Pinkbike Poll: How Often Do You Maintain Your Full Suspension Frame?

Jan 13, 2017
by Parker Squires  
As I pedal up a steep section of trail, my bike begins to creak and groan with each movement of the rear suspension. Every rotation up the trail echoes through the carbon frame, letting me know that I should have taken a few minutes to pump grease into those pesky lower bearings. Maybe some chain lube will stop that gruesome noise? I swear to myself that I’ll fix those pivots before the next ride, and try to pedal in peace for the next few minutes.

Modern suspension designs can take a beating, but whether your bike runs bushings or cartridge bearings you’ll surely know when the rear pivots need attention. Brands like Intense and Santa Cruz make it easier to service your lower VPP linkages with grease fittings, while many other frame designs require you to pull your pivot bolts and remove linkages. Doing so is easy with a proper set of hex keys and a torque wrench. However, you will need a bearing or bushing remover and a press set for a full overhaul. Manufacturers don’t generally give you service intervals for when to overhaul these pivots, but as a rule of thumb, inspect and adjust accordingly after every few months of riding. Riding in harsh environments will require more frequent service.

Pivot maintenance
Weeks of desert sand, mud from high in the mountains, dusty rides close to town, or even some overzealous bike washing can make your pivots creak and grind.

New bushings, bearings, and bolts don’t come cheap - typically $100 before paying a shop for labor, which makes a compelling case for regularly performing preventative maintenance. Often you can simply clean off and re-grease bushings and bearings a few times before you need a replacement set. Cleaning off the bolts and applying a fresh coat of blue Loctite to the threads will also help keep them from loosening. Full suspension frames have improved greatly in the past few years, and while it can be a hassle to pull pivots apart, occasional maintenance will keep your frame riding trouble-free throughout the riding season. Let us know what you think below.



How often do you maintain your frame's pivots?





Author Info:
parquito avatar

Member since Jun 25, 2013
1 articles

191 Comments
  • 134 1
 I like to use the off season to do that kind of work
  • 47 3
 Yeah... Try that over here Rolleyes
  • 2 1
 Agreed, just did mine this past month.
  • 3 1
 In the middle of doing it now...such a pain in the ass.
  • 81 2
 What's off season?
  • 39 1
 @kanasasa: I guess it depends on your lifestyle. For me, mtb off season is when the local conditions make snowboarding more fun than biking. There is ways to ride bikes all year long here on the east coast but, I like variety.
  • 16 0
 @t1000: I agree to that. But with the wacky weather we have here in Colorado lately. I rode fresh pow this morning and managed to get in a quick ride this afternoon. Good Day of riding
  • 38 2
 Best part is after you done all pivots including your neighbors' . You hop on your bike and it still creaks.
  • 7 3
 What's an off season?
  • 24 0
 @Kamba6: when the rain gets a bit colder
  • 7 1
 There is no off season in the dirty south.
  • 4 28
flag Husker2112 (Jan 13, 2017 at 19:55) (Below Threshold)
 Lame first comment
  • 6 0
 @Scotj009: Always off season in the UK Razz
  • 9 0
 Yup! "Once a year" or "once a season" should have been a poll option.
  • 1 0
 I service my shock once every 6 months [no off season here]. At the same time I check the pivots as soon as they feel less than prime I service them. Typically I've been getting 3 seasons of dry weather before replacing anything and 2 seasons of sloppy winter riding.
  • 1 0
 @Bikethrasher: You are living the dream man.
  • 118 0
 As usual the ridiculous pinkbike polls don't provide the most common answer: once a year, at the end of winter.
  • 7 0
 Exactly.
  • 60 0
 Or "Never"
  • 53 0
 And the "I live in a big city, my bike get stolen before it's time for service."
  • 6 2
 @Loche: That's just Vangcover.
  • 1 0
 @unrooted: I'm with you
  • 8 0
 Or "I sell my bike and get a new bike every year, so I don't mess with that shit"
  • 14 0
 I thought the most common answer would be "Those need service? "
  • 77 2
 I change them after every 250ft of vertical. Its heavy to bring all those extra bearings but its worth it because my times are .0000000069 seconds faster after I do.
  • 30 1
 you are crazy fast at changing bearings then
  • 12 4
 @adrennan: Or he has an orange Wink

