suspension bearings

[tkdbboy]

Bit of a revive.

Half my bearings in the Canyon Torque are shot after 3 days of swimming in Maydena mud.

I'm tossing up between EnduroMAX and Nachi Japanese bearings (Particularly the NSE variant which is deep grooved and contact rubber sealed ... pretty much their most sealed bearing).
From my reading up on bearings the past couple days, the criteria for suspension pivots from most to least important is:

- Quality rubber seal , sealing from dirt and water
- Well greased to keep water out and keep rotation smooth
- Type of balls and races to minimise rust
- Amount of load the bearing can take, ie choosing full complement over caged

Please add to or correct any of the above if it's wrong.

The EnduroMAX information / marketing seems quite good but I've seen mixed feedback about them online. Plus I'm open to using bearings from a company thats been pumping out good quality bearings for a long time ... just not educated enough to see if the whole 'bike specific' application of the Enduro bearings is hype.

 

[Oddjob]

Bit of a revive.

Half my bearings in the Canyon Torque are shot after 3 days of swimming in Maydena mud.

I'm tossing up between EnduroMAX and Nachi Japanese bearings (Particularly the NSE variant which is deep grooved and contact rubber sealed ... pretty much their most sealed bearing).
From my reading up on bearings the past couple days, the criteria for suspension pivots from most to least important is:

- Quality rubber seal , sealing from dirt and water
- Well greased to keep water out and keep rotation smooth
- Type of balls and races to minimise rust
- Amount of load the bearing can take, ie choosing full complement over caged

Please add to or correct any of the above if it's wrong.

The EnduroMAX information / marketing seems quite good but I've seen mixed feedback about them online. Plus I'm open to using bearings from a company thats been pumping out good quality bearings for a long time ... just not educated enough to see if the whole 'bike specific' application of the Enduro bearings is hype.

The EnduroMAX are full complement, ie no races, bigger bearing surfaces etc. Most of the major bearing manufacturers would have something equivalent.

Better again are the full complement bearings with a solid oil filling like these from skf http://www.skf.com/au/products/bear...d-products/bearings-with-solid-oil/index.html. But they are not cheap and might be overkill for a bike.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

 

[Ultra Lord]

Those ^ are overkill.

Standard full complement bearings are the go for pivots.

 

[LPG]

I haven't had the pleasure of maintaining suspension pivots yet but I am a mech engineer with a fair bit of experience with bearings and overhauling big equipment. I've been involved with bearings I could ride my bike through the bore. My experience is probably not much different to some others who have piped up in this thread and the advice is probably similar.

- I can't imagine any mtb company being able to specify anything special with mtb bearings. My only thought is they may have them packed 100% full with a waterproof grease so that the grease stays on all surfaces despite the small arc of rotation. They wouldn't be having anything manufactured any different.

- As soon as possible pack any cavities between the exterior and the bearing with waterproof grease. This way the mud and water need to displace this grease before it can get into the bearing. I bought a tube of waterproof grease and did similar to this with wheel bearings on a bike I submerged in many rivers and puddles daily for ~3 months on a bike trip in Siberia. I regreased the cavities a few times and had no issues with the bearings.

- If there is a seal in the bearing (2rs or similar) you are probably best leaving it in place with the manufacturers grease in there until you decide it needs cleaning and repacking. You will damage the seal a bit when you remove it no matter how careful you are.

- The advice the remove the linkage and spin the bearing is good. Bearings are designed to do full rotations to spread the load and have the lubrication moved around all the surfaces. Linkages like this are not ideal conditions for bearings but we prefer smooth suspension with extra maintenance than a bush (that still needs good fresh lubricant).

 

[tkdbboy]

- As soon as possible pack any cavities between the exterior and the bearing with waterproof grease. This way the mud and water need to displace this grease before it can get into the bearing. I bought a tube of waterproof grease and did similar to this with wheel bearings on a bike I submerged in many rivers and puddles daily for ~3 months on a bike trip in Siberia. I regreased the cavities a few times and had no issues with the bearings.

Thanks for the info fellas!

So cake the outside of the bearing with a thick waterproof grease like marine grease, reconnect all linkage and wipe up any excessive grease so that you have a ring of grease between the face of the bearing and frame?
This seems like a sweet idea but won't it only last till your next bike wash? Assuming you don't blast the linkage with water, but a light hose down and general scrub all over with brush.
I guess any space that grease can take up outside the bearing is better than any dirt occupying that space.

So three of my bearings that were seized have now come back to life after repacking them with marine grease. Now to figure out the sizes so I can order a replacement set!

 

[LPG]

So cake the outside of the bearing with a thick waterproof grease like marine grease, reconnect all linkage and wipe up any excessive grease so that you have a ring of grease between the face of the bearing and frame?
This seems like a sweet idea but won't it only last till your next bike wash? Assuming you don't blast the linkage with water, but a light hose down and general scrub all over with brush.
I guess any space that grease can take up outside the bearing is better than any dirt occupying that space.

So three of my bearings that were seized have now come back to life after repacking them with marine grease. Now to figure out the sizes so I can order a replacement set!

"So cake the outside of the bearing with a thick waterproof grease"

Pretty much. The marine grease shouldn't rinse off with contact with water; it is designed for wheel bearings on boat trailers which see regular submersion. Putting pressurised water on it will push it out so don't blast it with a hose but a hose without an end attachment will do fine. How close and what shape the gaps are between the linkages is going to effect how long this grease lasts but it will definitely delay any ingress of water/dirt. if it is a particularly wide gap you could intentionally wash it out (using WD40 or similar, not pressurised water) and push it back in from the outside when the grease seems particularly dirty.

 

[mark22]

Thanks for the info fellas!

So cake the outside of the bearing with a thick waterproof grease like marine grease, reconnect all linkage and wipe up any excessive grease so that you have a ring of grease between the face of the bearing and frame?
This seems like a sweet idea but won't it only last till your next bike wash? Assuming you don't blast the linkage with water, but a light hose down and general scrub all over with brush.
I guess any space that grease can take up outside the bearing is better than any dirt occupying that space.

So three of my bearings that were seized have now come back to life after repacking them with marine grease. Now to figure out the sizes so I can order a replacement set!

https://www.diymtb.com.au/displayitems.asp?cid=136
Contact them regarding which model you have.