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Bruce wrote:
My plan is to put some tape around the bearings and push them into the hub body. I think this will eliminate the looseness. I'll let you know how it goes.

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Your front hub construction sounds similar to the front hub on my Mavic Cosmos wheelset. In my hub, the cartridge bearings are pressed into the hub body, and the axle runs through the center of the bearings. The axle diameter is slightly smaller than the inner race diameter of the bearings, and this intentionally loose fit allows the axle freely rotate within the inner race, without turning the inner race itself.

This is a safety feature. Cartridge bearings can and do rust solid if water gets in them. The fact that the axle freely rotates inside the bearings means that the front hub will not lock up if the bearings seize during a ride. When the bearings seize, the axle will just spin, metal-on-metal, against the inner race.

My rear hub has no such feature, probably because rear wheel lockup is not a safety concern. The rear axle cannot turn without turning the bearings themselves.

If I understand your description correctly, your front hub sounds similar but different: it sounds like your hub has an intentionally loose fit between the hub body and the outer bearing races, rather than the axle and the inner bearing race.

Please ensure sure you know what you're doing before you modify your hubs, Bruce. You don't want to eliminate a deliberately designed loose fit in your front hub. It may be the only thing that will keep you from going over the bars should your bearings decide to seize.

I can't imagine your front hub is designed to be adjusted using a roll of tape. There's probably an entirely different way of adjusting your front hub that you're not aware of.

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