But then again, if you had an orange, the chances of needing to replace the bearings are slim!
  • 7 0
 @adrennan: think of Nascar pit crew
  • 8 1
 @Scotj009: But then he'd be 3sec slower, there's only one person that made an orange go fast and he got out when the world moved on Wink
  • 31 1
 I check all bolts fairly regularly. maybe once a month I'll pull the rear shock and rear wheel and cycle the suspension. Feeling for roughness or stickiness. I will follow that up with further inspection if I notice anything. Then grease regardless of what I find. I can usually get at least a full year out of lower linkage bearings. upper linkage bearing tend to go years with little trouble. P.S. my bikes run silent. I cant stand creaks, clunks or even chain slap. cable housing slap has even driven me crazy My OCD doesn't allow for it.
  • 9 0
 Internal cable rattle....AAAAGH! Hate it.
  • 4 1
 I have an Intense with grease ports and pump some fresh grease in about once every couple of weeks on average. So easy and painless. Now it's my buddy's creaking that drives me crazy. I may start limiting access to our rides to guys that can't get it sorted. Truth be told, I've had lots of creaky bikes in the past and feel the pain of anyone else who has to deal with it. A friend has a Rocky Element that is brutal. But he's changed up the bearings, bushings and greased it with limited success. To be fair to Rocky, I've had a few of their bikes without major issues. Just a bad apple I guess.
  • 6 0
 @cthorpe , I feel your OCD pain brother. Can't stand ANY undue noise. Ha!
  • 71 0
 I hear wheezing on long uphills on all my bikes.
  • 2 0
 @Dally666: I thought that was a problem only I suffered with! Maybe I'm not alone after all.
  • 3 0
 suggestions for stopping the maddening internal cable "tings"? My enduro and cx bikes are aluminum with internal cables and it seems impossible to stop them from slopping around inside the frame...
  • 3 1
 @plyawn: Cant you get some soft coating..perhaps a thin silicone tube..or even manually coat the cables in wet silicone and let dry so you get an ultra thin coating before you thread them through?

I've never had any experience with em but I get the general idea.
  • 11 0
 @plyawn: If you sell your CX bike you'll only have half the noise...
  • 5 0
 @plyawn: tighten a few zip ties around the housing and leave them untrimmed and tuck them into the frame while feeding your housing through. The "tail" of the zip tie will help press the housing to one side of the frame.
  • 2 0
 @Dally666: followed sometimes by the sound of vomit in my case
  • 2 0
 @Dally666: I hear that too, and a loud "lub-dub lub-dub".
  • 3 1
 Ride alone and plug into some Metal. I don't even hear my own noise.
  • 1 0
 @plyawn: There is a thing called Fuel Cell Foam. It is normally used for the inside of fuel tanks, to slow the moment of the liquid. It feels more like plastic mesh than foam.
It does not absorb water and stops the internal cables from bouncing around inside of the frame.
  • 10 0
 Replaced all beraings on my old Bottlerocket just once cause I was repainting it, cost me just 30$ an some elbow grease. Well made and robust frame. Checking bushings and bearing on Scott Genius once a month cause you better do it unless you want to buy some expensive carbon parts that will wear cause of siezed tiny bearing or bushing. Very light but fragile frame. It all depends...
  • 1 0
 I currently ride a Banshee prime, I've never even thought to check the bearings, they certainly don't squeak or have any play in them now. Not sure what bike I'll get next, but that should be a good consideration.
  • 9 0
 So glad this came up. Can people on here post some links to bearing pullers/presses that are good and not too rediculous in price? I have SC Bronson and Devinci Wilson and would like to be able to replace them but don't want to damage frame. Please post links or maybe how you do it.
  • 12 1
 You can use a combination of a socket set, threaded bolt, washers, nut, old bearings, etc. It's quite easy to make a ghetto bearing press, it just depends on your frame.
  • 2 0
 can't speak to bearing pullers, i just use sockets to hammer the bearings out (you have to be extra careful not to mar your frame), but the wheelmfg drifts (plus a press, which you can buy or make from a threaded rod) make installing the new bearings really really easy
  • 6 0
 I can't speak for the Devinci, but on the Santa Cruz Bronson all the bearings are contained in the links (upper and lower) so damage won't occur to the frame at the hands of seized cups or heavy-handed mechanics.

