First FS - which brands have good reliability?

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First FS - which brands have good reliability?

16 posts & 13 voices | Started 9 months ago by benz | Latest reply from lardman

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FS Reliability

benz - Member

So, mate considering first FS, but also concerned about reliability - specifically bearing life, etc. He's a robust lad.

Simply, he does not want to be replacing bearings every couple of months - it won't be his main bike, so wondered if the STW massive had Good, Bad, Ugly experiences to share?

My own Trance (admittedly used sparingly) has original bearings after 3 years.

He's considering Santa Cruz (Nickel), Cove (Hustler) and Orange (Five) options.....but very interested to hear some feedback from the STW massive.

Posted 9 months ago #
z1ppy - Member

The less bearing in the system, the longer they 'tend' to last.
So single pivots would supposedly be a better bet for him (IME they just 'last' on single pivots).
So frames like the Orange 5 & SC Heckler I think tend to last longer without maintenance
(Nickel and Butcher seem overly heavy considering there just a linkage activated single pivot)

Specialized seemingly have a bad rep for eating bearing, my m8's Giant VT would last a couple of years between changes & it was easy job to do. Supposedly (again) Specialized especially have a bad rep for the bearing being not so straight forward to replace without the proper tools (there are ways round this though) - something to bear in mind.

EDIT: There is ahuge difference in ride between a SP and multi pivot frame (I prefer SP's personnally). I'd test a few different type and see what he prefers, and make a choice based on that, rather than how long the bearing will last...

Posted 9 months ago #
anotherdeadhero - Member

Or buy a Turner and just squeeze a bit of grease in via the zerks every now and again.

Posted 9 months ago #
CaptainMainwaring - Member

IIRC the Nickel is a sort of single pivot and anyway SC warranty bearings for life. My BLT2 upper bearings lasted 3 years then got replaced under warranty for just the labour cost. Bottom ones are still fine because of the grease ports. My bike is usually ridden twice a week throughout the year

Posted 9 months ago #
cbrsyd - Member

Paying a dealer a £100 ish to replace the bearings on a multi pivot bike (even yearly) is not an issue if the bike cost half as much as an equivalent single pivot niche bike. If you can do the maintenance yourself it's even less of an issue.

FWIW I use my Trance at least once a week (including through winter)and it still has the original bearings after 18 months.

Posted 9 months ago #
anjs - Member

Had to do my Trance X bearing after 3 hard years riding

Posted 9 months ago #
rocketman - Member

My Rize has survived frequent, intense neglect for almost three years. The bearings are all cartridge type, the main one is a press fit but the little ones are all glued in and I've yet to replace any of them.

The shock bushes are the sacrificial parts I've replaced them a couple of times purely to eliminate the annoying 'clunk' when lifting the bike up but otherwise it's not an issue.

Personally I would steer clear of anything that uses buzzwords to describe unique components that are difficult to get hold of 12 months down the line (yes Specialized I'm looking at you).

Posted 9 months ago #
anjs - Member

Had to do my Trance X bearings after 3 hard years riding

Posted 9 months ago #
Scienceofficer - Member

I ordered a bearing and bolt kit for the back end of a 2002 Enduro the other day. Pretty standard parts TBH, apart from a couple of the spacers, which could have been re-used anyway.

It cost our customer £90 in labour though, because he'd never changed them and it was an elaborate removal process.

Posted 9 months ago #
benz - Member

Some good responses and indicators of life expectancy - appreciate it.

SC warranty bearings for life....interesting....from experience, does that mean they will send new bearings FOC at appropriate intervals and you then have to find someone to fit them or indeed purchase the appropriate tools, etc to fit? I'm guessing bearings are cheaper than the tools to remove and fit....but could be wrong.

I've seen some (in my mind anyways given my Trance experience) horror stories about folks having to replace main pivot bearings after a few short months - surely that would not be seen as normal?

Whilst the ride qualities are great, he is really concerned about ensuring his bike is relatively reliable and does not require continuous fettling or replacement of bits. Sadly my non-niche Trance is probably just that....

Posted 9 months ago #
h4muf - Member

Just had my 06 Stumpy done,cost £19 for bearings off ebay
And LBS charged me £20 to fit them

Posted 9 months ago #
julianwilson - Member

Mate's hustler had long lasting bearings, but when they did go they were really hard to get out. The excellent mechanic at an excellent LBS charged him £20 or so labour but said it would have been waaaaaaaay more if he actually charged him properly for how long it took.

Single pivots often much easier to get bearings in and out of, particularly if pinch bolts involved.

Hecklers rule BTW. As does the Morewood Shova.

Posted 9 months ago #
CaptainMainwaring - Member

SC warranty bearings for life....interesting....from experience, does that mean they will send new bearings FOC at appropriate intervals and you then have to find someone to fit them or indeed purchase the appropriate tools, etc to fit

Nope, it's what I said in my original post. My LBS identified that the bearings were worn, they replaced them, charging me only for the labour as they got the replacement bearings FOC from SC.

As others said above, if your mate doesn't ride that much his bearings on probably almost any decent modern bike will last forever. My BLT2 was ridden twice a week for three years, including winter gloop, before the bearings went

Posted 9 months ago #
stumpy01 - Member

Do Marin still do lifetime warranty for pivot bearings? A friend of mine has got a Marin FS - perhaps a rift zone from about 2004 & she had the bearing replaced under warranty around about 2008.

The bearings in my old Stumpjumper lasted ages & only cost £65 to replace (parts & labour).
I'd be tempted to have a go at doing it myself in future.

Posted 9 months ago #
Garry_Lager - Member

How he rides is more of an issue for reliability than robustness. A frame will be very happy under a 16 stone beast if all it's doing is xc riding on the moors. Bearings will last ages. Same frame getting lashed from pillar to post by a 10 stone bro is going to lead a stressful life.

Posted 9 months ago #
lardman - Member

I'm an 18 stone beast, and my enduro SX bearings have been replaced ONCE in 7 years, and that was last year. I ride in mud/grit.rain too! Maybe not 3 times a week, but at least once on average.

SO, dont jet spray, and if you do, use some GT85 type thing.

Posted 9 months ago #

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