Full Sus Mtb Servicing

[JohnChilwell]

Hi everyone,

 

Was hoping you could all share some wisdom wrt service costs and intervals on a full-sus bike.

 

I just paid 700bob for a rear linkage service and new bearings - my bike is 10 months old -- Merida 120 and I've only done about 1200km on it - mix of XC and technical trail. My LBS told me that the bearings aren't serviceable and will have to be replaced yearly. This is apparently also true of my BB (shimano octalink).

 

Does that sound right? I thought they would both be serviceable?

 

I take good care of my bike - regular washing/ lubing, I keep as much water away from seals and bearings as possible, it's stored in a shed away from the elements etc etc. I am however 6"3 and 90kg, and ride through very wet JHB summers.

 

Anyway my questions are:

 

1.Should I be taking the bike in for a service every 6 months to avoid wear, replacing parts? Or should I just aim for a full service every year?

 

2. Is it true that some rear-linkage bearings and BBs are not serviceable?

 

3. How often should I bleed brakes and replace gear cables, is it a matter of feel - or is it safer to bleed brakes at regular intervals?

 

4. How often should I service my fork (air) and shock(air)?

[Mojoman]

I don't use water anywhere near my Trance, just a damp cloth to wipe down the frame when needed. When I remove the shock for its air canister service (every 2 months or so, FOX)) I run the rear triangle through its range of motion to feel if there are any issues. In the past I have removed linkage bolts, gently prised off the seal from the bearing and cleaned and repacked with fresh grease. I have read that its good practice to 'rotate' the bearing as well (range of motion doesn't ever rotate the bearing through 360 deg). You need to check your service manuals on the shock and fork for their service intervals. Keep them clean and looked after and they be happy! Rather catch problems early so you don't have expensive LBS experiences!

[TheV]

Just ask for the old bearings and BB back after service, and inspect them.

 

In that way you can see what you paid for and should notice if you are being ripped off?

 

In any case, 1200km sounds WAY too early to require bearings/BB change.

[rouxtjie]

Hi everyone,

 

Was hoping you could all share some wisdom wrt service costs and intervals on a full-sus bike.

 

I just paid 700bob for a rear linkage service and new bearings - my bike is 10 months old -- Merida 120 and I've only done about 1200km on it - mix of XC and technical trail. My LBS told me that the bearings aren't serviceable and will have to be replaced yearly. This is apparently also true of my BB (shimano octalink).

 

Does that sound right? I thought they would both be serviceable?

 

I take good care of my bike - regular washing/ lubing, I keep as much water away from seals and bearings as possible, it's stored in a shed away from the elements etc etc. I am however 6"3 and 90kg, and ride through very wet JHB summers.

 

Anyway my questions are:

 

1.Should I be taking the bike in for a service every 6 months to avoid wear, replacing parts? Or should I just aim for a full service every year?

 

2. Is it true that some rear-linkage bearings and BBs are not serviceable?

 

3. How often should I bleed brakes and replace gear cables, is it a matter of feel - or is it safer to bleed brakes at regular intervals?

 

4. How often should I service my fork (air) and shock(air)?

1.Service when the need arise aka when something needs replacement / service.

 

2.Well it depends what you regard as "servicable"...see the bearings themselves are cartridge type and your lbs is right, these are not servicable, they are use and chuck away unlike cup and cone designs. By replacing these bearings you are servicing the BB or linkages....hahahha. There is a thread in the tech section to service the bb by just replacing the bearings you can get from bmi. Do a search for it....this way you won't have to by the whole BB unit but rather just two bearings

 

3.Yep, go on feel...if they feel spongy bleed, if your shifters become harder to work with, new cabling

 

4.Depends on brand and model but generally 100 hours is a good interval schedule.

 

 

Right with the questions out of the way....the items you listed are very easy to do yourself and cheap as well...with the exception of the fork service. I would rather let a lbs do this for two reasons, its messy and you need to know what you are doing as to not damage your fork or void the warranty.

 

To replace cabing, bleed brakes, replace brake pads and service/replace BB's you dont need very specialist knowledge or tooling, a bit of google...a trip to BMI and a tool here and there and you can do it yourself, very quickly. You will save yourself lots of money, your bike will always run smooth and its therapeutic in a way.

 

Hope it helps

[droo]

Sounds reasonable. Suspension pivot bearings are high wear items, since they don't rotate through full cycles like wheel bearings. This means the grease doesn't circulate and they'll wear quicker.

 

Make sure, when you do get them replaced, that they are replaced with full complement bearings. These have no retainer between the balls, which allows for more balls per bearing and spreads the load better over the surfaces of the races. If your mechanic doesn't know what these are, find a new mechanic.

 

As for the BB, Octalink have very small bearings and are prone to failure. Not Shimano's finest moment. You'll be replacing these pretty regularly I'm afraid. If you can, upgrade to a Hollowtech 2 2 piece crankset - the bearings last a lot longer and can be replaced individually.

 

Fork and shock - as Rouxtjie said, 100 hours is the standard service interval for both. Stick to it to avoid some expensive surgery.

[porqui]

John if you can hold a screwdriver with confidence you can do most of the servicing yourself - you do not have to be a mechanical engineer. There is soooo much info online it's amazing and bar Fridays the help and info here is GREAT.

 

Cost benefits are substantial - bearings from a bearing supplier cost a fraction of LBS supplied etc.

BUT main benefit is YOU GET TO KNOW YOUR BIKE.

You also get to know what feels right.

My bike talks to me - when it is quiet it's happy but any sound can be a telltale to future problems.

 

Main gain is SATISFACTION.

[cadenceblur]

What is the recommended service interval on one's pivots etc? My bike is making some noises near the back and I suspect that the pivots need to be looked at?

Wanting to give it a bash myself though, just removal and reinsertion again. I know that not everything needs to be greased as a start...

I've had the bike for about 7 months.

[Runbikeswim]

^{a very well known local shop tried twice in a row tell me a new BB is needed on a new bike.... so no longer use them.}

^{When I told them ( both times ) this bike is new and its only its initial set the gears service the response was " oh let me check, oh sorry wrong bike"}

 

^{be very weary of a LBS no matter how good the rep is..}

[droo]

What is the recommended service interval on one's pivots etc? My bike is making some noises near the back and I suspect that the pivots need to be looked at?

Wanting to give it a bash myself though, just removal and reinsertion again. I know that not everything needs to be greased as a start...

I've had the bike for about 7 months.

 

How long is a piece of string?

 

Check them every service and replace when they're shot. Depending on how you treat your bike, mileage and what conditions you ride in they could last anywhere from 3 months to 5 years

 

Plenty of info online about how to replace bearings, but the main points are to keep them straight when inserting and removing, and when inserting make sure you're only pressing on the outer race so you don't damage the seals or the races.

[MaxUmis]

I'd rather eat a whole bowl a asparagus than pull or press pivot bearings.

That's probably the only job on a bike I'd rather make someone else's problem. Hate it hate it hate it.

[Honkdonk]

I had to take my bike in for an appointment with the Dr after I noticed some squeking sounds coming from the rear suspension. I had a look at it myself but then noticed that one of the pivot bolts had sheared off in the frame, so it had to go to a engineering firm for them to retap the remainder of what was left in the frame, extract it, replace it and the bearing.

800 odd ZAR's for all that, plus check all the others while they were at it.