SX Trail Horst bearing removal without the tool

ads1987

Hi guys,

In the middle of replacing the frame bearings on my 06 SX Trail, all are out except for the bloody horst/pivot bearings by the rear axle dropout. There's two bearings with a spacer in the middle but also seems the frame has an edge so you can't push the bearings straight through, any ideas on how to get the buggers out without a proper tool or just hit it lots with random stuff I can find in the shed lol?

Cheers.

W00DENT0P

They both push out from either side, so you have to push them from the middle, there is a small lip in the middle to stop them pushing straight thru but the part you can see is a washer that sits between the bearings.
Best bet is just to use a small drift / punch and evenly go around them to tap them out, theres not a great deal of room but it is doable.
Be carefull you don't knock the inner race out of the bearings tho - easier said than done ! if the outer races are left in there then that is a bit of a pain in the censored to remove !!!
Could always pop into a Specialized dealer with the bit and get them to remove them - providing they have kit to do it, 2 min job if they do.

ads1987

Yeah unfortunately one side has pushed through :P so now only left with the outer race but one bearing came out whole, so now I just have one outer race and the two bearings on the other side.
I've been trying the method you mentioned but it's in there bloody tightly and it's scratching and denting the frame as it moves about Ah well perseverance it is!
Cheers for the information woodentop

stumpyjon

I've just splashed on a set of bearing extrtactors. Cost a lot but worth if they prevent hours of pain.

W00DENT0P

Specialized also supply a tool to dealers the correct size for removing just the outer race on the horst-link bearings, the bearings do tend to wear and rust quite badly, even with the correct size puller you can still pull the inner race out.
If you get stuck just send it to Specialized customer service, they'll remove it for you.

Pands

stumpyjon wrote:

I've just splashed on a set of bearing extrtactors. Cost a lot but worth if they prevent hours of pain.

Stumpy can you please send me the linky or post up what you bought!

I'm just about to replace the bearings on my Enduro SL, and would rather buy the correct tool than mess about.

cheers

stumpyjon

OK but it wasn't cheap.



I got a set off Ebay for around £ 120 including postage. Should do all the bearings in the frame. W00DENT0P is right though, if the bearings are knacked it's still possible to seperate the inner and outer bearing races. Then it's time for a Dremel.

Basically the black pieces fit inside the inner race. As you tighten the nut the jaws expand and grip the inner race from behind. You then screw in the slide hammer. It is better than using a screwdriver and hammer as you are loading the race all the way arond, it's more controllable, you're less likely to damage the frame and you can safely get quite a lot of force behind the bearing (the slide hammer weighs about a kilo).

diy

I thought I'd bounce this one back to the top as I have just attempted the same on my enduro frame. Firstly I am still looking for a bearing puller at a substantially lower cost than stumpy johns, because doing it my way took 3 hours to do one side.

I bought the 688 2RS bearings from ebay substantially cheaper than any of the bike shops and they came next day and seem pretty reasonable quality. Its basically a skate wheel bearing.

Step 1, destroy and remove as much of one bearing as possible, buy half drilling/dremilling out the internal tube which holds the bearing in place.

Step 2, use the nut/bolt washer and socket method (i.e. same process as a shock bush remover) and press out the other side. Comes out easy, hold on to the spacing washer. The fatter the bolt you can fit the straighter the press will be.

Step 3, carefully dremil the outer ring of the destroyed race to create a weak spot so that you can drive it out with a hammer and drift/screw driver/chisel. [miyagi mode] "Patience Daniel-son" it will come out eventually. Note I have seen articles saying heat with a blow torch, but I would advise against that, given that most frames are tempered alu.

Step 4, apply a bucket load of the best grease you can find, you don't want to have to repeat this process any time soon.

Step 5, get the fatest bolt that will fit through and thread the new bearings including the spacing washer and tighten the nut and bolt to press in the new bearings.

For the other side I'm thinking of trying an M8 expanding bolt a bit like


as a bodged bearing extractor as I should then be able to use a collar (socket) and washer to drive the gripped bearing out. any thoughts on this?

But before I do that I'm going to ride the blimin thing.