[aesmith]

On the pointy there's a separate seal fitted outside the bearing, if the bearings were open then removing that seal would allow the bearing to be regreased, even cleaned out if necessary. Using a sealed bearing means you're reliant on whatever grease the manufacturer installed for the whole life of the bearing. In my case not only did the seal prevent me greasing the bearing, it also meant that you couldn't even see the state until the bearing actually failed.