There's a lot of good videos and advice on-line as to how to do this. The Santa Cruz bearing tool is simple, relatively cheap ($42US) and absolutely gorgeous. shop.santacruzbicycles.com/bearing-removal-tool-7900.html

Oh, and Santa Cruz offer lifetime bearing replacement www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/warranties. Fill out the online form and off you go!
  • 2 0
 @xeren: harbor freight has a cheap (70 bucks) bearing puller perfect for yankin em out real quick like. saves you so much time and hassle.
  • 2 0
 @KhyberRye: woah, wait, is this SC bearing tool for any size ID bearing? looks like it expands to different diameters, or am i looking at it wrong?
  • 2 0
 @xeren: It only fits one size of bearing. The head of the tool can be turned around to extract the bearing race if it were to get stuck in the link.
  • 1 0
 I just replaced my Stumpy Evo seat stay and frame bearings today and managed to remove all of them with a hammer and screwdriver!! If you grease them up well when you fit them they should pop out fairly easy, and I did them last about a year ago. The collett type bearing removal tool I have just doesn't work. (I did the linkage bearings about a month ago which requires juggling various sockets in the vice, but easy enough). I press them back in with sockets and a vice and also a home made threaded press for the frame bearings. Good to go for another year, total cost £21.
  • 1 0
 @fumetsu: ah, dang. looks like the wheels mfg extractors will be what i buy next time. should be under $50 for all 3 sizes that i need. avoiding marring the other side of the linkage from all the hammering is my biggest issue, though
  • 2 0
 wheelsmfg.com/economy-bearing-press.html

You need to buy the adapters according to bearings size.
  • 2 0
 @dglass: agreed. With a bench vise, socket set, hammer and some judicious thought (ie think it through before you attack) - you can often get bearings out of linkages without a special tool.
  • 1 1
 @jaydubmah: For sure man. I forgot to add the bench vice part! Ghetto bearing swaps were easy on my coverts and then harder on my banshee spitfire. We'll see about the process 111.
  • 3 0
 Ghetto bearing swaps done right feels great. But once you start using a real bearing press you'll never want to go ghetto again.
  • 1 0
 @KhyberRye: Thanks I am ordering that puller right now it looks awesome. I have that bag of bearings in the picture on my bench right now. Of course free from Santa Cruz.
  • 8 0
 Usually about twice per year for myself. Once in the off season and then again in July or August.

That first picture is a great example of what not to do, though. Clean the bike before taking the linkages and anything else apart. All that dirt and exposed grease is just asking for an incident. Big Grin
  • 7 0
 My Giant has sealed bearings that have handled six summers of hard riding. The fact is that if you pry the seals out to put fresh grease in the seal will be damaged. Now water enters and grease exits. Also putting grease on the outside of the bearings will only attract dirt Which will cause noise an wear to the linkages.
  • 5 0
 True story. It's hard to find a bike without sealed bearings now and rubbing grease on a sealed bearing is about as good as putting it on your frame.
  • 12 2
 I ain't no peasant like the rest of you guys. The moment I hear a creak or a squeak, I buy myself a new bike.
  • 3 0
 How is this not the top comment?
  • 8 0
 Regularly check bearings and pivots. All my bolts are marked with paint pens to easily see if they started to loosen. Re-torque as needed when they visually slip from the position indicators.
  • 5 0
 Wisdom right there
  • 2 0
 This is a very smart idea
  • 1 0
 @PhotoCal: Or obsessive compulsive as my Doctor says.
  • 10 4
 I am an idiot so I service the axles once a year and replace bearings only if I feel they are not rotating smoothly. A good check for me is to remove the shock and move the swingarm up and down. I wish I was so noble to do a perfect service exactly when it should be done.
  • 2 0
 On my giant I find it pretty easy to disassemble the links, pry off the outside seal with a sharp knife or o-ring pick and fill the roller bearings with grease (via a cheap plunger from wally mart or wherever you can find one) . Also gives a chance to just give the bearings a spin as I think they mostly rock back and forth only a few degrees in one position. Takes an afternoon at most.
  • 7 0
 I take my bike completely apart for a full deep cleaning/inspection every winter, but with sealed linkage bearings I can only replace them when they have a problem.
  • 4 1
 you mean you can't be bothered until they are noticably worn Wink
  • 9 0
 I think a lot of people could benefit from a how to guide.
  • 3 0
 There is so much of there and I've not a clue what to get. Blind bearing pullers, slide hammers, socket sets, etc to remove for example. I couldn't tell you which is 'best' or when each is appropriate. A guide would be really helpful to me too...
  • 1 0
 @slimboyjim: Honestly I did my old Enduro bearings a few years ago, and the chainstays bearings needed a blind bearing puller. I won't do it myself again, not because I can't, but because I don't have the time to have my bike out of action for a weekend because I travel during the week for work. Those chainstay bearings were a PIA to get out.
On my new Enduro I had a driveside BB end bearing on the chainstay replaced. I'd been chasing a creak for a month. Only under load, shock out, rear end felt smooth, bearings felt smooth spinning with my finger...
  • 6 0
 Never checked them. My bearings have a lifetime warranty and they still feel amazing, the bike is 4 years old this year. All season use BTW
  • 16 1
 how do u know they are amazing if u neever have checked them?
  • 1 0
 I've never checked mine either, 2.5 years of use in mostly dry-dusty conditions. I need to send my shock in for service so I guess that'll be a good time...
  • 3 3
 @MmmBones: "FEEL amazing".

