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« on: March 29, 2023, 09:51:42 PM »
It took me a little while to figure out how to remove the bearings from the linkage/rocker. Here's how I did it:
First I used some penetrating oil to loosen them up a bit.
For the wider part of the linkage I was able to get my bearing removal tool (I have the Alt / Alt press and removal tool) behind the bearing to push them out without too much trouble.
For the narrower part of the linkage, one of the bearings inner ring was destroyed and fell out leaving the rest of the bearing stuck in place. I tapped it out with a screw driver. For the other bearing, I started with the bearing removal tool to get some movement and push the bearing out a bit. However, due to the design of the linkage, there wasn't enough room for the sleeve to sit on the linkage for the bearing to slide into. Therefore I put the linkage in a vice and used a socket up against the bearing, placed a carriage bolt with the head on the socket and the bolt part sticking the.opposite hole and hit the bolt a couple times with a hammer.
You didn't ask, but for the pivot bearing removal (the bearings that attaches the rear triangle to the frame), I found a YouTube video from Oz Cycle on how to make a DIY blind puller. I crafted the blind puller to remove one of the bearings and used the Alt / Alt tool to remove the other bearing (once I removed the first one). For the blind puller I filed two sides of a washer so I could slide it through the bearing hole (took about an hour to file it down) and slid a carriage bolt through the opposite bearing hole so that the washer was held up against the bearing inside the frame with the carriage bolt head. I placed a sleeve from the Alt tool against the outer frame with the bolt in the middle of the sleeve hole. Then placed a couple washers on the bolt against the sleeve and three nuts on the bolt, one of the nuts was against the washer and the two others to 'lock' the bolt while I turned the single bolt to pull the bearing. Again I used some penetrating oil to help break the seal before I started turning the bolt. Not surprisingly the filed washer inside the frame 'pushing' the bearing deformed a bit but it did the job.
As for the replacement bearings for the linkage I purchased FAG bearings. For the the shock and pivot bearings I used Enduro Max, they are easier to source as my local bike shops carry them.
It wasn't that difficult, just took some time to figure it out how to do it. Good luck!