[SplijinX]

Is there any regular maintenance that needs to be performed on the bearings/bushings in the rear pivots?

Just got back from a particularly nasty wet and muddy race course and was wondering if you guys had any tips keeping the bike in tip top shape. Also I’m running V-brakes at the moment and the rear brake and top of the seat stay clogs up like a champ…any suggestions on keeping the brakes from sticking aside from upgrading to disc or squirting it with a water bottle?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[- Jeremy -]

I think it depends on the model year and version (S-Works vs. Marathon, etc). I have an 04 S-Works with the carbon link and it's shaped a bit wider with a sharper edge that doesn't catch mud and debris. If you've got a model that has the metal, rounded edge link then you're probably going to clog with a lot of junk. You could spray some Pam on it or something, I guess.

In severe mud/pineneedles/leaves, I can clog up around the upper end of the shock. I also catch a bit of crap down on the BB suspension pivot. The only annoying thing about it is that it will rub the mud against my chainrings and wipe the grease off my chain. I think I'll try hosing the area down with Tri-Flow or WD-40 during my next muddy ride...

I use disc brakes, but I could imagine you'd really pack up when using V's. Running discs would probably solve most of your problems. Narrower tires wouldn't hurt, either.

- Jeremy -