This week we changed the pivot bearings on a Deviate. There's a couple of unusual features on this bike, including a concentric pivot wrapped around the BB and an idler wheel with true dead-end blind bearings. These necessitated new tool designs, so it was a fun one to work on.
We've collected the tools that we used here.
Though the process is demonstrated on a Highlander 150, the Highlander 2 and Claymore follow similar designs and use the same bearings, so the same tools should be applicable.
The first task was to remove the main pivot tube. The inside bore of this tube is threaded to accept the BSA BB while the outside tube forms the axle that the main rocker pivots around.
The tube can be quite tightly fitted into the frame. It's walls are thin, so rather than bashing it out and risking damage,
we made a wind-out tool to remove it in a controlled manner. Tightening the press handles drives the axle tube into the receiving cup.
Once the axle tube has been removed the rocker can be accessed. The rocker contains three pivots; the big main pivot which employs back-to-back 6808 bearings, a pair of back-to-back 3802 bearings that connect the chainstay's pull-link, and a single 3802 bearing that connects the shock's extender.
Each of these pivots has industrial oil seals outboard of the bearings, which, when used in conjunction with the grease ports, greatly extends bearing life in harsh climates.
First we removed the 6808 main pivot bearings using a wind-out blind puller. We didn't remove the oil seals first, they came out easily with the bearing.
Next, we used a smaller wind-out blind bearing to remove the three 3802 in the rocker. Though we used a wind-out puller, the kit we've created for sale includes a tap-out puller for these bearings - the reason for this will be discussed below when we get to the chainstay bearings.
Re-installing the bearings was straightforward with the
bearing press kit. First we pressed the bearings in gently, just untill contact was felt with the central spacer. We removed the press, adjusted the position of the spacer to match the bearings, then re-applied the press to snug the bearings home.
The oil seals are easy to install by hand.
The only thing worth noting with regard to installing the rocker bearings is that the one that connects to the shock extension is a single bearing, installed in a smooth bore (no seat to press up against). We have included a 17x26mm drift in the press kit, it is a bit larger than the 15x24mm drifts used for the bearing, so won't pass through the bore, and will give the press something to pull against.
The rocker was then re-installed in the frame. We used the same tool as we had to remove the main axle tube to press it gently back into place. This must be done with care. The axle tube is not perfectly round; it features two flats that must be aligned with similar flats in the bore of the frame. It is very important that the flats are accurately aligned; pressing the axle tube in without proper alignment will cause significant damage to the frame.
Replacing the bearing in the back-to-back 3803 bearings in the seat tube was straightforward.
Removal of the chainstal bearings required a bit more thought; the surface around these bearings just starts to curves outwards on one side, so the wind-out blind bearing puller's cup wouldn't sit flat and level. Proceeding like this isn't advised; it will put a point load in the frame and tend to pull the bearing out at an angle.
Instead we packed the sides of the cup with 1.5mm hard plastic sheet, raising the cup off the curved surface and giving a level footing. I don't think I'd go as far as recommending this technique, discretion advised!
Another option would have been to use a tap-out puller, either in the usual 'tap-out from behind' method, or connected to our optional
stainless steel slide hammer. We include a tap-out puller in the Deviate puller kit.
Reinstalling these chainstay bearings was straightforward.
Finally, we changed the 6803 bearings in the idler. Most 'blind' bearings found on bikes are not true blind bearings; although there may be a spacer or other bearing obscuring access to the bsck of the bearing races, there is nearly always still a hole through the centre from the other side.
Deviate's idler bearings are not like that - they are true blind bearings, installed into a flat-bottomed dead-end hole.
We created this variation on our wind-out blind bearing puller, adapted to fit the specific requirements of the idler bearings found on Deviate's Highlander and Claymore bikes.
This version of our tool can remove these true blind bearings. It can remove the bearing from both sides of the idler; the one installed on the swing arm and the one in the aluminium spider.
To install new bearings in the idler it isn't possible to use a threaded rod to press the bearings into place because of their position in a closed dead-end. Instead we used the 17x26mm press drift from the press kit to gently tap them into place.
