Frame bearing replacement, how hard can it be?

Mondraker Summum specifically.

Diy or lbs?

How hard is it to get the old bearings out?

I’ve done a few, not that bike though.

Just get a drift, stick it through the hole and smack the bearing out.

Getting the old ones out is pretty straightforward. getting the new ones in is a bit trickier. That’s why I bought this;

I have tried home made (threaded bar , washers etc) previously and I’ll be frank; it was turbo shit.

Depends on the frame.

Some it’s dead easy. Some need blind bearing pullers which are a pain the the ass, expensive, and an even bigger PITA if the bearing is in an way stuck.

Never done a mondraker but generally sockets, hammers, an occasional vice or clamp does the job. I wouldn’t mind some proper tools for it but I’ve never found it necessary so it’s a fair whack for just a bit of convenience.

(considering the way my mates’ mondrakers hold together, could you not just wait til they fall out by themselves? 😉 )

one of the few things I pay a shop to do. I usually whack them out myself, buy new bearings and give the shop 30 quid and the bearings and it’s all done

Oh, if it’s only like £30, Lbs it is.

It can be rather tricky* to get bearings out if you don’t realize that the pair of bearings are seated into two recesses rather than a single hole going all the way through 😳 (edit: no idea about Mondraker sorry)

*and potentially damaging.

Oh, if it’s only like £30, Lbs it is.

Just because someone pays £30 (after supplying the bearings), doesn’t mean yours will cost that…

sirromj – Member

It can be rather tricky* to get bearings out if you don’t realize that the pair of bearings are seated into two recesses rather than a single hole going all the way through

Hah. Yes. A helpful expert on STW told me that the seatstay bearings on a Hemlock knock straight through, so I disbelieved my own eyes which told me they were sat on a ridge in the middle. Almost hammered my own arm off with that.

Proper bearing pullers for the win. That is why sockets are not called bearing pullers neither is a hammer. There is ample opportunity for damage in there so pick up the right tools and keep them for all the other bearing jobs you have.
Or get the LBS to do the first one and ask to watch or find out if they are just simple push in/outs

either get the proper tools or pay your LBS to do it

I do my own. Usually not too tricky. One big plus is you can see what needs doing and only replace those. My old spesh used to get through bearings at the bb pivot but the rest never needed touching. Would’ve been expensive to keep replacing the lot every time there was a bit of play. Made my own tools using a mix of sockets, studding and some custom lathed parts

Definitely get some bearing pullers, used mine in anger for the first time yesterday and it made getting bottom bracket bearings out way easier (and less likely to cause damage) than a hammer

Bought the rapid racer bearing press, makes changing bearings a doddle. Buy the adapters as you need them.

On my Gary Fisher the bearing seat was designed to be loose and you had to loctite the bearings in. Can’t decide if this was good or not. It made it realy easy to tap them out and plop new ones in, but there was a risk that they woudn’t be square. That may have been the reason they only lasted about three months 👿 but it may also have been the fact they were tiny and underspecced.

Certainly made it an easy job though which was fortunate…

Dunno if this helps – http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id478.html

I got the RRP bearing press – it makes the job really quite pleasant on my Spitfire.

Another recommendation for the RRP. Maybe a bit pricey if your not a single pivot owner but worth it.

It’s in the Lbs. £40 plus the bearings.

Said only 8 need replacing, Theres 14.

Happy here.

Ta all though.

14? Flippin eck. Glad I own an Orange.