After a measly 250 miles my rise developed the characteristic creak and crack from the linkage. Taking it apart led to finding one side of rear linkage bearings seized, 1 main pivot bearing seized and 1 main pivot bearing really grindy.
Figured orbea bearings were shite so after past success with Blue Seal I got my LBS to fit them. Bike was miles better but i took the linkage apart to use feeler guage to set a small gap & hopefully prevent recurring creak.
found a notchy bearing. So ocd led me to take more apart find more and more notchy bearings and one not even spinning. Cant live with that!!
took em out and almost all spin free when out. Those that dont i probably knackered pressing out due to linkage shape.
now i dont know what to do. Gonna do it myself as I’ve a decent press but crap but what do you fine folks recon? Crap bearing tolerance on Blue Seal? Crap frame tolerance and hence orbea bearings failing so quickly? Dodgy install although the fact removing them and they spin fine makes me seriously doubt that!
replacements - if they need replacing so quickly i may as well fit cheapas or do you recon i’ll have more luck sticking orbea bearings?
You can measure the bearing OD and frame ID to check what the fit is.
Frame bore ID out of spec is more common than bearing OD being out of spec.
One thing to check - paint in the bearing seat. My frame (different bike) was like that, I don't know how they even got the bearing in it was so tight. Masking must have come off it while it was being painted.
Depending on the bearing size, you might be able to find some go/no go gauges to tell you where the problem lies, but my money would be on it being undersized bores on the linkage.
Had similar issue with Blue Seal on a different bike, but only on the chain stay while all other pivots work fine. Though I am not 100% whether the issue is all with Blue Seal, as the original bearings were a pain in the neck to extract, my guess would be combination of slightly larger bearings and tight seats. In the end fitted with other bearing by professional mechanic, and now work as they should. Safe to assume I won't be using Blue seal at that pivot again!
I've got a 2020 occam which is has the same design/bearings/pivots. I got a full new set from orbea as I was ordering some other bits direct. They don't seem to be better or worse than other frame bearings I've used before. I don't recall any being particularly difficult to extract but removing the linkage was very difficult due to the loctite on the splines, needing scary force with a slide hammer. And the NDS chainstay bearing with the retaining ring is rather tricky.
But I seem to remember the bearings in the linkage felt as you described, notchy and rough, but smooth once extracted and vice versa with the new ones. But I think that was only an issue with the larger linkage ones and the frame ones were fine. Mine are probably due an inspection soon 😬
Use an awl / pick on the chainstay retaining clip. Mine came out easy with on. Uses a cureved pick. Just remember to cover it with your other hand - comes out like spring unleashed!!
not overly impressed with the bearing situation. Great bike when it’s working but from new the fox forks had to go back. Now bearings lasting 250mls / 8 rides and a new set with notchy and seized before even using them.
my commencals and birds before were half the price and way more reliable.