Part # 1: Orbea Rise - Upper Linkage Axle and Bearing Service

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
I didn’t notice a difference, it had felt good but I was hearing a creak that I thought was coming from one of the pivots. After greasing everything but the main pivot, I think the noise is actually coming from the derailleur cable housing (between the front and rear triangle) rubbing on the frame.
The lower pivot will also create a creaking noise. The upper pivot has a sound that will sound like a saddle rail creaking whereas the lower pivot axle will make a slightly different and deeper creaking sound. I usually end up lubricating both axles every few months, otherwise you end up going back and forth between the axles, chasing creaks. It's the cost of doing business....
 

Richridesmtb

Member
Jan 23, 2022
207
96
Australia
The lower pivot will also create a creaking noise. The upper pivot has a sound that will sound like a saddle rail creaking whereas the lower pivot axle will make a slightly different and deeper creaking sound. I usually end up lubricating both axles every few months, otherwise you end up going back and forth between the axles, chasing creaks. It's the cost of doing business....
Rod, do you have to replace the o'ring in the lower pivot each time? Mine was completely chewed up and had part of it poking through the splits in the axle. I plan on buying a handful of new ones. 16mm ID by 2mm is unfortunately not a very standard size.
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Rich how's it going? Thus far, I've greased my lower pivot about six times, I've never had to replace the "O" ring yet. I'm wondering if there's another issue.

1. Confirm that the thin steel backing washer is installed first onto the axle and then the "O" ring?

2. If the two items are installed correctly, then it's likely something is cutting the "O" ring. With your finger, feel inside the carbon fiber cavity on the chain stay assembly (where the bushing inserts) and make sure a loose fiber isn't cutting the "O" ring. I would check the shoulder on the bushing where the "O" ring makes contact to see if a sharp edge is cutting the ring. Lastly, I would feel the castellation splits on the lower axle and see if one of those isn't slicing and dicing the "O" Ring.

3. If everything checks out fine, then we need to next look at torque settings. The "O" ring's purpose is to seal the outer diameter of the axle where it makes contact with the bushing. This keeps dirt and water from getting into the inside of the bushing. Neither the axle or bushing spins or moves when the axle is tightened and torqued. The correct torque setting for the axle is 20Nm. If the axle/bushing isn't tightened enough it could be moving enough to work back and forth on the "O" ring and cut it. Also if the axle is over tightened, it could be pinching the "O" ring. I'd barrow another torque wrench and check it against your torque wrench. In the past I've had torque wrenches go out of calibration.

4. Examine your bushing and axle for wear. Does it look like the bushing may be worn enough so that it's sort of wobbling on the axle and creating a grinding motion?

5. Lastly, I'd grease the living shit out of the "O" ring and bushing, both outer diameter and inner diameter and see if this prevents the "O" ring from being cut.

Let me know how you make out my friend.


Screenshot 2022-04-09 14.43.05.jpg
 

neilo

Member
Jan 25, 2022
50
21
Australia
View attachment 80734

3) Hold the left (Non-drive side) linkage arm in your hand and insert the axle into the left linkage arm. Apply blue thread locker onto a linkage arm pinch bolt and thread it into the arm. Insure the axle is fully seated into the linkage arm and torque the pinch bolt to 10 N.m

Hi Rod, just want to check the right torque setting on these pinch bolts. Your picture says 15 Nm but the text says 10 Nm?

Cheers.
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Hi Rod, just want to check the right torque setting on these pinch bolts. Your picture says 15 Nm but the text says 10 Nm?

Cheers.
Neilo,
The correct torque is 10Nm. I cut and pasted that diagram from the Orbea's Rise Blue Paper, months back. I never noticed the inconsistency. I checked Orbea's newest Rise blue paper and it's been corrected to 10Nm. Thank you for letting me know. I'll edit my post and throw up a new diagram with the correct torque.

Cheers
 

cookie70

Active member
Mar 23, 2022
204
152
Central Coast, Australia
I have just had a look at my upper axle and notice I can laterally move it slightly. I dont know if that is normal and guess I should loosen the pinch bolt and use the preload tool to make sure it is tight? Bike has done about 400km
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
I have just had a look at my upper axle and notice I can laterally move it slightly. I dont know if that is normal and guess I should loosen the pinch bolt and use the preload tool to make sure it is tight? Bike has done about 400km
Cookie,
With the linkage arm preload adjusted correctly there should not be any side to side lateral play. Also, the axle should not be visible between the frame and linkage arm.

