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Jekyll pivot/linkage bearing replacement.

21K views 35 replies 11 participants last post by  ben.marshall 
#1 ·
Has anyone replaced any off the pivot or linkage bearings on there gen 2 Jekyll's yet ?

I pulled apart the shock pivot section on mine tonight to clean it up and re-grease and have discovered a couple of rough bearings in the front downtube pivot.

I had a look in the manual to see what's needed to go about replacing them, but apart from saying to use the KP169 pivot tools, there is little else instruction. Does an instrution guide for replacing them come with the KP169 tools?

Does anyone know if the bearings on the Jekyll are loctite'd in or just pressed?

Thanks..
 
#4 ·
Well not long, this is my second Jekyll frame, and i got it built up in feb. I have done about 350 to 400 miles on it, never hose the bike, and although i have ridden in wintery conditions, its always been maintained, cleaned and lubed after rides... Its the 2 downtube front pivot bearings that are rough ( can feel their roughness transmit through the whole bike when riding), the ones that are exposed. I really struggle to understand why Cannondale have left these bearings unshielded, seems totally ludicrous to me.

How long did your bearings last? Did you replace them with the Cannondale pack or did you "upgrade" them to another brand?

Can you tell me if the bearings are stuck in with loctite?
 
#5 ·
I have circled bearings that need replaced. Both sides are making noises and are rough as hell. Were these the ones that you found to be in the worst condition ?

As you can see in the picture there is no shield covering them, the rubber bearing shields are exposed.
 

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#6 ·
yes, those were the worst, also the ones near the crank. I think i changed them after a year, but only cause i didnt check before. They didnt have loctite. I use the kit from cannondale experts, but i think the next time i'll use enduro max to test them. I have the instruction on pdf if you want them, but the tool kit worth the money cause it seems like the bearings must be changed every 6 months.
 
#7 ·
A pdf would be fantastic, i would like to see what's involved. I will send you PM with my email?

I'm thinking of trying some enduro or hope bearings (They seem to be the same size as what hope use in there pro 2 hubs) as it seems im only really needing a pair right now.
 
#30 ·
Bearing size

A pdf would be fantastic, i would like to see what's involved. I will send you PM with my email?

I'm thinking of trying some enduro or hope bearings (They seem to be the same size as what hope use in there pro 2 hubs) as it seems im only really needing a pair right now.
I want to replace with enduro as well. I know the size of the larger bearings as 15 x 24 x 5 (from the manual) but what is the size of the smaller bearings? I don't see that in the manual.
 
#8 ·
Hey guys, got a couple questions for you. I am about to help a buddy doing some maintenance on his carbon jekyll. I dont have a cdale so I dont know much about the way the pivots are set up. Is there anything special to know? any unusual torque spec or anything on the pivots (I do not own a torque wrench)?

I think he has a bit of slop/play in the pivots. I have a feeling its just the pivot bolts all need to be checked and tightened, but did you two get slop as your bearings went or just grittyness? anything special to be aware of before I inspect then re-install all pivot hardware with hand tight torques?

Thanks!
 
#11 ·
Hey guys

I have a Jekyll3 2013 and my linkage is loose.
I got a play sideways so the whole rear of the bike moves around a bit.
Do you guys have any idea what it could be? I checked the bearings but they looked fine to me, but then again I´m no mechanic.
The bike was taken out this may so it´s kinda new and I have just ridden technical terrain in the woods, no downhill or anything. The mechs at the store thought it would be a little early for the bearings to wear out, but you never know.

I´ll attach a photo of where the problem is.
Hope someone have a clue.

Bicycle tire Bicycle frame Bicycle part Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle
 
#12 · (Edited)
Hey guys

I have a Jekyll3 2013 and my linkage is loose.
I got a play sideways so the whole rear of the bike moves around a bit.
Do you guys have any idea what it could be? I checked the bearings but they looked fine to me, but then again I´m no mechanic.
The bike was taken out this may so it´s kinda new and I have just ridden technical terrain in the woods, no downhill or anything. The mechs at the store thought it would be a little early for the bearings to wear out, but you never know.

I´ll attach a photo of where the problem is.
Hope someone have a clue.

