Hi all, I am pondering....
It's time for the annual stripdown of my bike , a banshee titan.
I usually change the bearings once a year. I have tried changing bearings before, with mixed success, either by struggling to get old ones out, or by perhaps being able to change 80% of them, but there is always one or two i do incorrectly or can't get access to (on other frames, not the current bike). I have previously bodged it with socket sets and a rubber mallet.
Last weeks FGF has a lifeline bearing press set for what i think would be about the price of my local bike shop changing them for me. I like supporting my local bike shop, even if they don't have the best service and the wait to do the job is a month!
So, would purchasing the lifeline bearing press set make the job easy for me to do, an utter dream with no damaged bearings on removal or pressing them in, or will i end up at the bike shop needing help anyway?
Ta!
It's only a press so the more difficult task of removal is still there.
IT's a great skill to learn, but can be quite horrific at times trying to get certain bearings that are well and truly stuck, it's a job i don't enjoy at times, but the results are quite pleasing.
I guess it depends on how many bikes and how often you'll swap them. With me and the lad and a couple of mates i'm swapping bearings fairly regularly, so the tool saves me both time and money.
I bought a bearing press and I’ve used it loads - done frame bearings / hub bearings / freehub bearings etc. That lifeline one looks quite good but the one I got from eBay has been perfect tbh.
You also need a way to get bearings out - when you have access to the back of a bearing the mallet and drift generally works fine - but depending on your bike you might have some more awkward ones - when a blind puller of some description is useful. I bought a slide hammer kit from eBay that has worked for me so far.
Bearing press kit is this one:
Slide hammer is this sort of thing:
Do those two kits linked above cover most frame bearings?
(I'm new to full suss and it will need doing at some point and it's not something I'm familiar with)
Can someone link the press kit teethgrinder has posted, my iPad doesn’t like the kindle link?
Money on tools is never wasted. Having said that, I got that lifeline kit through Ali express a couple of years back for about a third of the price.
I've also got a slide hammer set which is similar to what superstar offer and a full set on kinetics bearing removal tool so there's not much I can't tackle. If it all goes wrong, I've a diamond tip grinding bit for the Dremel.
Shop around though. Lots of these kits all seem to originate in the same place but vary greatly in price. Don't pay over the odds.
Quick searches, no endorsement of seller.
Blind puller
The kinetic stuff is available in individual sizes rather than just a full kit. Just think whether you have the working and access clearance for such tools first.
I have the factory Giant kit. It makes me feel like James May.
Each tool does its job perfectly and makes bearing swaps a joy.
A quick scan of AliExpress shows you can get those kits linked above for £20 each, so half the price of the eBay sellers.
Edit: actually the postage buggers it up a bit so maybe not as good as initially thought, worth a trawl though.
Not familiar with the Banshee setup, but have had loads of use from my RRP bearing press kit on Whytes and Giants pivots / jockey wheels and occasionally wheel bearings. Not cheap but will outlast me. I use the Orange kit on the Oranges 🤫 and Hope tools on my Hope hubs.
Knowing the bearing sizes is helpful (critical) when deciding what to get. I also have the Ebay kit, which is fine for wheel bearings but too big (cumbersome) for pivot bearings
Recently bought some press cups from specifically for the pivot bearings / wheel bearings from Bearing Pro Tools.
Good tools that work make what was a pig of a job a pleasure, quick and easy.
Can someone link the press kit teethgrinder has posted, my iPad doesn’t like the kindle link?
It appears to be the same product that @joebristol posted one post earlier (Kindle link doesn't work for me either, but the picture matches):
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Machined-Bike-Bearing-Press-Kit-Installation-Tool-Installer-Removal-Workshop-/265092272318?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0
The links I put above are broadly the same things as teethgrinder put up. I actually paid more than those prices for the bearing press - seems to have come down in cost across the board since I purchased them - but the slide hammer set has gone up slightly.
eBay vs Ali express I made sure I bought from a Uk seller as I felt I had a bit more comeback that way and the postage wouldn’t take long / it wasn’t a duty or vat lottery on the end price.
If it’s cheaper on aliexpress and you’re happy with that then they’re very likely to all be the same kit from the same factories.
and the wait to do the job is a month!