I would suggest buying a bottle of Loctite 638 cylindrical retaining compound. If you have lateral play, this would tend to indicate the linkage arms shifted on the axle. It’s also possible the pre-load was not set correctly when the bike was assembled, however, I suspect the linkage arms opened up a bit.
The 638 retaining compound will help prevent the linkage arms from moving and causing lateral play. 638 compound allows future disassembly and can be remove

I would also suggest that you disassemble the upper pivot assembly. Clean everything up. Your pivot bearings should be fine with only 400Km on the bike. Give the linkage bearing points and hardware where it’s called for in the Rise Blue paper, a new coating of water proof grease.

Use the 638 cylindrical retaining compound on the axle splines as per the Rise Blue Paper installation instructions.

It’s critical you set the correct torque settings when you reassemble everything (No guessing). If you have yet to purchase a quality Nm torque wrench I would do so. Try to buy one that has a lower scale i.e. 1 to 25Nm. It’ll be more accurate on the lower torque settings than say a torque wrench with a 1 to 200 Nm scale.

Amazon sells the PRO BIKE TOOL 1/4 Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench Set - 2 to 20 Nm that isn’t super expensive and I find works well at lower torque settings.
 

cookie70

Active member
Mar 23, 2022
204
152
Central Coast, Australia
Cookie,
With the linkage arm preload adjusted correctly there should not be any side to side lateral play. Also, the axle should not be visible between the frame and linkage arm.

I would suggest buying a bottle of Loctite 638 cylindrical retaining compound. If you have lateral play, this would tend to indicate the linkage arms shifted on the axle. It’s also possible the pre-load was not set correctly when the bike was assembled, however, I suspect the linkage arms opened up a bit.
The 638 retaining compound will help prevent the linkage arms from moving and causing lateral play. 638 compound allows future disassembly and can be remove

I would also suggest that you disassemble the upper pivot assembly. Clean everything up. Your pivot bearings should be fine with only 400Km on the bike. Give the linkage bearing points and hardware where it’s called for in the Rise Blue paper, a new coating of water proof grease.

Use the 638 cylindrical retaining compound on the axle splines as per the Rise Blue Paper installation instructions.

It’s critical you set the correct torque settings when you reassemble everything (No guessing). If you have yet to purchase a quality Nm torque wrench I would do so. Try to buy one that has a lower scale i.e. 1 to 25Nm. It’ll be more accurate on the lower torque settings than say a torque wrench with a 1 to 200 Nm scale.

Amazon sells the PRO BIKE TOOL 1/4 Inch Drive Click Torque Wrench Set - 2 to 20 Nm that isn’t super expensive and I find works well at lower torque settings.
Hi Rod,
Thanks for the detailed reply. Should this be rectified by the dealer or would this be considered as normal wear and tear?
I have all the tools and ability to do the work but having this issue so early in the life of the bike makes me nervous about longevity.
Thanks
Cookie
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Hi Rod,
Thanks for the detailed reply. Should this be rectified by the dealer or would this be considered as normal wear and tear?
I have all the tools and ability to do the work but having this issue so early in the life of the bike makes me nervous about longevity.
Thanks
Cookie
Hi Rod,
Thanks for the detailed reply. Should this be rectified by the dealer or would this be considered as normal wear and tear?
I have all the tools and ability to do the work but having this issue so early in the life of the bike makes me nervous about longevity.
Thanks
Cookie
I’d consider it normal wear and tear. Once you‘ve do it a few times, you’ll dial the process in and realize it’s a quick and easy fix. The Rise is such an outstanding bike, but it does have some minor weaknesses such as the pivot axles not being sealed and which need to be greased every few months if you ride in a wet or dusty environment or wash your bike a lot. Also, the linkage arms will occasionally shift and cause lateral play. it’s all a “No biggie” after you’ve done it the first time. Send me a message if you have any questions or need help with anything.

