Full Suss Maintenance

sirichmond

hello,

Been on a few muddy rides on my Lapierre Spicy 316 last month and just wondering how best to maintain it. I have had to strip and re-grease the head set plus pedals so wondering when to do, or get a bike shop to do all the pivots and linkages on the frames rear end. Would you do it yourself or get a bike shop to do it?

Ta

supersonic

Does it say anything in the manual or website? Different bikes have different regimes and bearing types.

biff55

you should definately learn maintainance skills yourself.
1 save u a packet on repair bills
2 the bike will be off the road for shorter periods if u fix it yourself.
3 most of it is pretty simple anyway and basic kit should cost no more than £20
info for any job on any bike is available on the net.
you'll never learn anything paying a shop to do it all for you.

biff55

sorry , just realised u wanted opinion on a specific job , thought it was a generalisation.

Anonymous

no idea, I have maintenance free bearings.

sirichmond

Checked my manual but no mention of when to check the linkages etc. So when do other people clean and re grease? Not scared of doing the job myself have learnt over the last year how to do almost everything and I'm sure cleaning and regreasing the linkages on a full suss bike will be easy.

supersonic

I would contact your dealer - you need to find out more about the type of bearings.

stumpyjon

I strip my stumpjumper frame myself. Takes time and there are a few bearings I can't get at properly, but my LBS has similar problems so the LBS isn't always the answer (plus it will cost a lot).

Mancunianfightingcat

Should have got a Five!

biff55

should have got a HT

sirichmond

Hey guys I'm not moaning about doing it Had a hard tail hurt my ass. Allready one orange five in the clan and I feel its a bit light for me on the downhills, love my spicy as it feels like a steam roller :shock:

switchback18

Easy way to check whether the pivots are smooth is to remove the shock (let the air out 1st if it's an air shock) and move the back end of the bike through it's travel. You'll feel if there's any roughness in bearings/bushings, whatever is used. check for sideways play also. At least you won't be paying a shop just to check it, even if you're not confiident to do the pivots yourself.

Another easy job on a Fox air shock is every so often let the air out & unscrew the air can & add some Float fluid inside the can, then put it back & pump it back up - it will help prevent premature wear. Check the websites for rough timing intervals.

And yes, get a Five! Still not had to change the bearings after 2 years.

Justbikesandover

As above especially the get and Orange five bit! simplicity is the key to happiness

Shorty12

Justbikesandover wrote:

As above especially the get and Orange five bit! simplicity is the key to happiness

+1

Buckled_Rims

DIY is best if you're confident. Actually there's very few things that need doing in a LBS you can't do yourself.

I've always just looked at the bearings and like and if they're dirty I'd just wipe them clean first. After a while I'd then wipe and then re-grease.

A good idea is if you got the bike new and from a good LBS, use a torque wrench and find the settings if you don't know them of any pivot bearings and nuts.

supersonic

I don't think the answer is 'buy another bike' is it?

Find out from the supplier, retailer or even Lappiere just what your bearings are.

pashand

Might be able to help here. I've had a Spicy for a couple of years now and replaced the bearings and bushings (the Horst link pivot uses bushings rather than bearings) myself without too much stress. Bearings come out and go in pretty easy if you get everything straight and have a wee think about what's going where. I use a drift and rubber mallet for this, just like replacing bearings in hubs. Be careful with the alloy bolts that screw into the frame/chainstays, they are quite soft and you don't want to strip the threads, although better to strip the bolts (cheap) rather than frame (expensive). If this sounds too complicated get your lbs to do it. Otherwise DIY, use high quality bearings and you'll be sweet!

The Northern Monkey

biff55 wrote:

should have got a HT

+1

I just take a few cod liver oil tablets now and then to keep the knees oiled