Do TRY to keep up...
  • 7 1
 @KeithReeterd: If u can feel them without checking that's some jedi master shit
  • 4 0
 Ever wonder why your rear shock feels less sensitive? Check those pivot bearings!

Definitely depends on the frame design though, seen some interesting bearing locations come through the workshop... a question to any Scott Genius owners: how long does the lower pivot bearing last? (The one by the chainring)
  • 3 0
 I ride a GT Sanction....... so it's every couple of months for bushes and bearings.... Total pain in the arse.. Bike was obviously designed and tested in a place where they don't have mud or dust
  • 1 0
 Haha I had gt dhi and that thing needed a strip and rebuild every few weeks. Loved it though but was the worst design EVER then it cracked and they wouldn't warranty. Never touched or will ever touch a gt again.
  • 6 1
 For better or for worse, we don't get much rain in socal...bearing seem to last forever, even with consistent riding.
  • 6 0
 until recently with all the crazy rain
  • 4 0
 Haven't been on my bike in a over a month cause of the rain. Im tempted to just go out even if it means messing up the trail just a bit. Im in the LA area.
  • 2 1
 @NormanPerez: The rest of them are out there making ruts right now! What are you waiting for? Ride through the puddles, though, not around them - better for trail.
  • 5 0
 @NormanPerez:

There are trails in LA area that drain very well, some others not so much.

Depends on the soil composition. The Santa Monicas and any other areas that are clay based soil expand during the rains and gunks up your tires...it messes up the trails and definitely not any fun to ride in - best to stay of them until they dry out.

The trails that are granite based drain very well and can be ridden right after the rain, but its best to wait at least 48 hours...and please...dont ride through the mud and leave a nasty tire rut in the trail for months thereafter - that aint cool.
  • 5 0
 @NormanPerez: just get a solid fire road day in. harder to mess up the road, nice views etc. you can go back to shredding the singletrack in like 3 days. do it for your future self, who will have to ride the rutted singletrack that you created if you ride muddy areas too early
  • 3 0
 Yup. If it does rain...I just won't ride and give it a day or two before heading back out. The trails around me dry out fairly fast. If it's a mild rain...I can head out the next day.
  • 4 0
 Anyone who rides our local socal trails immediately after or during rain can go eat a dick....
  • 3 0
 @nvranka: spare the trails but destroy the fire roads.
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: not really a fire road guy myself, just can't do it. When it rains I play guitar...