Here’s my shortcut process for a quick preload adjustment without disassembling or messing with anything, i.e. grease, cylindrical retainer compound, etc.
1. Loosen the right (drive side) linkage arm pinch bolt
2. Using a rubber mallet, tap the left (non-drive side) linkage arm over with a rubber mallet so that the axle and linkage are are fully seated against the frame.
3. Thread the pre-load tool into the right, drive side of the axle.
4. Tighten the pre-load tool until it stops. Don’t continue forcing it, you will damage the rubber spacer ring on the preload tool. Just thread the preload tool in until it’s tight.
5. Torque the right linkage arm pinch bolt to spec. Remove preload tool.
6. Go ride like your hair’s on fire….
 

cookie70

Active member
Mar 23, 2022
204
152
Central Coast, Australia
Thanks for the detailed how-to. I followed the instructions and have it without play now.

The person putting the locktite on the original assembly must been trying to save the company some money the day they did mine!!

1654293967816.png
 

Malicefox

Member
Apr 21, 2022
18
16
USA
Thank you for this guide! 30 miles in on my Rise, and its creeking like an old barn door in the wind from that pivot.
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Thank you for this guide! 30 miles in on my Rise, and its creeking like an old barn door in the wind from that pivot.
Yep, I had a similar experience. I found that exposure to water causes the grease used by the Orbea factory during assembly to wash off the pivot axles where they make contact with the frame pivot bearings. The creaking starts off with a light occasional creak but will get progressively louder with time as the aluminum axle works back and forth on the steel bearings. Note that the lower pivot axle will also dry up and cause a similar but deeper sounding creaking noise.

Because the upper and lower pivot axles are not sealed, the axle grease tends to erode quickly and they will need to be taken off every few months or so and re-greased. During the upper re-grease process, I also set the upper axle preload using the pre-load tool. If you can, buy a waterproof grease such as Schaeffer 219 SynForce Green. It will last much longer than a non water resistant grease.


 

Malicefox

Member
Apr 21, 2022
18
16
USA
Yep, I had a similar experience. I found that exposure to water causes the grease used by the Orbea factory during assembly to wash off the pivot axles where they make contact with the frame pivot bearings. The creaking starts off with a light occasional creak but will get progressively louder with time as the aluminum axle works back and forth on the steel bearings. Note that the lower pivot axle will also dry up and cause a similar but deeper sounding creaking noise.

Because the upper and lower pivot axles are not sealed, the axle grease tends to erode quickly and they will need to be taken off every few months or so and re-greased. During the upper re-grease process, I also set the upper axle preload using the pre-load tool. If you can, buy a waterproof grease such as Schaeffer 219 SynForce Green. It will last much longer than a non water resistant grease.



heh i live in california too, this bike will probably never see water. tho i do "dust" it off after rides haha. i have a tube of Park Tools HPG-I that I use on my other bikes with pretty good results so far. If that doesnt work well enough, i may look into your recomendation. Thanks for that :D
 

BiGJZ74

E*POWAH Master
Subscriber
Mar 17, 2021
573
444
American Canyon, CA
Curiously, I haven't *touch wood* had this issue with my Rallon. It uses practically the same design. I should really give it a service.
When I swapped linkages on my 2018 Rallon to the 2020 version, The Rallon had extremely tight tolerances and was difficult to remove. Rise linkage to spline connection is loose by comparison. 1000's of miles on my Rallon and never any play ever and don't expect any
 

beholdtheflesh

New Member
Jun 6, 2022
20
23
Denver, CO, US
My H15 started creaking under load after about a month, so I decided to do the "quick disassembly" of the upper linkage arm. What I found was the arm, the bearings, the axle, and the bolts were all caked with greasy dirt. I cleaned it all up, applied some fresh grease to the bolts, and re-assembled.

I have one comment, and one question below.

The comment - I ran into an interesting hiccup during reassembly. On one side, the large "shock extender bolt" did not sit flush with the arm after torquing it down to the specified 15nm. The threads did sit flush, but the head of the bolt was sticking out a bit. I pulled that arm off and discovered that the larger bearing appeared to not be seated all the way in the arm. There was about a 0.5mm to 1mm "gap" that had filled with the aforementioned greasy dirt. I cleaned out the gap, and did a few gentle taps while holding the arm using the bolt - that seemed to seat the bearing a bit better. After reassembling, the bolt head now sits flush again. I wish I took pictures or remembered if this was how it was before I took it apart. Maybe a bit of sloppy assembly from the factory?

