Good timing. As I feared but kind of predicted, one set of bearings in my upper link and one set in my lower link were seized when I was united with my new (used) frame so I ordered this eBay blind bearing puller for £16.50, doesn’t seem the most quality bit of kit but probably identical to a lot of more expensive ones on eBay and it’s very heavy and worked fine.
I couldn’t get the bearings started with the tool alone though. Maybe clamping the linkage well and using both hands on the slide hammer would have worked, but I tapped each bearing out from the opposite side a tiny bit with a bolt held against the inner race, carefully at a few points (like bodging a headset removal with a screwdriver & hammer). I could have probably just done this carefully and gotten them out all the way without the puller, but the puller after this point did a fine job of getting them out straight with no fear of damaging the linkage body.
I took the other larger pair of “good” bearings out too and replaced the lot with new ones from rullabearings.com[/url] (great service, great bearings) but the tool wouldn’t work on the smaller pair in the top link, not a big deal. Then to press the new ones in I dismantled one of the old bearings (ie. smacked it to pieces) and used an outer race to press the new ones in with a friend’s eBay headset press.
Job done for £16.50 worth of tools, and the bike is riding nicely.