View attachment 835950
There shouldn't be any play at all. There is an axle that presses into the bearings right there. The only thing that I can think of is that the inside of the bearing may be moving and giving you play. There is also a shim on one side of the axle. If the shim is somehow missing, the link could be loose. I'd assume it's something that will likely be a warranty repair. There is a special tool to press out the linkage axles that you can order from Cannondale Experts if you want to give it a go yourself, but depending on what sort of relationship you have with your shop, your best bet may be to have them remedy the issue.
Tool Link:
Cannondale Jekyll Pivot Tool - KP169/ - CannondaleExperts.com
 
#13 ·
Yeah I guess but both the mechanics are off today so I have to wait til tomorrow.
How can I check the bearings myself? I just had a look and greased them again and put everything back in place hoping it would sort it out but it didn´t.
And what I could see the bearings looked OK, but then again, what do I know about that. :D
 
#17 ·
Just putting grease on the outside doesn't really do anything for you. These bearings are sealed and you'd need to open them up to properly grease them. Lubing them won't take care of the issue you have with lateral movement. Does the inner race of the bearing move at all, and does the axle move when you have it in the bearing? That's where I'd assume you're getting movement. If either of those is the case, you'll likely need new bearings, and should push the shop hard to have them give you warranty replacements.
 
#18 ·
Yeah they rotate fine and as they should. The axle seems pretty stiff sideways. I guess that it should rotate.
And it isn´t the axle that moves around it´s the actual seatstay that moves 1-2mm side to side.
When I sit on the bike and bounce I can´t feel the play, it´s when I turn it that I can feel it crank sideways a bit and here a little poppy sound. It´s like the space between the seatstay and the Shock Link has gotten wider.
 
#19 ·
If the seatstay is moving and the axle is staying in place, then the only thing that I can think of would be that the seatstay itself isn't locked onto the axle. There should be about 1.5mm on each side between the seatstay and the seat tube in that pivot. Mine moved over a little when I had the shock out and the swingarm dropped too much, but was easily pushed back over and stayed put. I get a bit of a clicking sound out of my shock at times, and have had it rebuilt twice. Only to have it keep clicking, but work perfectly fine. I've given up on that battle. As far as the movement though, a bearing replacement could be an easy fix, or if worse, there could some sort of defect with your seatstay...
 
#20 ·
From what you have said, i would suggest that you / or the shop strip down the whole of the rear end and rebuild it making sure all the gaps, pivots and axles are aligned perfectly, have the correct gaps and all pinch bolts are torqued correctly. I have had slight "axle" movement on my Jekylls and found it was due to things not been perfectly aligned.

Also, while its stripped down, make sure that none of the axles or pivots or bearings have signs wear.

I would also take out the shock and check that the shock mounts/spacers and bushings are not slack or worn.
 
#21 ·
Thanks for the tips both of you.
I´m thinking of going to the shop tomorrow and get this sorted out.
Was planning on doing some downhill tomorrow but I guess that's a bad idea with a linkage that's loose...

I´ll update you when I got any news so maybe this thread can help more people.

Thanks again guys, appreciate it.
 
#22 ·
Do any of you guys have the manual for how things should be aligned?
The schematics in the bike-manual isn't that great and I read here that instructions comes with the tool. Would be much appreciated if someone could sen me a PDF or something since it will take some time to get that special tool here in Sweden.

Or if you could explain exactly how things should be put together.
The shop have never seen this kind of linkage and wasn't aware of how it should be serviced.
 
#24 ·
So I fixed the play in the linkage. It was the shim that had come loose. Even thou I opened it up two times and put it together again but still I had the movement sideways.
Today I decided to go on it once again and this time I checked the axle a bit more so now I understand how it works and was able to sort it out.

The shim wasn't pushed in all the way and therefore it didn't lock the axle in the right place.

Now it's rock solid again with no play at all. Finally! Now I can teach the mechanics at my bikeshop something hehe.

I guess it's easier with that KP-169-tool but I managed to fix it without it. If you have to remove the bearings you might need it thou.

Thanks again guys for all the tips on this. I learned something new today!
 
#26 ·
Hopefully you can help me out with a query about the spacers on the pivot bolts at the back of the seat stay. I had a small crack in the seat stay that I had fixed and when I put it back together I had expected that the spacers for the pivot bolts would slip inside the bearing, but they sit on the outside of the bearing. Is this correct or have I potentially not reassembled it correctly?
 
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