Seems like my creak is gone though!

And the question - the axle seems to be seated all the way into the arm on the left side, but on the right side (thread side) it is almost, but not quite all the way seated into the arm. I did use the preload tool. Is this normal?
 

BiGJZ74

E*POWAH Master
Subscriber
Mar 17, 2021
573
444
American Canyon, CA
My H15 started creaking under load after about a month, so I decided to do the "quick disassembly" of the upper linkage arm. What I found was the arm, the bearings, the axle, and the bolts were all caked with greasy dirt. I cleaned it all up, applied some fresh grease to the bolts, and re-assembled.

I have one comment, and one question below.

The comment - I ran into an interesting hiccup during reassembly. On one side, the large "shock extender bolt" did not sit flush with the arm after torquing it down to the specified 15nm. The threads did sit flush, but the head of the bolt was sticking out a bit. I pulled that arm off and discovered that the larger bearing appeared to not be seated all the way in the arm. There was about a 0.5mm to 1mm "gap" that had filled with the aforementioned greasy dirt. I cleaned out the gap, and did a few gentle taps while holding the arm using the bolt - that seemed to seat the bearing a bit better. After reassembling, the bolt head now sits flush again. I wish I took pictures or remembered if this was how it was before I took it apart. Maybe a bit of sloppy assembly from the factory?

Seems like my creak is gone though!

And the question - the axle seems to be seated all the way into the arm on the left side, but on the right side (thread side) it is almost, but not quite all the way seated into the arm. I did use the preload tool. Is this normal?
I was amazed at how much dirt and grime was in between the linkages & the bearings when I removed everything to add Loctite 638 retaining compound to the Main pivot axle splines. All of the bearings...seat stays, yoke mount, and main pivot were grimy. I've only had the bike since end of February...maybe about 25 rides. To answer ur question, my thread side seems to be fully seated.
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
My H15 started creaking under load after about a month, so I decided to do the "quick disassembly" of the upper linkage arm. What I found was the arm, the bearings, the axle, and the bolts were all caked with greasy dirt. I cleaned it all up, applied some fresh grease to the bolts, and re-assembled.

I have one comment, and one question below.

The comment - I ran into an interesting hiccup during reassembly. On one side, the large "shock extender bolt" did not sit flush with the arm after torquing it down to the specified 15nm. The threads did sit flush, but the head of the bolt was sticking out a bit. I pulled that arm off and discovered that the larger bearing appeared to not be seated all the way in the arm. There was about a 0.5mm to 1mm "gap" that had filled with the aforementioned greasy dirt. I cleaned out the gap, and did a few gentle taps while holding the arm using the bolt - that seemed to seat the bearing a bit better. After reassembling, the bolt head now sits flush again. I wish I took pictures or remembered if this was how it was before I took it apart. Maybe a bit of sloppy assembly from the factory?

Seems like my creak is gone though!

And the question - the axle seems to be seated all the way into the arm on the left side, but on the right side (thread side) it is almost, but not quite all the way seated into the arm. I did use the preload tool. Is this normal?
Beholdtheflesh,
That's so awesome, I'm happy to hear you found the article useful and got rid of the axle creak. That creak drove me nuts. Don't forget about the lower axle. It will also start to creak in a month or so. It's an easy fix. You got this..!

The shock extender bolt should fit flush. I'm guessing the Orbea assembler wasn't paying attention and may have thought the bearing was fully seated. It's a long shot, but it's possible the shoulder of the bolt may have been a bit frozen to the bearing. As you backed the bolt out, it may have pulled the bearing with it a little bit. Good eye catching it.

When you look at the threaded side of the axle after pre-load has been set with the tool and everything has been tightened, there should be a small gap between the end of the axle and linkage arm. The gap you see is the width of the hard rubber spacer on the pre-load tool.

