Incoming... small boys bike, Specialized enduro S-Works.

[Beancounter]

Bearings on t130s will be free if you bought it new

However, you'll get charged 2 hours labour for swapping them.

Thanks. I did buy brand new (through C2W) but that was 5 years ago and haven't a clue where the receipt is. I'd quite like to do the job myself. Do you use a bearing press when you do yours or do you tap them in using the old bearing as a drift?

I use a bearing press. You're more than welcome to do here.

I've got a set here in spares.

Thanks Weeksy, very kind of you. Might just take you up on it once I get bearings sorted out.

[weeksy]

Minor irritation last night, my lad wanted his rear brake bleeding, so whipped his brake out for a clean/sort and bled it, but the bleeding edge port/nipple was crap so ended up replacing that. Then had his brake too stiff after and couldn't get it spinning as smoothly as i'd like. It was a slightly warped 180mm rotor, so i got the park tool truing jobbie out and went at it, ended up making it worse ! No matter what i couldn't get it to straighten nicely.
Searched the spares box and found i don't have any 180mm rotors in spares !!! Arrggghh. So spent 20 mins trying to fit him a 203mm, which went badly due to brackets not quite fitting how i wanted. So ended up pulling the wheel out of my G-160 and fitting my 180mm to his bike. He's got an XC Race today, so we needed the bike 100% ready. Even at the expense of my own. Tried Halfords etc for a new 180 yesterday/today but none in stock locally. So ordered 2 new 180s online and was sitting thinking about my G-160 for this weekend and had a minor brainwave, got up this morning, removed the 180 mounting bracket and just fitted a 160mm to my bike instead. For this weekend i don't need massive braking, so a 160mm up front will do me fine.

[weeksy]

Thanks. I did buy brand new (through C2W) but that was 5 years ago and haven't a clue where the receipt is. I'd quite like to do the job myself. Do you use a bearing press when you do yours or do you tap them in using the old bearing as a drift?

I use a bearing press. You're more than welcome to do here.

I've got a set here in spares.

Thanks Weeksy, very kind of you. Might just take you up on it once I get bearings sorted out.

If i recall, you want 6 of 1 type and 2 of another (for the main pivot). I can go back and find out, but Google should help you out easily enough. You're looking about £30.

[PitaNaanRoti]

This has reminded me that I need to advertise kids MTB’s
A Kona and a Specialised both in XS with lots of good parts bolted to them.

[Beancounter]

I use a bearing press. You're more than welcome to do here.

I've got a set here in spares.

Thanks Weeksy, very kind of you. Might just take you up on it once I get bearings sorted out.

If i recall, you want 6 of 1 type and 2 of another (for the main pivot). I can go back and find out, but Google should help you out easily enough. You're looking about £30.

Thanks Weeksy but no need now, I've just sold the bike and the new owner is happy to do the bearings himself.

[weeksy]

Lol that solves the issue

[Beancounter]

Lol that solves the issue

Indeed. TBF, the bearings were okay, I just thought as they were original/5 years old/well used that it would better to change them before selling but they didn’t need it and the purchaser was dead chuffed with the bike as is. He even thought I was selling it too cheap.

[weeksy]

Did it start with a 1?

[Beancounter]

Did it start with a 1?

Yup, and well closer to 1 than 2. I only did a quick check on eBay, there was one other bike on there at £1,400 and mine wasn’t worth that given the scratches on the frame.

[weeksy]

Yeah sounds about fair to me. I only charged my boss £850 for mine, but I only paid £900 for it, so was happy. My G160 at £1025 was an absolute bargain too.

[Mr Moofo]

Yeah sounds about fair to me. I only charged my boss £850 for mine, but I only paid £900 for it, so was happy. My G160 at £1025 was an absolute bargain too.

was your G160 off STW, or Pink Bike ?

[weeksy]

Yeah sounds about fair to me. I only charged my boss £850 for mine, but I only paid £900 for it, so was happy. My G160 at £1025 was an absolute bargain too.

was your G160 off STW, or Pink Bike ?

Ummm i think it was Ebay actually. It was up near Couchies house, so i asked him to go collect it for me, he met the guy, paid him, i then drove up and collected it.

edit : 5th Jan 2020 on Ebay... can't link to it though i'm afraid.

[Mr Moofo]

I am not sure there are any bargains like that at the moment. However 6 months after the 12th April, I am imagining a lot of stuff is going to come on line ..

[weeksy]

I am not sure there are any bargains like that at the moment. However 6 months after the 12th April, I am imagining a lot of stuff is going to come on line ..

Oh absolutely agree with you there, there's nothing like that currently. If i were to flog the G-160 i'd be expecting £2000+ for it.... but the rub is, i'd need to spend £3000+ to get something better i want.