If I lived somewhere it rained a lot I guess I'd have to make do, but missing ridding in SoCal due to rain is so rare I don't even give it a moments thought. Can't complain much as I usually ride 4-5times a week lol
  • 1 0
 Being a moto guy as well. Love railing ruts. But Im holding off riding for another few days to let the trails do their thing. I always do. Just not this long
  • 3 0
 I cycle my Pitch frame every so often to make sure that the bearings are only very rough, rather than incredibly rough. Then I look at my Scalp frame in it's box and cry because I haven't ridden it in six months.
  • 1 0
 ugh my pitch frame was pure hell to replace the bearings on. took me 4 days to overhaul the whole bike because of it and im a mechanic.
  • 2 0
 @mustbike: The worst bike to work on. 14+ rear swing arm bearings, all encrusted.
  • 6 1
 Santa Cruz offers free bearings for original owners!!!
info.santacruzbicycles.com/bearing-warranty
  • 6 0
 Yep gotta give them credit for that program
  • 1 0
 That's why I bought a Santa Cruz, angular contact bearings mean they should last forever if you look after them or ride a hardtail, which I do mainly.
  • 3 0
 some of the guys I have seen locally typically don,t own a bike long enough to warrant any service work , 3 to 6 mths and they are rotating them out looking for the next greatest thing for that moment
  • 1 0
 I just swapped all my rocky mountain element bushing, bought the bike used and did not feel right and the rear sounded like skeletons humping so it turned winter project. $112 for a bunch of plastic seemed rediculous but made all the difference, i spent a few hours replacing everything after painting the bike and now its flawless. rocky said check them every 100km so i guess ill find out this spring how long they will last as ive never had a bushing bike before and im not easy on my bikes.
  • 1 0
 I'm shocked by the voting lol, Why wait until they make noise ?? By then they are f**ked basically , some places in the world ok but in the uk you have no chance of going through any season with out it 1 ride and your Bb sounds like a pepper grinder !
  • 7 0
 Cause we're lazy...
  • 1 0
 Forums put me off ???? running a banshee rune which has bushings and grease ports. But lots of talk about taking the whole thing apart. Its a messy headache and expense I can do without thinking about.
  • 1 0
 @Enzyme: well that's no excuse as I have the banshee darkside haha .. There's 8 bearings the there it's really not that bad and we have one of the easiest linkages it just slot back together, gt fury , mondraker summun are a lot harder
  • 1 0
 @Enzyme: oh and with expense don't buy the kit from banshee you only have 2 different bearings sizes in there 6 x one size and 2 in the other size
  • 1 0
 @Ghp-Bmx: I have a Banshee Prime, same deal???
  • 3 0
 @unrooted: yeah exactly the same for everyone of the banshee frames except the banshee amp for obvious reasons 2 x 6002 2rs bearings for main pivot then 6 x 6001 2rs bearings for all the linkages that will cover your whole bike, then obviously your bb im guessing your running a hollotech bb which arent too expensive pick up a shimano saint here for £20 and then headset bearings and then youve sorted your whole bike basically, im just had mine done and in the middle of a whole new banshee build for 2017
  • 1 0
 Empire cycles MX6 single pivot needle roller bearings with proper seals went to service after a wet years riding here in Ireland and the grease is like new couldn't believe it myself I get out 2 to 3 times a week and was the bike down every time cose I have to put it in my car great design ????
  • 1 0
 I used to ride an old Marin attack trail 2004, it had its bearings done once, before I owned the bike, it won't ever need doing again.... Now though I ride a lapierre spicy it has fancy looking pivot points and I now live in the boggy part of north wales, high in the mountains and I've got to say I'm shatting it for when they inevitably start creaking. I won't have the right kit no doubt and it will end up going to the bike shop, something I'm loathed to do.
  • 1 0
 One thing I'm not happy about with my Santa Cruz Tallboy 2 is the suspension pivot design. With the help of an engineer, I finally accepted the fact that if I don't feel the slightest movement in every pivot, there will be friction that I can actually feel. Sucks. Oh, and I pull the lower linkage and grease it three times a season. I can feel that too!
  • 1 0
 Friend of mine has a Tallboy and is on his third set of bearings in 3 years. Looking at how much his back wheel was wagging around last time I rode with him, they are either worn out again or loose. He's very happy to have the lifetime warranty on them.
On the other hand, I'm happy I've never had to find out what Giant's warranty on suspension bearings is, as I have never had a problem with them, either on my current 3 year old Trance, or the Reign I had for 7 years before that (*the Reign did eat a DU bushing every year)
  • 1 0
 Giant has an excellent bearing press and extractor kit that works on pretty much any suspension frame. It's not cheap and you usually have to order it from a giant dealer but if you look hard enough online you can find one for a discount.
  • 1 0
 I was putting it off on my now 2 year old cdale jekyll. Both lower swingarm pivot bearings and some of the shock link bearings were pretty bad. Now i can get a better pop off lips and it feels amazing again and worth the trouble of taking apart and checking
  • 2 0
 I'm loving the SC solution right here. Just applying the grease gun to the lower VPP linkage every two months. Just remove the rear wheel. Press some charges of grease into the Unit and it's done.
  • 1 0
 Depending on how hard and much I ride I normally do a mid and post season check and replace. Every other ride I check over linkage pivot bolts along with all other connecting parts. Don't know why most people wait until something makes noise to make concern to check parts...
  • 1 0
 I have 3 SCruz bikes with VPP( a first generation Nomad 3rd generation Nomad and a Blur LTII) and grease fittings in the bottom link. I think they have grease ports because VPP is hard on pivot points. I ride in the wet of BC. I took a Blur LTII to Sedona a couple of winters ago and with in a week of desert sand riding, the bike was so loud it exceeded work place decibel levels. It sounded like an out of tune banjo. It was a learning experience between my self and Dave at Fat Tire. We did get fixed.
On the same bike this year I replaced the 4 bearings in the bottom link last month for around $4 per bearing. I did the work myself. I also have a Carbon Pivot Mach 5.7 with a DW link. That has been ridden 175 days a year for 4 years on Feb 15th and the bearings are still fine. All my VPP bike pivot bearings last about 2 years. I have a single pivot SC 2003 Heckler and have only needed to replace the pivot bearings once.
SC has been very good to me but I will say I never got any benefit from there grease gun and grease nipples. They just never worked on the 4 SC VPP bikes I have owned.
I ride on average 200 days a year.
  • 1 0
 I thought I already solved this problem with eight $1 bearings and zero cost in labor. I need to finally make one of these frames or at least modify a linkage plate or two to accept this system.

