The axle system of the Artech front and rear wheel are developed in such way that it ensures that the wheels run smoothly when installed in the bike without any adjustments. Since the through axles have a significant clamping force which could result in a tension on the bearings, the Artech hubs are designed with an intentional buffer. As a result, when the Artech wheels are not installed in a bike a slight movement is possible on the axle system which can be explained as play. This movement is intentionally and will disappear whenever the wheels are installed in the bike and the trough axles are tightened according to specification. In case your Artech wheels are new or you are mounting your Artech wheels in a new bike and experience an issue with play, please follow below checks.

In case the play did occur after using your Artech wheels for a while we recommend to follow the maintenance procedure of Artech hubs including the replacement of bearings. For the process on how to maintain the Artech hubs and replace the bearings please check here, and here.

General

1. First, check the through axle. Please untighten the through axle and remove it from the bike. Next, clean the thread and head of the through axle and furthermore the dropout of the frame. We recommend to apply some grease on the head and thread area of the through axle to prevent friction when securing the through axle.
2. Insert the through axle back into the bike. Use a torque wrench to tighten the axle until the play is forced out of the system. Never tighten above the frame recommended torque specifications. Furthermore make sure that whenever tighten the trough axle the bike or at least the wheel is lifted from the ground (since holding the wheel on the ground can cause the wheel to misalign).
3. Check whether the play on the wheel is gone by holding the rim with two fingers while gently pushing the rim from left to right. To identify play, we recommend to use little force only since this will make it easier to identify any play. In case you still feel play, please go ahead with the next step.
4. In the previous steps we have ensured that the through axle is mounted correctly with the right amount of torque. Since there is still play, the root cause of the play most likely is that the frame and trough axle offer limited clamping force. For such situations we have a special blue engagement spacer and O-ring kit (SC2024144). In the following steps we will explain how to install this kit and thereby solve the play issue.

Artech front wheel

• Untighten the trough axle and remove the wheel from the fork. Next, remove the disc rotor by untightening the lockring.
• Remove the end-cap on the disc side of the hub. This can be done by firmly pulling the end-cap. In case the end-cap is stuck, we recommend to rotate the end-cap slightly while pulling it.
• Next, the axle should be removed from the front hub. The axle can be pulled from the non-disc side and will slide out.
• Now carefully check the axle and identify the black O-ring which is positioned at the end of the axle.
• Remove the black O-ring from the axle (you may use a small flat head screw driver to do so).
• Next take the blue O-ring from the engagement spacer and O-ring kit and put it onto the axle. Make sure to position the blue O-ring on the indicated position.
• Now mount the axle back into the hub, slide the axle into the hub from the non-disc side until the axle is fully seated against the bearing.
• Next, mount the end-cap on the disc side by pushing it on the axle while holding the axle in place. A clicking noise will confirm that the end-cap is correctly assembled.
• Go to step 2.

Artech rear wheel

• Untighten the trough axle and remove the wheel from the frame. Next remove the disc rotor by untightening the lockring.
• Remove the end-cap from the drive side, this can be done by pulling the body (including the cassette if mounted) from the hub. The end-cap will come loose and the body (including the cassette) can be taken of the axle of the hub.
• After removing the body, the bronze engagement spacer will become visible. Please remove the bronze engagement spacer from the axle, please refer to item number 3 of the below exploded view.
• Take the blue engagement spacer and put it on the axle. Make sure to position the blue engagement spacer on the indicated position.
• Put the freehub body onto the axle. You can guide the freehub body on the axle by taking the body and focus on the bearings. The bearings should align with the axle, one could use the index finger to center the body on the axle.
• Next, put back the end-cap onto the axle. While doing so, hold the axle from the disc side with your other hand. When pushing on the end-cap a clicking noise indicates that the end-cap is mounted correctly.
• Go to step 2.