If your curious, here's how the pre-load tool works. When you thread the preload tool into the axle, the hard rubber spacer bottoms out on the axle. The alloy portion of the tool bottoms out on the linkage arm. The hard rubber spaces the axle and linkage arm out and prevents the axle from being completely pulled/seated into the linkage arm. If the axle were to fully seat in the linkage arm, both linkage arms would be pushed tight against the frame/bearings and the pivot linkage would bind. The gap which you are seeing, allows the correct amount of slack between the linkage arms and the frame.

Here's a picture of my axle with pre-load set. The shiny stuff you see is Loctite 638 cylindrical retaining compound.
IMG_1467.jpg
 

beholdtheflesh

New Member
Jun 6, 2022
20
23
Denver, CO, US
Here's a picture of my axle with pre-load set. The shiny stuff you see is Loctite 638 cylindrical retaining compound.

Super helpful, thanks! This is exactly what mine looks like.

2 more questions if you don't mind. Looking at the blue paper for the Rise Hydro 2022, there is no mention of retaining compound on the splines, and the pinch bolt torque is listed as 15nm. Should I assume this is the most up to date instruction, and follow it? I attached the relevant pages as a screenshot.

linkage.png
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Super helpful, thanks! This is exactly what mine looks like.

2 more questions if you don't mind. Looking at the blue paper for the Rise Hydro 2022, there is no mention of retaining compound on the splines, and the pinch bolt torque is listed as 15nm. Should I assume this is the most up to date instruction, and follow it? I attached the relevant pages as a screenshot.

View attachment 90123
When I produced the tech article, it was made for the Rise M Carbon model. I don't think the Hydro had been released yet.

Even though the linkage is very similar in design to the Rise Carbon, I would stick with what the Rise Hydro Blue Paper specifies and set the pinch bolt at 15Nm. You are correct, a cylindrical retaining compound is not called for on your bike. My best guess is that Orbea realized there was an issue with the linkage arms on the Rise carbon loosening up. During tooling for the Hydro, they likely tightened up the machining tolerances on the axle and linkage arms.

I never used any retaining compound for the first 2,000 miles on my bike. It was only recently that my linkage arms began to loosen up. I would keep the retaining compound in the back of your mind. If you start having an issue with the arms shifting on the axle, then use the Loctite 638. It won't hurt anything on your bike as it's made to be removable. However, if you don't need it, then there's no need to waste money on it.

If you have any modification questions, brakes, suspension, etc. shoot me a message.
 

BiGJZ74

E*POWAH Master
Subscriber
Mar 17, 2021
573
444
American Canyon, CA
When I produced the tech article, it was made for the Rise M Carbon model. I don't think the Hydro had been released yet.

Even though the linkage is very similar in design to the Rise Carbon, I would stick with what the Rise Hydro Blue Paper specifies and set the pinch bolt at 15Nm. You are correct, a cylindrical retaining compound is not called for on your bike. My best guess is that Orbea realized there was an issue with the linkage arms on the Rise carbon loosening up. During tooling for the Hydro, they likely tightened up the machining tolerances on the axle and linkage arms.

I never used any retaining compound for the first 2,000 miles on my bike. It was only recently that my linkage arms began to loosen up. I would keep the retaining compound in the back of your mind. If you start having an issue with the arms shifting on the axle, then use the Loctite 638. It won't hurt anything on your bike as it's made to be removable. However, if you don't need it, then there's no need to waste money on it.

If you have any modification questions, brakes, suspension, etc. shoot me a message.
Rise H linkage arms are really loose. Had creaking in my first 100 miles...at 1st i thought it was my seat. Took a while until I noticed play in the main pivot which I assumed was loose from factory. I tightened to spec and loosened after about 15 miles into a 25 mile ride. Then Loosened after each successive ride. Found a few threads on this forum to find out about the retaining compound. I finally used 638 yesterday....hope I used enough as I've never used anything like it before. we shall see. If my Rallon linkage tightness was a 10/10...i'd rate the Rise H as a 2/10. All I had to do to remove was loosen the pinch bolt and pull...took all but 5 seconds to remove whereas my Rallon took an hour.
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Rise H linkage arms are really loose. Had creaking in my first 100 miles...at 1st i thought it was my seat. Took a while until I noticed play in the main pivot which I assumed was loose from factory. I tightened to spec and loosened after about 15 miles into a 25 mile ride. Then Loosened after each successive ride. Found a few threads on this forum to find out about the retaining compound. I finally used 638 yesterday....hope I used enough as I've never used anything like it before. we shall see. If my Rallon linkage tightness was a 10/10...i'd rate the Rise H as a 2/10. All I had to do to remove was loosen the pinch bolt and pull...took all but 5 seconds to remove whereas my Rallon took an hour.
Please keep me posted on whether the retaining compound is successful at keeping the linkage arms from opening up.

