Lessons Learned

How often do we breeze through life and then experience what we convince ourselves is just a hiccup but in all actuality is a Peanut Butter Clif Bar induced week long leave of absence? All too often, people will do this with their bikes; leave something small alone only to find out it is part of a much greater problem. Not too long ago a customer came to me; we'll call him "Customer J." He came because he needed the DU bushing (the cylindrical bushing in the shock eye where it mounts to the frame) replaced in the rear shock of his Specialized Stumpjumper. Indeed, the bushing was severely worn. Not a problem; this repair should only take about 15-20 minutes. I removed the lower shock mounting bolt releasing the shock from the linkage. Since I was already servicing the suspension and since the worn bushing made me curious as to the condition of the rest of the linkage and pivots I proceeded to remove the associated linkage bearing bolts. That is when things got interesting. The first bolt I removed was the upper linkage bolt on the drive side. Firstly, I had a hard time removing the bolt; it seemed to be binding up quite a bit and I was not sure why. When the bolt finally released, a symphony of "plinking" came to my ears as each ball bearing from the link pivot cartridge bearing fell to the floor. (special technical note: this should not happen) What had happened was that while the inner race of the bearing has fused to the bolt, the bearings had long since lost all grease and rusted, and so, rather than the pivot rotating on the ball bearings, the race was actually grinding down on the individual balls. A full disassembly of all pivots revealed a similar, though not as dramatic, condition. All bearings would now have to be replaced and what would have been a simply $50 repair now looked to be over $100. To make matters worse, upon removal of the upper shock mount bolt I discovered that this bolt had fused quite stubbornly to the bushing through which it passed. Long story short, it was necessary to actually destroy the bolt in order to removed it; ultimately a good thing as closer inspection revealed the bolt cracked.

I asked Customer J if anyone, in his 4 years of bike ownership, had inspected the suspension bearings. The answer was "no," at least as far as he knew since he did not have any comprehensive records of his repairs, nor could he get any from locations where the bike had been serviced. I had to order a full set of bearings and a new bolt which took a while because, as it turns out, Specialized decided to use a thread pitch on that bolt which is wholly unlike anything normally available. I offer special thanks to Doug at Wheat Ridge for scouring his scrap bins and finding a bolt, saving $40 on a full bolt kit and another week of time. Upon reassembly I put a small layer of anti seize compond on each bolt where it meets the bearing race to prevent further siezing. Each bolt was then set to Specialized's established torque. I also injected some Pro Gold EPX grease into the bearings as it contains a rust inhibitor. With only some minor damage to the pivot shoulder on the one pivot, the bike was back to like new condition and some valuable lessons are learned.

1. Bicycles are not perfect for life as they come from the manufacturer.

2. Mountain bike suspension pivots should be inspected at least yearly. A responsible mechanic should, especially at tunes, inspect the pivots regardless of whether the customer asked.

3. It is not, in my opinion, the responsibility of the customer to know what should be inspected on his bike and when. That is what we, as professional technicians, are paid for. Customer J faced the possible destruction of his frame because technicians failed to properly care for his bike. Specialized would not have been obligated to warranty a failure in this case.

4. Customers are entitled to, and should in fact demand, comprehensive accounts of the services performed on their bicycles. Only then can a technician be truly held accountable for the work done and the customer assured of his equipment's condition.

5. Customers should keep whatever records are given to them when their bike is serviced, and if not, they should be able to be obtained from the location of service. If your technician is unable or unwilling to account for services, you should seek out someone who can and will.

When Customer J received his bike, he also received 4 pages describing exactly what was done to the bike and why. Pictures were included to support the actions taken. I believe my customers are entitled to that kind of information and have committed to always providing a full, detailed report of the service performed. I have also pledged to knowing what their bike needs, whether they do or not. I believe that is my job, in simple terms, to care for your bike.