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Looking to refurb my DH bike which has been sitting gathering dust since I bust the rear mech at Dunkeld in 2009. The bearings are toast and all need replacing, so far so good.
I'm on simply bearings and looking at all the options.
Am I better replacing like for like (ie. rubber with rubber and metal with metal) or should I be looking at just going with one type (I'm guessing rubber)? FWIW the two rubber bearings are in fairly good nick whilst the metal ones feel like the balls have been replaced with gravel.
Also, C3 or not? In the tradeoff between flex and stiction am I better going for free and easy or stiffer but longer lasting? I appreciate that may be subjective but surely someone has done a decent comparison by now?
I thought C3 had slightly lower tolerance to allow for expansion when running hot. Not going to be needed in a bike suspension I wouldn't have thought. Best type of bearing would be the Enduro Max type which are more suited to linkages as opposed to spinning round and round like normal caged ball bearings.
Aye, I thought that as well. Will look at the Enduro Max ones, seem to be the go-to IIRC?
My experience of enduro bearings is pretty poor... If they're standard sizes I'd just go to a quality manufacturer, FAG or SKF or Koso or similiar.
£55 for Enduro Max all round. £27 for SKF. I think I'll be fine going for the cheaper ones in rubber.
SKF over non-descript 'Enduro' bearings every time. Gimme a shout if ye want some Mobil 222xhp to pack 'em up with SK, I'm in your area biking regularly.
I always pack extra grease into them, you'd be surprised how little some of them come with, even from the likes of SKF (especially hope!)
And bike bearing can't really be overpacked, they don't rotated fast enough.
Aye, they're packed for industrial use not "riding through a swamp" use.
Which is understandable with SKF, FAG, NSK etc...
Hope? not so much.
I think I have some Mobigrease up in the loft, reckon that would do? Can't remember if it was a particular grade but its the sticky blue stuff if that helps.
Aye, it's both sticky and blue! Best of stuff.
So yeah, is there any reason not to replace metal shielded bearings with rubber ones? I'm struggling to come up with anything.
No reason, I can't recall ever seeing metal sheilded bearings on a bike?. RS bearings will be fine.
Thought so. Norco cheapass no-name aux bearings* are all metal.
(As opposed to the big bearings at the BB)