You might get 4000ks out of wheel bearings if you service them regularly.
Buy good quality at any bearing outlet and keep an eye on them by flicking the seals out and putting a bit of clean grease in as required.
If they are really wet/rusty inside replace before you can feel any movement. When you can feel movement you may be half a ride away from failure and expensive hub damage.
OMG - Really Ken !! I did not know that .....
As you can probably tell I'm being sarcastic
I have only just read what you have posted.
I look after my bike. It's my baby. Anyone who knows me knows how much I look after my bike.
The bearing was removed by a top engineer and the hub repaired ( cost me heaps ).
He said " I have never seen anything like it before". Ken. The bearing was in top condition, no rust, fresh grease. no heat damage apart from what happend on it's epic failure.
It could have happend to anyone and any bike, and as bad luck can happen it did it to me.
It was put down to a manufactoring error - crack in the side of the bearing .....
Many people where very perplexed about what happend ... it's not a common thing.
Thank goodness for that !!! ( apart from me being the one it happend to ) !
Yazza
Wheel fixed ..... $ 390