www.pinkbike.com/news/Reality-Redesigned-The-GAUNTLET-Ep9-M-Slacker.html
  • 3 0
 Orange 5,beast of a bike. Simple to maintain. Perfect for uk weather and riding. One pivot 2 bearings. The bike has blown me away how capable it is.
  • 2 1
 Basically the exact same arrangement I was riding in 1998 on my Marin East Peak...
  • 2 0
 @KeithReeder: na the Marin's were bushing not sealed bearing. Or at least it was on my old b17. TBH bushing is better in terms of application. A cartridge bearing is designed to spin round constantantly like in a wheel. So the small movement it has on a rear end is no way ideal. Even worse on a multi pivot bike where each part of the rear only moves a small distance. So all these people saying they've had the same bearings in for 7 years have no idea of how to maintain a bike and also notice the degradation of their suspension action. But it's their bike so,whatever!
  • 1 0
 My E29 went into its third season before it needed a bearing swap. An expensive but totally justifiable expense on an aging bike that served me really well. I check my tire pressure every ride, and I make sure to stick a key in all my suspension bits every couple of rides - it doesn't cost anything, takes nearly no time and could save a huge headache. Why wouldn't you?
  • 1 0
 I give a side to side test and take out my shock and cycle it once a month. If I have a big month i.e. riding every weekend I wil do a more intensive overhaul every month and check twice that month. And replace pivots and bearings every year. Smile I'm kinda anal with it.
  • 1 0
 Since we're in the middle of a rain-pocalypse here in northern California, so most trails too mucky to ride, decided it was time to tear down my 3-year-old Mach 6. Shock needed service anyway, but wanted to check the suspension pivots. Was betting the pivot bearings were OK (I aired down the shock and cycled the suspension a few months ago, and things seemed smooth enough). I was in for a surprise - most of the pivot bearings were at least notchy if not all-out seized. Guess I'll need to check this more often (and, yeah, be a little more careful with the hose). Looking forward to a silky-smooth ride!
  • 1 0
 My Cube stereo will go to the Lbs for bearing changes, I don't have the time or inclination to do it myself and I don't have the tools. I did my old Kona dawg myself and it went well surprisingly ! My technique is to ride a hardtail through the winter months.
  • 1 0
 I'm lazy at this because it's a horrible job, especially if you don't have good workshop space to work in. I got 18 months out of the pivot bearings in my stumpjumper, which doesn't seem like a lot, but compared to my continuous destruction of PF30 bottom brackets it's pretty good. I'd prefer if more manufacturers offered pivot bearing warranty. My missus trek lush came with one and surprise surprise it has had no problems. If Trek still offer that it would be a big incentive for me the next time I buy a bike. If you're selling bikes in the UK you'd better make sure that people can ride them in the UK without pulling them apart every 3 rides
  • 1 0
 I actually look at the bearings sizes installed on bikes before I buy. The Specialized Pitch was good but doubled up tiny bearings just don't cut it for long lasting service intervals.
I check them regularly as I lube up or replace the seals on my Air Shock.
I fit high quality bearings, use the right grease and a torque wrench and they last 18 months (I only weight 70KGs). I find if you over maintain them it doesn't help. Also I try to replace bearings before they start moving sideways, if the frame developed play after 14 months I'd replace them next time after 12 months for example. Buying a bearing removal/Fitting kit was a good decision as all my mates can borrow it as well.
  • 1 0
 Overall, customers are terrible at maintaining their suspension. I've seen bikes a couple weeks shy of being one year old and every pivot point was blown.. No history of service, covered in filth. Even when the customer gets a year of minor tune-ups, they don't do it. 'But it's a mountain bike, they get dirty!' FUCKING CLEAN THEM. People only bring their bikes in when something goes wrong, very seldom for preventative maintenance.
  • 1 0
 Ride all seasons in muddy England. Have never had issues with rattles/creaks/stiction... must be lucky as I know people with the same frames who have had bearings wear quickly!
  • 1 0
 My 4 year old Nicolai is still on its original bearings and bushes. I check them every now and again but they just don't seem to be wearing out....got to love a well made frame.
  • 1 0
 7 years on current bearings, still no play, replace du bushes every 4 years when needed. Do not pressure wash or hose your bike and bearings will last. the rubber seals are not waterproof but just dust seals.
  • 1 0
 I use to care about parts, but the frame has 3 years and about 7 000 km, and nothing goes bad with, even balls bearing, this canfield "the one" is realy good to ride everywhere. Smile
  • 1 1
 You always want your bike to be in optimal condition, so it performs as intended, you paid for it, they ain't cheap..maintenance is crucial, not give overlooked rookie stuff
  • 2 0
 Yeti sb6 bearings.... you can't even talk to them In a raised voice and they get notchy.

