Rear Wheel Bearing

[D4MJT]

Urgh.

The rear wheel on my Boardman has some play in it, the wheel itself has enough lateral movement in it to touch the brake pads on either side of the wheel.

It may be a particularly daft question, but having never done it before.. is it possible to tighten the bearing up, or is it basically knackered and needs to be replaced? I've covered 1,700 miles on the bike since new and I sort of expected it to last longer if I'm honest?

The rims are Mavic CXP22 if that counts for anything, and according to the spec the hubs are Formula 32 hole QR.

[Fastpedeller]

If they are sealed bearings (ie. not cup/cone) then the bearings will need replacing as a unit. Should be easy for the LBS if you don't fancy doing it.
Once they're replaced a generous smear of waterproof grease eg Silkolene RG2 (looks like red jam) may keep a lot out.

[agentnomad]

If they are cup and cone then they can be adjusted

If they are sealed bearings just replace them

As above LBS can do the work if you carn't

[mike9009]

If they are cup and cone and you have that much play - I would strip, replace bearings and re-grease. I always wonder what might have got in with the bearings being that loose.

Mike