If you are looking to make your Onewheel Pint more water resistant and protect the motor a bearing cover is a must to install. At the moment there are two ways, either buy them from Badger Wheel or if you have access to a 3D printer, print some covers yourself.
The bearing covers with the applied grease make a barrier for water to move into the bearings and in the worst case into the motor. Applying bearing protection on both sides of your hub will drastically improve the water resistance for your motor and increase the lifetime of both the bearings and the motor itself.
There are several pictures of rusted motors and bearings failing faster than expected caused by water making its way into them and rust forming.
Bearing Kits
There are two different kits available one that´s easier to install and doesn’t require any additional equipment. Both kits work with Pint and Pint X and will make your board a bit more waterproof.
- Badgerwheel Bearing Kit.
The easiest way is to buy the bearing kit from Badger Wheel, it costs $27 and you get everything you need including the marine-grade grease to act as the barrier. Either get one from your local shop or their official homepage. - 3D-Printed version.
I 3D printed the version on Thingvers because I live in Sweden it was hard to get hold of the Badget kit. Then I had to buy some marine-grade grease and double-sided sticky tape to mount them to my board.
Installation
The installation of the kit from Badger looks a lot easier and I would recommend anyone to get it if you have access to it. Installing it is a lot easier than badgering your board that needs Onewheel Pint security bits and new air vents for the battery and controller box.
With either approach, you don’t need to disassemble the board. The instructions are mostly the same.
Instructions:
- Clean bearings with dry cotton swabs. No water, no alcohol, just wiping dry is best.
- Apply grease around the bearing.
- Wrap the seal around the shaft with the grease facing in. Press the seal in while working your way around.
If you have the 3D printed you need to apply some double-sided tape to the backside and connect the two halves to a unit before pressing it down.
Apply a bearing seal is one of the first things you should do to protect your board, for more information to make it even more water-resistant check out Is the Onewheel waterproof (How to make it). Don’t forget to get some power button covers for your board while getting the covers.
