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Bearings (and bushings too I guess) on Tyred Jr's Trek FS are on the way out.
Never needed to DIY before, where's best to buy from?
Recently got mine at Wych bearings
Buy proper tools for the job and you can pretend you are James May rather than Fred Dibnah!
I have found that Simply Bearings UK have always been competitive and delivery is excellent.
I recently used Wych and they were decent, I bought the best bearings I could (apparently the best, we'll have to see how they get on) which were '6802 LLU MAX BO Enduro Bike Bearing' about two thirds the price of buying standard cheap crap bearings from Cannondale.
Never used any speacialst tools just put the bearings in the freezer, the Cannondale manual was actually pretty good at explaining how to change the bearings and what locktite to use. I think Wych sell the threadlock too.
The best place is almost always the one that has the whole set.
Prices are usually competitive and one might be 50p cheaper and one but not the other but P&P/delivery etc.
I've used Kinetic, Wytch, Simply ... in the past.
Kinetic have been reliable for me !
Used Blue Seal Bearings for quite a while. They are as good as any I've used and better than the originals that have come with the bikes
Got mine from MB bearings, ended up ringing him as wasn’t sure if more expensive = better and he recommended the best for my bike.
Turns out the most expensive ones would’ve been trashed in no time as they weren’t designed for the direction of the forces in my suspension.
Thanks all. Hold my hand here... is it better to work out all the sizes/quantity I need and order that way or go for a kit?
I've got a blind bearing puller kit so no worries doing the replacement myself but never had to buy frame bearings before so not sure how best to go about it. Kits seem easier but I'm a renowned cheapskate...
Thanks all. Hold my hand here… is it better to work out all the sizes/quantity I need and order that way or go for a kit?
As per earlier post... lots of people saying XYZ bearing supplier are reliable... but they pretty much all are (99% of their revenue is engineering companies not us consumers)... most of them supply bearings from many manufacturers...
For frame bearings you almost definitely want specific high load/low rotation which means cageless inside... these are variously called MAXFILL or FULL COMPLIMENT it means they get bigger/more balls in... you almost certainly want sealed (last 2 letters of bearing code .. eg RS2 means both sides sealed.
and stainless
Then you need to choose brand (SKF/INA/Enduro etc) ...
All your current bearings should have a code on them (printed on the seal or your manufacturer website) N,N,NN,AA (type you will want 6), grade, bore and section (RS/RS2).
Some places do specific bike kits, others you just search for the bearing ..prices are all usually very competitive so just choose the supplier that has the ones you need.
I’ve got a blind bearing puller kit so no worries doing the replacement myself
You usually need a drift to push them in... you can use a socket (or the old bearings will be the exact right size)... it should contact the OUTER ring not the inner ... sometimes I use a threaded bar.. sometimes I just stick it in the bench vice with suitable padding... (depending on the bearing and how easy either is).