Long and painfull 6.6 short cut

yespsb said:

Here is a cautionary note to all new 6.6 owners regarding cable routing, today I started to assemble my new 6.6. I wanted to run the cables through the link as shown on the orange Intense 6.6 and also on Cowboys bike. As all the parts are new, I wanted to avoid spliting the rear brake hose from the body so the link has to come out

The suspension link comes out relatively easy, ditto the DHX shock, cables installed and my mind is racing ahead to a test ride however getting the link back in was a nightmare

I could get any three of the four link bolts in, it did not matter which three or which position, I swapped bolts and spacer washers but each time the last hole was about two mm out, I tried everything but all it did was start to damage the leading thread. After over two hours of rising frustration I enrolled a friend and with a lever through the hole in the link we forced it in position and got a few threads engaged and bit by bit each bolt was worked tight.

With the benefit of hindsight I should just have split the hose from the brake body and threaded it through, saving myself loads of pain and almost a returned frame.

It was impossible to work out what was causing the distortion but distorted it is and it makes refitting the DHX difficult too.

So take my advice, split the cable and save your self the pain of removing the link

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mtnbikerx said:

Hmmmm, I did the same action when setting up my large VPX but had absolutely no problem reinserting the bolt(s). You must have moved the rear triangle when messing with things. Was your rear wheel removed when you disassembled the link? The weight of the rear wheel assembly could apply a twisting moment to the rear triangle. Many times these close tolerance assemblies require a drift punch to get the alignment just right. Did you hear a clunk when removing the bolts? If the frame was assembled at the factory and everything torqued with a distorted / twisted frame alignment you would have felt a "clunk" when removing the bolts when the alignment snapped back to it's "twisted" shape.

Just an observation here, but I notice everyone who buys a bike, no matter how expensive, has absolutely no hesitation at ripping into the mechanics of disassembly. Then when something doesn't seem right upon re-assembly it must be a quality issue with the manufacturer. Listen fellas; "some" mechanical actions require a little experience with "how things work". Nuthin' personal, but I've got many hours with cresent wrenches, ratchets and hammers and some mechanical relationships are still a b!tch for me. I can only guess how these issues effect a guy with more QWERTY ability than mechanical aptitude.

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yespsb said:

Here is a cautionary note to all new 6.6 owners regarding cable routing, today I started to assemble my new 6.6. I wanted to run the cables through the link as shown on the orange Intense 6.6 and also on Cowboys bike. As all the parts are new, I wanted to avoid spliting the rear brake hose from the body so the link has to come out

The suspension link comes out relatively easy, ditto the DHX shock, cables installed and my mind is racing ahead to a test ride however getting the link back in was a nightmare

I could get any three of the four link bolts in, it did not matter which three or which position, I swapped bolts and spacer washers but each time the last hole was about two mm out, I tried everything but all it did was start to damage the leading thread. After over two hours of rising frustration I enrolled a friend and with a lever through the hole in the link we forced it in position and got a few threads engaged and bit by bit each bolt was worked tight.

With the benefit of hindsight I should just have split the hose from the brake body and threaded it through, saving myself loads of pain and almost a returned frame.

It was impossible to work out what was causing the distortion but distorted it is and it makes refitting the DHX difficult too.

So take my advice, split the cable and save your self the pain of removing the link

Click to expand...

yespsb said:

Guys just like Drumstix I have been hands on for more years than I care to mention. In the UK where I live, I hold a Chief Engineers qualification and I spent 15 years doing trouble shooting engineering all over the world for various oil companies before getting sick of the long hours, travel,harsh working conditions and missing my kids grow up .

Now I am not claiming the 15 years makes me a MTB wrench expert but neither I am some spotty kid chancing things.

The long and short of it is simple, on my large 6.6 frame there is a small amount of distortion and thats why I offered the advice on not removing the link. Yes it is disappointing on a brand new frame costing this much but its not the end of the world and the real test will be how it rides and how durable it is and I do not expected to be disapppointed on this score.

Hopefully I will be joining the CCDB club in the weeks ahead and I'm really looking forward to getting some 6.6 miles under my belt

Click to expand...

yespsb said:

Here is a cautionary note to all new 6.6 owners regarding cable routing, today I started to assemble my new 6.6. I wanted to run the cables through the link as shown on the orange Intense 6.6 and also on Cowboys bike. As all the parts are new, I wanted to avoid spliting the rear brake hose from the body so the link has to come out

The suspension link comes out relatively easy, ditto the DHX shock, cables installed and my mind is racing ahead to a test ride however getting the link back in was a nightmare

I could get any three of the four link bolts in, it did not matter which three or which position, I swapped bolts and spacer washers but each time the last hole was about two mm out, I tried everything but all it did was start to damage the leading thread. After over two hours of rising frustration I enrolled a friend and with a lever through the hole in the link we forced it in position and got a few threads engaged and bit by bit each bolt was worked tight.

With the benefit of hindsight I should just have split the hose from the brake body and threaded it through, saving myself loads of pain and almost a returned frame.

It was impossible to work out what was causing the distortion but distorted it is and it makes refitting the DHX difficult too.

So take my advice, split the cable and save your self the pain of removing the link

Click to expand...

nilsm said:

My friend had the same exact problem. This is a very valid warning!!! Luckily at the last minute I had the bike shop assemble my 6.6 otherwise I would have killed myself after running into this problem. I would have always felt the bike was flawed even after getting the bolts back in.

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