Bearing Seal Pick

With all this delightful weather my bearings are taking a serious hit. But some are benefitting from a clean and regrease. HOWEVER, I’m using generic picks from car motorfactors which are ok but not the finest.

What do you guys use or is there something finer I can use?  I tend to find the smaller the bearing the hard it is to get the seal out without damaging it slightly.

Got a set of dentist picks from ebay

Cracking idea!  Thanks. I’ll take a look.

Stanley knife blade, works fine.

Old spoke, sharpened to a fine point.

I’ve used dentist picks with no issue, or even a decent quality bradawl. That I don’t then use for making holes in wood.

I use a scalpel

Maybe I still hark back to childhood days and sharp things but i just dont trust myself with small bearings and ultra sharp tools!  Even if they’ve lost there edge slightly there’s still a lot more potential with a blunt scalpel or stanley knife than other types of blunt knife.

Sewing pin or sewing needle.

Isn’t the point of a sealed cartridge bearing to throw it away and replace it once it gets like that? If it’s already got manky inside the seal has already failed.

Isn’t the point of a sealed cartridge bearing to throw it away and replace it once it gets like that? If it’s already got manky inside the seal has already failed.

Nope, I regularly regrease mine, extends their life significantly.

Birzman pick set https://www.birzman.com/products_2.php?uID=2&cID=22&Key=92

Im with airvent.  Once the bearing is no longer smooth rinning it needs replaced.  I never repack and get long life

I’m with airvent. Once the bearing is no longer smooth running it needs replaced. I never repack and get long life

The trick is to preempt the grittiness and repack with grease before it gets to that point.

Pre and re grease ftw, from my LBS mech days servicing Hope and other hubs as well as my own.

Only the cack handed damage seals and factory bearings come with **** all grease.

Even if there is a small bit of roughness, cleaning it and out and regreasing just halts the deterioration eg I did this with a BB last year, still spinning fine after a very wet winter. Pretty sure it would have seized by now if I hadn’t repacked it.

Also, the seals don’t fail, they just let a tiny % of water through whenever it’s wet. After so many wet rides, that amount will start to wash away the factory grease and you’ll get rust starting. Repacking the grease extends the bearing life by flushing out all the water and topping up the grease.

Also, the seals don’t fail, they just let a tiny % of water through whenever it’s wet. After so many wet rides, that amount will start to wash away the factory grease and you’ll get rust starting. Repacking the grease extends the bearing life by flushing out all the water and topping up the grease.

Off the shelf bearings have a low grease fill to prevent skidding at their max rated speed. Adding extra grease also supports the seal more which can reduce the small % of water getting in 😊.

That is exactly what i’m finding with just a bit of water getting in each ride being enough to cause grittiness really quickly.

at the moment I’m getting at best 100mls before my Rise suspension starts creaking due to bearing issues. Worst bike I’ve had for it. Its a shat design so something to live with. No other bike has been this bad and I’ve stopped washing it completely in the hope of preserving them a bit longer. I cringe seeing people jet washing!

With 100mls before noise and issues there’s no way I’m replacing. Yesterday I cleaned up and regreased one of the bearings that was gritty. Runs smooth again and no creaking so really is no need to replace. LBS suggested no issues at all with regreasing, especially given the bogs n swamps round here.

i’m just amazed the motors still working but thats another story!

And as said earlier, there’s naff all grease in from the factory. Even max fill. Cheapo ones even less and some I’ve had seize after a single ride then couple of months no use.

If sealed cartridge bearings did as the name implies water shouldnt get in!  Just means there’s a seal. Not that they’re completely sealed to the outside.

Craft knife blade is my go-to for this.

X-acto craft knife for me to lift the edge but once I’m in, I switch to a pick to avoid cutting the edge of the seal.

I find stainless steel bearings particularly good at finding a new lease of life once cleaned and refilled.