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Hey guys
Just after some advice really, I have a 2008 SC blur lt, not the newest model but the previous one (05-08) and I bought it 2nd hand from a guy who said it was in perfect working order. Now I'm not the most aggressive rider in the slightest and have only used it a couple of times but it appears to have developed some lateral play in the frame. By this I mean the rear triangle is moving a lot more than it should be, however the all the pivots bolts and bushings are tight and plush to the correct torque etc, its extremely visible when moving the cranks a touch, you can see the frame bend inwards towards the middle...
is it time for a new frame?
Some bikes have a suprising amount of lateral flex (many ti hardtails and lightly-built single pivot bikes for ex), others are pretty rigid. Plenty of riders like a bit of flex in the frame, others don't. If the pivots are all tight and there's no knocking or looseness, just spring, check for cracks and if the frame is solid I wouldn't worry about it unless you just don't like the feeling of the flex. Frames don't 'go soft' as they age or fatigue as some riders suggest.
Is it when riding or when you are off the bike and can actually push the swingarm side to side? On my five I could move the swingarm a few centimeters side to side when the pivot bearings wore out, so it could be your bearings need changing.
Essentially when I'm riding I can feel it flex in the back end a lot more than when I first got it and yeah Raisinhat, I can physically push the swing arm side to side. I'll have a look into the bearings, thanks for the advice 🙂
is it cracked?
Not that I'm aware of, has been stripped and cleaned recently and didn't see anything that stands out.
Sounds like worn bearings to me.
Bearings can be borked without displaying any outward signs of being so. Even the tiniest amount of wear can be amplified amzingly in the whole assembly. 2008 model = 5 years old. I'd replace the bearings.
Ahh cheers for the advice guys, will get some new bearings ordered.