removing swing arm bearings

formerlyknownasbonj

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone knows the best way of removing swing arm bearings from my MTB.
It is a four bar linkage, and the ones that need replacing are the little buggers that sit in the hole in the swing arm where it bolts onto the seat tube. They are the ones that are two concentric cylindrical rings of metal with rubber in between, a bit like the middle on in this picture:
http://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/images ... metric.gif

I read another post on here that said to punch them out with a punch, but I tried that and it just dented the rubber bit!

Also, may be trying to run before i can walk - but when i've got replacements, how do I get them in?

nicklouse

Oh i wonder what the bike is? My ESP is not working today!

cee

nicklouse wrote:

Oh i wonder what the bike is? My ESP is not working today!

nothing wrong with your funny bone though

formerlyknownasbonj

nicklouse wrote:

Oh i wonder what the bike is? My ESP is not working today!

oh sorry I didn't think it would make a difference to the method... but it's a Canyon Nerve ES 5.0.

Chaz.Harding

Ok, as with any interferance fit (tight fitting) bearings, you'll need to either press them out with a hyraulic press - recommended - or hit them out with a punch.

To hit them out, you need to rest the punch on the OUTSIDE ring of metal. The OUTSIDE!!! Got that? Otherwise, you'll just end up breaking the bearing, and have the balls / rollers go everywhere. As you hit it out, go around the bearing in 1/4's, so hit it once at 12 o'clock, once at 3 o'clock, once at 9 o'clock, etc etc, untill the bearing is out.

Fitment of the bearing is the opposite of this. Lubricate with copper grease / graphite grease, or anything you have to hand. Banana skins (seriously!!) work quite well if you rub the skins (after eating the banana) on the contact surfaces. Ideally, you want to press the bearing in with a hydraulic press. But if you don't have one, or get hold of one, you can hit the bearing itself this time, with a PLASTIC or RUBBER hammer ONLY, or wood if you have a lump to hand, but it has to have a uniform surface. Copper or brass drifts work well too, but I guess you won't have one.

The bearing should have a code (numbers and letters) moulded into the plastic / rubber section. This is the size you require, or search on-line for your bike's make and model bearing replacement kits.

Hope this helps!!

Good luck!

Chaz.Harding

Also, in place of a hydraulic press, you can use a vice if you have one!

But remeber, not too much force, and cover the jaws with some softer material - they may damage the bearing otherwise!

The Big Cheese

AS above, be careful, bearings although last for ages, are quite fragile if mistreated. If in doubt take to the LBS - I do now after an 'episode' where I damaged 3 out of 4! :oops:

Chaz.Harding

As cheesey said, bearings are Uber strong radially, but have almost zero strength in sideways (yup-brain-fart moment, sideways will do for now ) movement.

Also cheesey, 1 more post to 3000?

:twisted:

nicklouse

looks like the bearings on the canyon are pressed into the linkages and then bolted to the frame.

undoing the bolts should allow the linkage to be removed from the frame

check for lips on the bearing mounting holes as they will be a one way removal and i would be looking to use a Socket or some other drift to punch/press then out.

And no not all frames/bikes use the same fittings.

formerlyknownasbonj

bigchazrocks wrote:

Ok, as with any interferance fit (tight fitting) bearings, you'll need to either press them out with a hyraulic press - recommended - or hit them out with a punch.

To hit them out, you need to rest the punch on the OUTSIDE ring of metal. The OUTSIDE!!! Got that? Otherwise, you'll just end up breaking the bearing, and have the balls / rollers go everywhere. As you hit it out, go around the bearing in 1/4's, so hit it once at 12 o'clock, once at 3 o'clock, once at 9 o'clock, etc etc, untill the bearing is out.

Fitment of the bearing is the opposite of this. Lubricate with copper grease / graphite grease, or anything you have to hand. Banana skins (seriously!!) work quite well if you rub the skins (after eating the banana) on the contact surfaces. Ideally, you want to press the bearing in with a hydraulic press. But if you don't have one, or get hold of one, you can hit the bearing itself this time, with a PLASTIC or RUBBER hammer ONLY, or wood if you have a lump to hand, but it has to have a uniform surface. Copper or brass drifts work well too, but I guess you won't have one.

The bearing should have a code (numbers and letters) moulded into the plastic / rubber section. This is the size you require, or search on-line for your bike's make and model bearing replacement kits.

Hope this helps!!

Good luck!

ok, cheers for this... do you think tightening a G-clamp onto it and then wiggling it side to side (thus forcing the outer shell of the bearing to rotate) would be an ok method of getting it out?
It's the only thing I can think of as an alternative to a hydraulic press....
also how do you get it lined up while applying force to the new one to get it in - so it doesn't try to go in 'wonky'?

nicklouse

no wiggling as you will damage the surface.

G clamps are a bit lacking in pressing force.

and when spread a wide as needed they do press at an angle (not good).

Chaz.Harding

G-clamp will be fine for removing, as long as you have a spacer (sockets work well) that is large enough to rest on the outside metal ring of the bearing (reason being, as this is where the friction is to hold it in place, ya' see!?).

You put them back in by being careful. There isn't really a 'trick' to it. If you think you're gonna f*ck it up, give it to the LBS, or buy lots of spare bearings.

nicklouse

bigchazrocks wrote:

or buy lots of spare bearings.

or linkages.

formerlyknownasbonj

nicklouse wrote:

looks like the bearings on the canyon are pressed into the linkages and then bolted to the frame.

undoing the bolts should allow the linkage to be removed from the frame

check for lips on the bearing mounting holes as they will be a one way removal and i would be looking to use a Socket or some other drift to punch/press then out.

And no not all frames/bikes use the same fittings.

yes...taking the swing arm off. I tried this but had further woes in doing so - oki'll explain.
The two ends of the swing arm, one is the shock bolt - undid that no problem.
The other end - is where the swing arm bolts onto the bit going up from the drop out (effectively the seat stay). Right. This has got a big bolt going right through both sides of each of the seat stay and the swing arm. With me so far...

Now, this big bolt appears to have two end caps on, possibly to hold it on. One of the end caps looks to be PART OF the big bolt, and the other one looks to be a small allen bolt going through the middle of the big bolt, whose purpose MAY be to hold the end cap on.
I took this bolt out, and neither the end cap that it looked like it was holding on, nor the big bolt, were any closer to coming out, or any looser in any way.

So i screwed that bolt back in through the middle of the big bolt, and in tightening it, i heard a 'pang!' , and it started to turn freely - what has happened is that the bolt has sheared in two, leaving the bottom half of it stuck in the middle of the big bolt!!!! Aaarrrgh!
(it's NOT the big bolt that has sheared - that would be incredibly hard to shear as it's getting on for 10mm in diameter, but the one that screws into the middle of it, that i don't currenlty understand the reason for...)

But, I'm not sure it matters - seeing as the big bolt is NO CLOSER to coming off and neither is the end cap that the snapped bolt looks to have been holding on?!

But if it does, how can i go about getting it out, and if necessary getting a replacement?

so i am kind of tearing my hair out. This would be ok if canyon were based in the uk and answered the phone, but they are based in germany and don't answer the phone - you just get muzak, and my emails have gone unanswered fora week.

I really like my bike but my frame is causing me no end of stress over its unserviceability.

nicklouse

formerlyknownasbonj

hard to say without seeing it.

as it does depend on how it is actually put together.