Book it in a month in advance?
TBH I do most jobs on my bikes and have the tools & space but for bearings I've never bothered. In the past it was because I had carbon frames and didn't want the risk and now with my Cotic they've only needed doing once in 4 years, so didn't seem worth the cost of the tools (and risk) vs getting my LBS to do it.
Sliding hammer off eBay or Amazon should be about 20 quid, that’ll remove almost any bearing, installation can be through a bespoke kit like the lifeline, or you could Norge something, threaded bar is cheap to buy, so are washers and nuts, you can use socket sets as the actual pushers, as they cover every size and have a hole you can put threaded bar through
deffo get the tool...
Also, a bench vice makes bearing seating/removal a LOT easier...
I use sockets and a length of threaded rod (i.e DIY press) and it's great.
I recently got a DU bushing tool for rear shocks...THAT is a legend of a tool!!
DrP
some frames are easier than others, and you need to be in the right mood to make sure you do a good job (as with so many jobs) but the same applies to the shop. Ive seen some pretty shocking workmanship come out of shops who assume the customer doesnt know what they are looking at. I think im at a general skill level where it might take me a bit longer, but ill be more careful and do a better job than a shop might.
Having said that, the first time i did my bearings, i did scuff some paint off the frame, which im guessing a shop wouldnt have done.
Lesson learnt though (i think)
I almost never do it. For a few reasons, I don't have the kit, I don't have the workshop, vice or bench that I think you'd also need, I don't want to have to deal with the bearing that's stuck tight, or the one the disintegrates into a zillion pieces. Let the bike shop do it. Wheel the bike in, hand over CC wheel bike back out again all done. Easy.
I have a set of the Kinetic tools that Onzadog posted. I bought 2 individual ones for my frame so saved a bit of money over buying the full kit.
The advantage of the Kinetic tools is that it will extract the bearings as well as install them for you.
So depending on how many bikes you have (or how often you change bikes) and how many different bearing sizes you have it might be better to just buy a couple of individual tools for your specific size of bearing rather than a full kit covering many different sizes.
The process is not hard just take it slow the first time so things go in nice and straight rather than wonky and damage the frame. Once you get a feel for it you'll get it done in no time. Lots of guides on YouTube how to use a bearing press etc ...
Made my own press/puller with a few bits of scrap plywood, bolts, washers, nuts. Worked fine on 2 different frames.
The only tricky part was removing the chainstay bearings (dropout end) on an old specialized fsr xc. Had to make a blind puller with a bolt that had a slot in the end to push a screwdriver into. Worked pretty well.
I use these ones,
https://www.bearingprotools.com/
You can plug in your bike frame and they will provide a kit for all extraction and push.
nickc
Full Member
I almost never do it. For a few reasons, I don’t have the kit, I don’t have the workshop, vice or bench that I think you’d also need, I don’t want to have to deal with the bearing that’s stuck tight, or the one the disintegrates into a zillion pieces. Let the bike shop do it. Wheel the bike in, hand over CC wheel bike back out again all done. Easy.
As Nick says, if you don't have the kit, then it can be a real fudge to do it, and that's when damage can occur. You need to know what bearings are in the frame, and how they are secured to the frame, most are just an interference fit, but some can be held in with a circlip, or you can have double row bearings with a central lip, basically you have to know what you are removing and how to do it properly.
You then need to inspect the frame after removal, apply a loctite if required, etc, etc.
Just checking on the prices, even the slide hammer with pullers i bought 3 years ago seems to have tripled in price, it's not cheap anymore!
But, if you do have the garage space, and want to do it, then just take your time first time out, check youtube for similar bearing removals on your style frame, manufacturers website for info and just go slow.
im now the owner of bearing press and puller kits. god damn this site!
nah i threaten to indulge every time i need to do this job but always make do with a hammer and a piece of threaded bar. ive got a wobbly hub that ive been putting off repairing so hopefully it will be a smooth job now.
Thanks for that dude, just got me a full set for the Slayer.
I use these ones,
https://www.bearingprotools.com/
You can plug in your bike frame and they will provide a kit for all extraction and push.
No worries. They're probably the same stuff as the Chinese ones but they do all the working out for you, are based in Scotland, have good instructions and customer service
You have a Banshee Titan right? Assuming thats the bike you intend to do the bearing swap on...
