Sorry gang, but the bike shop guy is wrong, caged bearings are worthless--thats why they wear out quickly. Even if the balls were of good quality they rub on a soft steel cage which wears quickly. When the cage wears the balls become looser, and looser balls means out of adjustment. Out of adjustment means that the chain is pulling on one side of the wheel, so it isn't tracking true and this will lead to the collapse of the wheel.
Adding horsepower to the equation only makes it worse--these caged bearings were made for kids playing around town--maybe 1/8 horsepower or so-- not 2 or 3 hp. 2.5 hp is 20 times the power they're designed for.
George Huffman made an interesting comment once--the bikes they built (Huffy) were built to last 76 miles--D to D. Department store to dump. Compared to the cheaper Chinese bikes today, Huffy's were high class.
cruiser--you probably don't need a freewheel tool if you're just repacking the bearings. There's no need to pull it--just open the wheel from the left side and the bearings will fall through the hub. You can clean and repack the right side with the freewheel on, and although it's tight, it can be done. I do several sets of hubs a week and rarely pull the freewheel (I just tear the cage out if it has one--they're usually worn so thin they just pull out with needle nose pliers).