New set every 6months Frown
  • 1 0
 If I had an FS, I would remove the rear triangle and clean out the dynamics of small particulate after muddy/dirty rides to keep the bushings and spacers from wearing.
  • 1 0
 Low, slack, 140mm steel hardtail with flat pedals here. A thing of beauty for so many reasons. Low maintenance being just one of them.
  • 1 0
 I wait until I smash the frame and then my warranty replacement comes with fresh bearings pre installed! Works perfect every time
  • 1 0
 Im a kid and i have the time so ill usually. I tear my bike down once a week especially when race season gets into full swing.
  • 2 3
 Am I the only person that hasn't needed to replace bearings on his bike? Bike is 4-5 years old and bearings don't creak, rear triangle moves smoothly. If you put your finger in the bearing you can tell it's notched, but it doesn't affect the ride at all.
  • 7 0
 Change them if they're notched! You WILL notice I promise!
  • 1 0
 I bet your full suspension is a hardtail now.
  • 2 0
 At the very least spin them a few times in full rotation, it usually helps loosen up stiff crusty old bearings.
  • 1 0
 Now I'm starting to wonder if I'm failing to maintain things properly.
  • 1 0
 @WaterBear: the trouble with cartridge bearings is the get notchy then eventually seize. Then the inner race in the bearing will rotate on the axle it self! This will then wear out the axle and mounting kit. So then you need new bearings and mounting hardware. Depends on the frame too,but multi pivots are far worse than single pivots as they rotate less per bearing. However that type of bearing isn't the best application for either but it's what we're stuck with. Hope this helps.
  • 2 1
 Every 6 months or so works for me. Replace chains and cassettes in January every year, so I can buy them during Christmas sales and have a fresh bike for the new year.
  • 1 0
 I change them once a season, recently i dismounted all bearings, since my frame gets new paint. All bearings were still perfectly spinning after 10 months of riding.
  • 2 0
 Anytime I think my bearings need service I find it is actually the damned PF BB
  • 1 0
 THIS^
  • 1 0
 I ride bike park 3-4 times a week during the summer months, Ive learned over the years that a regular monthly maintenance keeps things running smooth all season long.
  • 1 0
 I have a Mondraker...... In England....... So a bearing change at least twice a year for me. If I'm riding loads then even more.
  • 2 0
 My pivots started to squeak and creak over winter, so ill just try to ride em loose in the summer
  • 1 0
 the Christchurch adventure park just opened up 15mins ride from my house........ open 365 days, my bearings are gonna need some love alot more often now!
  • 1 0
 A giant glory has bearings on the upper side of the rear triangle that need to be pulled out in a certain order or else you destroy the frame. I found that out the hard way.
  • 1 0
 Santa Cruz or a hardtail for me, Santa Cruz uses proper angular contact bearings and when you do strip it down for a service the bearings are in the vpp rockers, easy.
  • 1 0
 My Turner Burner gets a wipe on a zerc, a squirt of motorex suspension grease, another wipe, a torque check and those links are golden. Bearing huh?
  • 1 0
 I just wait for my Nomad to start creaking, which happens every other ride or so, then grab the lube gun and take care of busines
  • 1 0
 It is one of the ways I get ready for the season, like decorating the tree for Christmas or taking a huge poo before Thanksgiving.
