posted up about bearing wear the other week and am going to change the bearing for first time on my 3 yr old 5. I was going to put it to the LBS as it’s not something I have done before, however someone posted up this guide, which makes it look easy :

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features/maintenance/orange-five-pivot-bearing-service.htm (thanks scuttler)

anything else I should look out for, tips, and things NOT to do ?

Many thanks

That’s the simple version, sometimes the bearings get stuck onto the axles solid and will not come off!

If that happens give me a shout and I’ll show you how to remove them, I would firstly see how easily they come out, but if you need a hand I’m happy to pitch in.

Good luck and take the crank off!

I’ve only done it once, and that link is pretty much exactly what I did. I’d say it’s a good guide. If the bearings have been on for a while you may need to really whack it. If in doubt get a engineer friend or a good mechanic to look over your shoulder.

thanks guys, quick question – the guide looks like the shcok is still in, surely I should undo from the bottom mount so I’m not putting a side load on the shock shaft when hitting the swingarm ?

I removed my shock and placed a cloth between swing arm and frame to stop it marking when I gave it a whack

thnaks Jeffus – good tip, cheers

I simply flicked through the guide as I’ve seen something similar before, but you are right, the crank and shock should be off!

I normally put some layers of gaffer tape onto the frame when whacking it, that way it can’t fall off.

See how it goes and don’t be too afraid to try different things or step back and think about it, if it doesn’t work right away.

I would also open up the bearings and add some extra grease, they will last a lot longer, depending on what bearings you’re installing.

I didn’t have to remove my cranks, but I’m running a 1 x 10 so had clearance to get in at the bolts etc, I also put a dab of loctite on the heads of the bolts, and greased the threads before putting them back in, and don’t over tighten them all, I imagine it would be easy to snap one if your not used to this kind of job

thanks all,

followed the link, and advice above, crankset off, shock off (it’s away at Mojo for a service anyway), gaffer taped the frame etc – 20 mins, with a few bit hits of rubber mallett and all sorted. New ones in, with a good dose of copper slip on the pin and all reassembled loosely with new bearings. Will wait till I have shock back to finally align swing arm and tighten it all.

Goodl old STW again 🙂

Lucky boy. The bearings seized on my 5 and I ended up buying a new frame. It was a 2004 model and that was a couple of years ago so it had ‘a good innings’ as you chaps say.
The advice is change your swing arm bearings every couple of years whether they need it or not.

There’s a good pictorial guide in the July issue of **COUGH** MBR ***COUGH***

stabilizers – sorry to hear that. Mine had seen 3 yrs of moderate use (I use my HT half the time). They came out pretty easily, especially considering its a ‘dry fit’ on the outer edge of the bearing (and I didn’t copperslip that surface when installing the new ones). Seeing as how cheap and easy it is, I’ll be doing it annually now. The old bearings felt fine in teh bike, but when I tried rotating them after removal they were seriously tight and sticky..

Gary c – bizzarre, my subs copy arrived today and I haven’t opened it !

just read that – yep, that’s the way to do it 😛

Mine were totally seized. Tried all the tricks, release oil, cracking the bearings. I eventually stripped the pivot clamp bolts. The cost of repairing a bike with old geometry meant a substantial amount of the cost of a new frame. No contest. Even the wife agreed.

Stabilizers and anyone else I have a gauranteed way of getting those bearings out, even if they have siezed, anyone needs me to teach it to them, just let me know!

Actually do any of you still have the damaged frames?

This months MBR has an article on this subject

about 18 months ago I did a guide on here using a dremmel and a small blade.

All you do is cut a section from the outer race, remove the cage and balls then cut into the inner race until it cracks! not sure about the other guide as I haven’t seen it, but that technique works for me 😀

buy the bearings from a bearing supplier.

They are identical and cost about a tenner.

You want a pair of these – 6902-2RS

I sell MTB specific bearings for £6.49 a pair, I also sell INA bearings for £11.99 a pair, less if you buy direct.

Unless you plan on removing the seals and filling the bearings with grease to stop them rusting, they will last a fraction of the time they would have if weather proofed.

I would also be careful of poor quality bearings, they have been know to crack on the outer race 😯

Kaesae,

I got rid of my frame. Someone needed a project. I dont know how they got on. I guess it would hae been more work than I was prepared to put in. I’m pretty happy with the decision I made.

I could have fixed that easy 😀

Anyone else got any damaged frames and what’s the damage to them? 😯