Tool to use pulling off end cap from a LIGHTWEIGHT STANDARD, ALL CARBON WHEEL, to change out the 609 bearings from steel to ceramic

Question

I am wanting to change out my 609 bearings, which are steel, and replace with CeramicSpeed or enduro ceramics. Can anyone tell me the safest tool to use when extracting the end caps off this all-carbon wheel, which is the LIGHTWEIGHT STANDARD, by carbon sport?

Thanks a million for your reply in advance!

"COMMENT SINCE THE LAST POST:
FACT #1: TWO FACTORS ARE SWAYING ME TO DO NOTHING AT ALL, AT LEAST FOR THE MOMENT. 1. THE WHEEL SPINS GREAT AS IT STANDS AT THIS MOMENT, THUS, I FEEL THIS IS PERHAPS NOT THE TIME TO BE EXPERIMENTING. 2. I HAVE CONTACTED LIGHTWEIGHT AND THEY HIGHLY RECOMMEND I EITHER SEND IT BACK FOR SERVICE OR PURCHASE ANOTHER ONE. EVEN THOUGH THE BEARING IN THIS FRONT WHEEL IS A 609 BEARING (SIX ZERO NINE), AND BOTH ENDURO AND CERAMICSPEED BOTH SELL CERAMIC REPLACEMENTS, I AM STILL LEANING ON DOING NOTHING UNTIL THEY GET A LITTLE SLUGGISH, IF THEY BECOME SLUGGISH AT ALL, EVER. I AM GOING TO STAY THE COURSE. I HAVE DRIPPED HIGH-END-QUALITY GUN OIL INTO THE OUTER GOLD SEAL AND IT SEEMED TO CAUSE THEM TO ROLL EVER SO SLIGHTLY SMOOTHER (ROLL WITHOUT LOAD ON THEM). BUT HONESTLY, THIS IS MOST LIKELY A PLACEBO-EFFECT.
In sum, when I do actually change this bearing out I will make a definitive post on the topic and how to do it. Thanks for everyone's input, I appreciate your time!"

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I am reporting back to let you know I have decided on CeramicSpeed and have found a shop in Connecticut called 'BLACK OAK VELO". THEY HAVE THE TECH, TOOLS, AND EXPERIENCE IN CHANGING OUT BEARINGS IN THE LIGHTWEIGHT BRAND -- QUESTION ANSWERED.

Answer 1

Lightweight wheels are extremely high-end carbon wheels. By carbon, I mean that the rims, spokes, and hub shells are all carbon. They're very light. Naturally, you can argue that light weight alone makes little difference in competitive cycling.

I'm not familiar with all the models of Lightweight wheels, and I've certainly never seen one in person. I am aware that many of them use DT Swiss hub internals. If yours have DT Swiss internals, then you should be able to remove the endcaps as you would any other DT hub, as demonstrated in this video.

If that doesn't work for you, you might want to visit the Weightweenies forum and ask. At least a handful of the posters there could have a pair of Lightweights and might be able to advise. This 2011 thread showed a conversation with Carbon Sports, which I believe is the manufacturer, and it confirmed that Lightweights of that era used DT Swiss internals. Some posters reported that the manufacturer recommend not using ceramics on the front hub, but the reasoning was unclear. This 2010 post by Carbon Sports said that front wheels of that era had carbon bearing seats, and that they wanted to service front wheels themselves so as to avoid damaging the bearing seat (carbon may wear if you press in or press out a bearing wrongly, and this would render the bore out of tolerance, which would probably wreck the whole wheel). I was only able to find one recent (2016) thread, but it didn't have any substantive information.

You might also be able to contact Lightweight/Carbon Sports directly, but note that their site currently recommends users not service the hubs. They ask that the wheels get mailed back to the manufacturer for service.