[bmateo]

I read through the messages on the board right now and did not see this covered, but I know it has been gone over in the past.

Anyway, looks like my bushings are starting to squeak. Not the ones at the top and bottom of the shock, which wear out on a regular basis, but at all the pivots on the frame itself.

1: Is it worth my while to try to disassemble, clean and lube (?) them?
B. Should they be lubed at all?
3. Are they easy to replace, or do they require any kind of special press like the reducers do?


Also, I've had the bike for about 15+ months. It has moderate miles on it, probably not more than 1500 (it is one of three bikes), and I try not to ride much in wet conditions. Does this sound like a reasonable life for them, or is it premature?

In short: Any advice on changing, maintaining, prolonging the life of, or finding a good value on these bushings is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Matt

 

[kneecap]

Easy service.
They are sealed ball bearings. Dissasemble where necessary to acess bearings & gently pry off bearing seals with a small pick/knife blade. If they feel gritty when rotated you can clean them out w/wd-40. I sprayed mine out with auto parts brake cleaner.
Next step, force new grease in w/ thumb, replace seals & reassemble bike. You'll be amazed how much smoother the linkage goes through it's travel!
I suppose if the bearings are still notchy after lubing they should be replaced. I was suprised to find that the horst link bearings on my enduro were in the worst shape of all, a couple were locked up completely, & after only about 6 months of moderate use in So. Cal. Makes me think specialized skimps on grease.

 

[bmateo]

Thanks, probably a dumb question (I'm bearing illiturate) but do I get the new seals from my LBS, or is there another "non-bike-industry" priced place to get them?

Again, thanks for your reply, it tells me everything I need to know (except where to get the seals).

[edit] or do you mean to replace the seals that I just took off, in other words I don't need to get new anything and just need to clean my stuff up, repack it and reassemble...

Duh! [/edit]

 

[upstateSC-rider]

Lots of good info here.
I took the seals off (carefully), cleaned the bearings, lubed them, and put the seals back on. Big difference in suspension feel.

Lou.

 

[mward]

Everyone is 100% right. Take the seals off and lube em. I use an exacto blade to pry them off from the inside edge. I've never damaged one. I use phil's waterproof grease to relube them. I do this during the season as well if I ride in especially mucky conditions and so far haven't had a bit of trouble.

 

[Berkeley Mike]

Thanks for digging!

Lots of good info here.
I took the seals off (carefully), cleaned the bearings, lubed them, and put the seals back on. Big difference in suspension feel.

Lou.

I downloaded that pdf for my records, even though I have a SJ.

 

[carnetorta]

Everyone is 100% right. Take the seals off and lube em. I use an exacto blade to pry them off from the inside edge. I've never damaged one. I use phil's waterproof grease to relube them. I do this during the season as well if I ride in especially mucky conditions and so far haven't had a bit of trouble.

If I'm following correctly, you take off the pivot bolt, then you see the bearing, the round thing with the rubber piece in the middle, is that the seal that you are talking about? How do you get that off??

 

[mward]

Just slip an exacto knife in the inside edge and pry, it'll pop right off.

 

[carnetorta]

oh..

Just slip an exacto knife in the inside edge and pry, it'll pop right off.

Okay, just for clarification, so you pry off the rubber seal off of the bearing itself? Thanks!

 

[tcp]

specialized bearings

Okay, just for clarification, so you pry off the rubber seal off of the bearing itself? Thanks!

yup, just carefully pry the rubber up and look inside. Here is a great source for replacements:

http://www.bearingpal.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

The 02-04 enduro uses the following bearings(from the enduro manual):

-2 BB Pivot Bearing 6902 RS Series Bearing - 28mm O.D. x 15mm I.D. x 7mm Width

-4 Dropout Pivot Bearing 688 Series Bearing - 16mm O.D. x 8mm I.D. x 5mm Width

-2 Shock Link @ Frame Pivot Bearing 6800-2RS Series Bearing - 19mm O.D. x 10mm I.D. x 5mm Width

-2 Shock Link @ Seatstay Pivot Bearing 6800-2RS Series Bearing - 19mm O.D. x 10mm I.D. x 5mm Width

 

[Klurejr]

I hate to resurect an old thread, but I am sure this is preferred to starting a new one.

I have a 2002 Enduro Pro.
I did a deep water crossing a few months back and my rear linkage started screaming at me a few rides later, I assumed because of the water. I took apart the rear linkage and put in some grease in all the spots, but I never saw any bearings that I could pry apart to lube up the insides. Did I miss something?

Since then I am getting an awful squeaking noise that sounds like the frame is rubbing weird, and it seems to be coming from where the top of the rear shock mounts. I have taken that apart and lubed it 3 times but the noise keeps coming back. Suggestions?

 

[Guest]

You missed the bearings you pull apart and grease.

 

[Klurejr]

You missed the bearings you pull apart and grease.

I guess so, gonna have to go back and take it all apart again.

 

[tinkotasso]

I'm just starting a pivot bearing replacement project on my '04 SJ Expert. My original bearings have held up well riding/racing in dry Colorado climate but now starting to stick. I've purchased a bearing kit from http://enduroforkseals.com/ for US$40.00.

The best info can be found on one thread which describes two different processes to remove all bearings [http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?p=993666]. One method involves taking apart then re-assembling a bearing to remove it and the other method utilizes concrete anchor bolts to remove bearings.

I'll follow the concrete bolt method as it seems simple & easy and will post pics of the process.