freehub maintenance though, they're not very well sealed and dry out quick.

 

[randyman]

Reviving an old topic here. I just had the rear hub bearings fail on my 2021 Powerfly 4, after four months. I took it back to the Trek shop where I bought it, and the mechanic tried to say "Oh, it's fine - it is supposed to be like that". After pulling a wheel off a brand new Powerfly and comparing, they acknowledged "something is wrong, and we will take a look". Hoping it's replaced under warranty. Did you end up swapping to something better? if so, care to share?

 

[Doomanic]

Bearings probably aren't covered. I had new bearing in my rear wheel quite early on and had to pay for them.

 

[Kernow]

Bearings are a lottery , sometimes they last years , sometimes they go in a few months . All it takes is a drop of water sitting in the bearing while the bike stands for a week or two , one spot of rust and the bearing soon becomes toast . I’ve had this experience with many makes of hub . Bearings are so cheap and easy to fit get a set spare and learned to fit your own . Stainless steel bearings are easy to find and don’t seem to suffer so bad in our wet conditions