Fortunately though, selling the G-160 doesn't even enter my head.

The next bike sold will be the S-works once the boy grows out of it, but i think we've got a couple of years before we get to that stage, he's now able to use his dropper, but only just.

[weeksy]

As some of you may have seen, my lad is getting bigger and harder at jumping on a week by week basis. The speed they're all carrying into jumps and therefore the height and distances they're carrying is absolutley crazy. The problem comes with the suspension taking a hammering now at times, so today we had a chat about him bottoming his shock out constantly.... Which wasn't ideal of course, but not impossible to sort.

So what you need is 'volume spacers'


These in essence change how the suspension curve works so it ramps the pressure differently and won't (in theory) bottom out quite as easily.

So whipped the shock out and removed the air can..... Well... i actually never... it was IMPOSSIBLE !!!! Even holding it in a vice it wasn't shifting.... Some say to use a wrench strap, but i didn't have one lying about.

I then came across a post which said to use this technique
2021-04-20_09-09-50 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Holding it in your workstand with an old inner tube to secure and stop damage, then undo the top piece... Which actually worked a charm. Picked the large spacer and will send him out tonight to test, well, i say 'send him' he's desperate to head out anyway lol. So i'll not have to send him.

[weeksy]

Never bloody ends with these things. I noticed when putting it all back together we had a bit of wheel wobble on the back.

Trying to feel if it's frame bearings or wheel, after all i only swapped the wheel bearings a couple of weeks back.

Easiest way to find the answer was to fit the spare wheel of course... nothing, not a slight movement at all. Perfect.

I then had a play with his and noticed we have 3 caps, 1 on the drive side, 2 on the non-drive side. One of them was slightly loose, so tightened it up and it's all golden again.

It makes me laugh the time and effort me and one of the other parents puts in. He's got 2 of the jumpy kids and obviously 2 bikes to spanner. The pair of us put countless hours in.
My lad made me laugh this morning as he was asking about a job that his mate needs doing on his bike but didn't want to ask me to do.
"how much will it cost if Alex gets that done at Banjo Cycles?".....
"about £50 was my reply"
"oh wow, really "
"Yes son, really really"

I think he's now starting to grasp the countless money we'd be shelling out if i couldn't do all of this stuff.

[Mr Moofo]

As some of you may have seen, my lad is getting bigger and harder at jumping on a week by week basis. The speed they're all carrying into jumps and therefore the height and distances they're carrying is absolutley crazy. The problem comes with the suspension taking a hammering now at times, so today we had a chat about him bottoming his shock out constantly.... Which wasn't ideal of course, but not impossible to sort.

So what you need is 'volume spacers'


These in essence change how the suspension curve works so it ramps the pressure differently and won't (in theory) bottom out quite as easily.

So whipped the shock out and removed the air can..... Well... i actually never... it was IMPOSSIBLE !!!! Even holding it in a vice it wasn't shifting.... Some say to use a wrench strap, but i didn't have one lying about.

I then came across a post which said to use this technique
2021-04-20_09-09-50 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

Holding it in your workstand with an old inner tube to secure and stop damage, then undo the top piece... Which actually worked a charm. Picked the large spacer and will send him out tonight to test, well, i say 'send him' he's desperate to head out anyway lol. So i'll not have to send him.

Would it not make sense to put a little more air into the rear shock

[weeksy]

Would it not make sense to put a little more air into the rear shock

That's not how shocks work though, as i thought you'd honestly know.

Putting in more air making it stiffer can just mean you end up with a shock that doesn't compress at all and ends up too firm at the opposite end of the travel, the lower end of travel. So yes you don't bottom it out any more, but the bike rides like shit as it's too firm for 95% of riding. Using the volume spacers mean the first part of the travel is 'normal' but then as you get into the 2nd half it slows it down essentially.

This image gives a decent representation of how it works i hope. Obviously as with all suspension there's a compromise. No bike can be an XC whippet and a gap jump specialist all in 1 setting, so you need to decide where you want and need to compromise.

[Mr Moofo]

Obviously - all depends on the sag being set right. If the sag is correct and it still bottoms out then it needs volume reducers - of revolving (or compression damping looked at). But adding a bit of air isn't a stupid suggestion. what sag are you running?
Being at the light end of the shocks range ( your son, not you) , then volume reducers makes sense - but it will make the shock every progressive at the end.
I am at the other end - I run no tokens in Pikes and no volume reducers it the rear. But I have found that volume reducers seem to make very little difference for me - just stealing travel.
However, I have never bottomed out but i don't jump off buildings

[weeksy]

Obviously - all depends on the sag being set right. If the sag is correct and it still bottoms out then it needs volume reducers - of revolving (or compression damping looked at). But adding a bit of air isn't a stupid suggestion. what sag are you running?

30-33% sag.