  • 1 1
 I only do it when I need too. The last time I had them done on the Spider they were so tight the shop damaged the paint getting them out.
  • 2 0
 Sorry, what's this is all about (Orange owner)?
  • 1 0
 What about the Answer: I allways sell my frames before seevice makes sense?
  • 1 0
 every 2 weeks i maintain the pivots...not that single pivots alot of works so thats why
  • 2 0
 i have a hard tail but i still look after it like my own child
  • 1 0
 I change bikes too fast to need to service bearings. Someone help me, it's so expensive.
  • 1 0
 04 Norco six ridden on the shore a couple times a month... wet or dry... Still tight as my wife! Great girl! (-;
  • 1 0
 Just because your bearings still feel ok they will be full of shit trust me and I mean under the seals
  • 2 0
 I maintain mine by selling it on pinkbike and buying a new one
  • 1 0
 Please whats the name of the box of bearing tools on the picture on home screen ??
thanks guys
  • 3 1
 there is no such a thing '' off season'' ;-)
  • 2 0
 hardtail in the rain FS in the dry
  • 2 0
 I don't wear them out apparently.
  • 2 1
 What's the bearing press kit in the pic used on the main page ?
(The only reason I opened this article/pointless poll)
  • 5 0
 www.pinkbike.com/news/unior-universal-bearing-press-set-review-2016.html
Pro-tip if you are using Chrome as your browser: (Right Click->Search Google for image)
For Firefox: (Open new tab->Google Images->Drag&Drop photo into Images tab) Wink
  • 2 0
 @KottonGin: Thanks dude!
  • 1 0
 Can anyone recommend good inexpensive collets? Local autoshops don't have them in bike sizes.
  • 2 0
 Two words... Well three. Single pivot suckers!
  • 1 0
 After 1 year I just pack grease inside the bearings and make them turning again. Than they last 3-5 years, than a new frame.
  • 1 0
 Ordered bearings online last night, though I am not installing then myself. I'll leave that to the bike shop.
  • 1 0
 I'm on an old school Cannondale prophet. Single pivot of course. Cheap and easy for bearings.
  • 2 0
 Thanks Pinkbike for putting in the hardtail option...
  • 3 1
 Pivots?
  • 2 1
 Had warranty frames las 2 years. No need to check when they break!
  • 2 0
 +1 for hardtails!
  • 1 0
 Well , if you buy a Giant you need to change bearings once every 4 years.
  • 1 0
 Wait till it breaks or seizes.
  • 1 0
 we need stronger bearings!!!! not flimsy bs that is used now
  • 1 0
 Change bearings......feel the sticktion on the shock......service shock Frown
  • 1 0
 Sell frame and buy new one every two seasons so I've never done it.
  • 1 0
 I also do this. Usually every year actually, but that doesn't mean your bike doesn't need maintenance. I am a pivot Nazi when the bike is new, alway checking for tightness. Once everything is settled in I calm down and wait for the first sign of noise - usually after a ride in the rain or washing by garden hose. Then I will tear down and regrease, back to being a pivot Nazi for 5 rides. This cycle continues for the life of the bike, bearings will last for many many years if properly maintained. If I notice a bad bearing in my overhauls I will typically replace it with its matching one from the other side. Certain bikes and suspension designs like to ruin specific bearings sometimes like vpp lower links. When I rode vpp bikes I would grease those every major service 1 week-1 month depending on how much I ride.







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