[Closed] Bearing removal on carbon frame

I concur with your caution - recently did all the bearings in miss4reals's camber EVO but that does have an aluminium back end. Prior to that job and imminently my own stump evo (although also Al) I'd used threadedbars/bolts/washers and old bearings successfully but figured the most suitable tools do speed the job up.

I went for these from Kinetic Bearings

You only need two sizes for the Stumpy and of course most of the bearings are in the linkages. The difficult ones though are the Horst link ones as they are blind due to the central lip & spacer which can't be pushed to one side but they also have additional seals in the outer spacers so last a long time.
While some folk recommend the £30 puller sets off ebay those have a flare on the end of the expanding collets which isn't ideal for the blind bearings so I used one of these from Braeview Engineering - the only downside is that you have to punch them out so the seatstay has to be well supported and may not be ideal for carbon. You only need to remove one from each side in that way though and can use the puller for the others.

I think I may be able to turn my tool from Braeview into a puller with a suitable sleeve but need to cut a slot in the end, if it works it would ideal because the hitting things out isn't my favourite!

Also -if you haven't got as copy you may find this useful;-

Stumpy bearing Schematic

yup got that many thanks.

Still not sure about which bearing tool to buy.

the rrp ones look nice but over 100 quid... but shiny

This should help, haven't gone looking for your exact bike though@ https://www.bearingprotools.com/collections/specialized

I bought the set for my frame from probearingtools (linked above)
Did the job well enough.
Still need to be hit out with a hammer, so you need to make sure everything is well supported and go carefully.

Seem like the most cost effective option I came across.

Agree RRP looks good and I considered it but cost.

The Kinetic ones are shiny - but not colours!

TBH, I'd be getting your local Spesh dealer to do it. That's no reflection on your competence, but your warranty will be intact. IIRC you have some freedom with the quality of bearings that you choose - you could try BETD.

why would a bearing change effect warranty?

this is important for me.

No reason, unless you swing and miss, it's routine maintenance

my thoughts exactly.

I would consider myself above average in this respect.

the kinetic bearngs are actually better quality than the rrp and work better .
i have a few of them and id happily loan you them .
send me the bearing codes ill see which ones i have .

looking at a 6901 tool if you have one.

Ah - Mr. Knott....we often seem to find more to agree on when it comes to maintenance ! (Marcus)

i have a 6901 your welcome to borrow andy no problem.
similar mentality marcus .

why would a bearing change effect warranty?

Last carbon frame I owned ended up worn around a rear pivot bolt, to the point that the rear rattled despite all bolts being correctly torqued. Tried a warranty claim only to be told that it wasn't covered as it was caused by incompetent or infrequent bearing maintenance / service. The bike was less than 3 years only and had been serviced regularly, the lad who serviced it currently works for the Madison Saracen world cup dh team and knows his stuff. It can defo cause issues although from experience, Specialized usually good to deal with on warranty claims

Not changing the bearings in a fs for 3 years is indeed incompetence and I've fired over an email to Danny Hart telling him to sack his arse right now.
All tongue in cheek I must add

Not changing the bearings in a fs for 3 years is indeed incompetence

The incompetence was me not keeping the receipts as proof that the bike had been serviced regularly by a competent mechanic 🙈

Ok quick update. I did all the bearings and BB last night bar the horst ones.

Got a press from bearingprotools and also made a little tool myself. the original drifts supplied were a poor fit and they sent me some new ones next day which was good. Anyone attempting it without knowing better could end up finding it harder though.

The drifts worked well. My tool located between a press and a cup to receive the bearing so it was always aligned. This was ok but there was limited room on the swing link. The bearing drifts supplied had a large chanfer on one side and this helped in the tight space locations ad it meant they offered a little bit of guidance.

The way they pressed out and pressed in it was almost sexual it was that smooth. By far the easiest ones ive had to do and i dont think ill be drifting bearings in ever again.

On a side note i got a blind bearing puller off ebay to see if it was any good. Its not. Its a waste of cash. I thought i would be smart and make a bearing puller for the collet but this wasnt so smart either as the areas on the frame for the tube are not flat so it would be possible to get a bit skew and / or damage the frame. I think ill look at getting something as a cross between them all made out of plastic and give that a try just for carbon frames.