Posted on the MTBR Banshee page (by me.)
Posting as might be of help to some as I couldn't find a bearing service guide on the banshee site or elsewhere.
I just did a bearing swap on the whole frame on my Prime V3 after about a year of riding twice a week in normal UK conditions.
It was reasonably easy but it did take 2.5 hours, but I really wasn't rushing and there was some puzzling.
I used the Rapid Racer Products bearing Press, adaptor Kit 5 and 8.
Notes:
1) All the bearings came out easy enough. Some needed the extractor cup reversing to get the bearing moving with the 2 parts engaged before pushing it out in the correct manner.
2) For the Trunnion bearings use the Male Extraction Adaptor from Kit 5 and the Female Extraction Cup from Kit 8.
3) Due to the lack of "flat" around the bearing locations, you will need to use the extraction cups reversed plus the female insertion adaptor to support the insertion.
4) For the bearings in the frame and rear triangle at either end of the lower linkage, press the bearings in together with the linkage in place. Swap the adaptors round a couple of times to make sure the bearings go in evenly. Having 2 Male adaptors from Kit 8 would be useful here but that's another £20 as you have to buy the whole kit (I might get a part machined up for next time.
5) Bearings in the freezer for a couple of hours prior helps.
6) The Trunnion bearings that come out are NOT F6900 LLU they are F6900 2RS. That being said they weren't that much notchier than the other bearings which are LLU after a year of hard use.
Someone needs to link to the BMX dude smashing the shite out of his specialized E bike FSR bearings....
Oh i'll do it!
DrP
Posted on the MTBR Banshee page (by me.)
I have a Rune V3 and this was really helpful from that page. Great bike to work on.
you have a reason to buy a lovely set of tools and you're asking if you should do it...?
Der.
The RRP kit is a few quid to buy but once it’s bought it’s a quality bit of kit
Helps that it’s a press and extractor for most bearings bar proper Blind bearings
It’s the only ones I’ve yet to tackle off my eBike due to needing to take the cranks off and needing a Bosch tool for it
Plus I’m hoping to be able to slightly split the chainstays so I don’t need to remove any cables which would mean cutting the brake hose and them bleeding my MT5 brakes 🤬🤬🤬
I've got the blue one linked / pictured above and it works great.
I've also used it to remove, or at least partially remove bearings, by pressing them out from the "wrong" side using a larger bearing drift against the frame on the other side if that makes sense??
Then it's usually quite easy to remove them fully with sockets / screwdrivers / sledgehammers etc
For the small ones I use those inner race puller things like this
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131982076375
Generally only needed on the chainstay / seatstay where two small bearings are often back-to-back.
That 40quid eBay kit in a case looks like much better value than the AltAlt kit I bought.
+1 for bearingprotools
I just buy the tools and DIY as I quite like to be totally self sufficient maintaining my bikes. With my old SC Blur, SC supplied their own design bearing puller / press with the replacement bearing set - so you got all you needed with the bearing kit.
+2 BearingProTools
IIRC there is one manufacturer with some other way of securing bearings, you can remove and fit the pivot bearings using just your fingers. Read about it a few months ago, don't remember where.
I Use the shop when i get stuck and vice / sockets / drift / mallet for everything else.
Getting them out is the tricky bit I found. I Ended up taking parts of frames to bike shop. Blind bearings I couldn’t bodge. One bearing disintegrated leaving outer race stuck In the frame.
Putting new ones in - By the time I got to the 5th bearing I couldn’t be bothered with sockets and a vice and got the mallet out.
If I had all the tools needed for 24 bearings across 2 bikes plus pullers and slide hammer the shop used, you’re into hundreds of pounds.
I'm a sockets-and-drifts bearing changer and tbh, it's absolutely fine, as long as you're not cackhanded. And if you're cackhanded, nothing is completely safe. But this thread made me realise how cheap bearing press sets have got, so I'm finally going to get some. Cheers stw!
I just picked up both the blue bearing press sets and the bearing puller, hopefully these help. I need to change the bearings in a set of Industry Nine hubs and Hope Pro2 Evos.
I ordered some of the SKF bearings on offer from Superstar.
