The main pivot on my hustler had a little play so I dug out the spec sheet to find the bearing sizes:

6901 x 4 in main pivot. Ordered, fitted 🙂
The others I thought I'll order and fit as well to make everything super smooth and tight…

628 x 2 in link plate. Ordered. Will fit later…

6805 x 4 for drop out and seat stay pivots.. Eh? That ain't right! A 6805 has a 25mm inner diameter and fits in a BB not a pivot! Checked out the bearings in the frame but no numbers written on the seals. Anyone know the correct number or size?

Nobody?

Pete

Have you got a vernier? Just measure the ID, OD and the thickness then x-ref with a bearing list.

Where’s Ted when you need him?

608 x4 2rs I would go for good quality 2rs

Bullshitin by the industry a lot of the websites do it!

Before I forget what kind of bearings are you running?

Stu: I do have a vernier but was hoping to avoid the hassle – especially as they are still in with bolts through em!

kaesae: Cheers I’ll get some ordered. Running some 2RS. Can’t remember what brand – they’ve lasted well since the last change hence me not remembering the size!

If you get the right bearings they will last years longer than generics, Norco run steel shielded NSK’s and they last for a long time. I run INA and a Jap brand in people who’s Cove Hustlers I service. The important parts are the seals, the tolerances and material of the bearing, also the kind of grease you use to weather proof them, cheapo bearings you can’t remove the seals without damaging them but it’s still a better option than no pregreasing. Use a pin on the inner race and practice on some old bearings, simply leverage the seals out. Standard pregreasing is 25% to 35%, no useless for MTB applications.

I have superb bearings kits for the Cove Hustler frames, would have been years before you had to worry about them again.

That said if you need any advise let me know.

Cheers kaesae but I’m pretty experienced with bearing changes. I always pop the seals on all my mtb bearings and grease them up before fitting. Ordered some SKF.

SKF are reasonably cheap in the 608 2rs, however for the 6901 2rs skf are quite pricey, are you fitting SKF in the main pivot?

Also some greases aren’t all that good for pivots, for example at high temperatures moly grease or rock n roll becomes runny. So if you go to spain or greece for a holiday in the summer it will run out of the bearings.

Trial and error for greases like most other things for MTB’s, I’ve been lucky and had a lot of people who agreed to test different greases for me, with the condition that I replace the bearings if I f@ck it up!

What kind of bearings do you run in all the pivot points and how long do they last, if you don’t mind me asking. My emails on my profile if you need any advise or fancy a chat let me know.

K.

Got some cheap and cheerfull 2RS from eBay (because as you say that size is expensive for branded) in the main pivot. However they look pretty good and already had plenty of grease in them when they arrived. Got a complete spare set too so won’t be too bothered if they don’t last too long…

I use Weldtite (or Halfords – same stuff!) Teflon grease in all my bearings. Seems to work and last well.

Can’t remember what brand the existing bearings were but they’ve lasted a good while? 3 years probably?

It took me ages to get some of the sizes I use at good prices. 6000 6001 6201 are all easy to come by in SKF or INA/FAG however 6900 6901 6902 etc are about £7 to £9 each.
About the same price as 6800 and 6802 bearings, however you can feel the difference when you run the good bearings.

I do a kit for the hustler for £35 jap bearings in the main pivot and INA in the rocker pivots etc.

Weldtite grease is OK, you can get it from chain reaction + a mini grease gun for £10. I tested it and it did reasonably well but not as good as quite a few other greases.

As for the bearings off ebay, they won’t last all that long. 12 to 18 months would be my guess. You can’t remove cheapo bearings seals without damaging them.

Some wont even last that long, you simply have to offset the cost of the bearings with how long it takes to strip and service the frame. I can’t be bothered changing my bearings every couple of years. So I run japanese and INA or SKF. I get them at good prices so I might as well use them.

Well I’ve finished my dinner and I’m off to finish my frankenstien downhill bike! it’s made of anything I can lay my hands on.

I’m just taking my Hustler apart.

I’m struggling to get the main pivot bearing cap off on the chain side. How is it held in place? I’ve removed the pinch bolt but the cap won’t shift. Should it prise out now?

The other side had an obvious big bolt in the end of it, the chain side doesn’t.

Changing mine is on my to do list for next month.

<watches thread>

to kaesae, I am about to strip my hustler and g spot frames and may as well pop in new nearings (although the hustler ones are fine on the 2006 frame), do you sell g spot kits as well? Also how eary are these to change?

I will need to strip the frames completely as I will have them re-powdercoated, not sure if i can manage it. May be able to get my brother in law to help as he is a car mechanic and has restored motorbikes, so he should be ok.

Any advice?

email in profile if you could email me re the bearing kits?

Cheers Simone

Kaesae,

I need a bearing kit for my Hustler and like your post, drop me a line by email

Hi kaesae,

I need to replace all bearings in my hustler, I have the older frame with the banana style rocker. Do you sell these? If so how much? Also, I need to buy a bearing puller, any suggestions?

Thanks