Here's what my axle looked like when it finally began slipping a lot and I replaced it.
IMG_1470.jpg
 

Evolution Stu

E*POWAH Master
Jun 30, 2019
457
448
Blackpool. U.K.
Morning Rod,
I don’t have an Orbea but was browsing the forums over breakfast and ended up reading this really enjoyable guide.
having reached the end I just thought it deserved my time to say thanks for the massive effort you have put in to this guide to help fellow owners. Top work. 👌

Part 2 will be consumed during my lunch break. 😎
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
Morning Rod,
I don’t have an Orbea but was browsing the forums over breakfast and ended up reading this really enjoyable guide.
having reached the end I just thought it deserved my time to say thanks for the massive effort you have put in to this guide to help fellow owners. Top work. 👌

Part 2 will be consumed during my lunch break. 😎
Brother, you made my day. Thank you for the kind comments, I appreciate them. Should you be interested, I will be releasing a tech article sometime next week covering Shimano braking systems, maintenance and parts interchangeability between the component levels.

Be safe,
Rod
 

cookie70

Active member
Mar 23, 2022
204
152
Central Coast, Australia
I have now done the "shortcut process" three times and while it is easy to do, I am alarmed that is looking like needing doing after every ride. I guess I need to get the locking compound on the shaft, given the bike is 3 months old is this something the dealer should cover?
 

Evolution Stu

E*POWAH Master
Jun 30, 2019
457
448
Blackpool. U.K.
Brother, you made my day. Thank you for the kind comments, I appreciate them. Should you be interested, I will be releasing a tech article sometime next week covering Shimano braking systems, maintenance and parts interchangeability between the component levels.

Be safe,
Rod

I’m glad It added a little brightness to your day. 👌😎
As a guy who once s[ent his evening writing 8 page technical articles for a well lnown car magazine every month, I know all too well that it’s rare people just take the time to just say “thanks, enjoyed that” nowadays. Instead people always find the time to create a problem for every solution. 🧐

I have the intention of enjoying every guide you post.
I am always willing to learn new stuff. 👌😎
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
I have now done the "shortcut process" three times and while it is easy to do, I am alarmed that is looking like needing doing after every ride. I guess I need to get the locking compound on the shaft, given the bike is 3 months old is this something the dealer should cover?
cookie70,

I would first try the retaining compound yourself. The stuff works well at keeping the linkage arms on the axle.

If that doesn’t fix the issue, then I would seek a warranty claim regarding issues with the axle and or linkage arms. My guess is the bike shop will try the retaining compound first before submitting a warranty claim to Orbea.

I suggest you do the retaining compound yourself because you are familiar with the process and can knock it out fast. If you take your bike to the shop, you run the risk of being without a bike for a few days or longer.
 

cookie70

Active member
Mar 23, 2022
204
152
Central Coast, Australia
Thanks for all the advice Rod B and everyone. I did the full service on the upper axle a couple of days ago. Went mostly ok, only real issue was the drive side bearing was a little rough (surprisingly) so I repacked it with marine grease.

Picture of axle on removal
1655630731679.png


Spline all ready for assembly with loctite
1655630784174.png


I let it cure for 48hours and all solid after a brutal ride today. So hopefully this will be the last of it for a while!

1655630888906.png

cheers
 

estoril

Active member
Patreon
Sep 28, 2018
75
73
UK
I have only done about 40 miles on my Rise M-Ltd and already it's creaking like an old barn door!

I haven't stripped it down yet to check it all out but the threaded end of the upper suspension link is on the non-drive side which I think is incorrect, can someone please confirm?
 

Rod B.

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
532
926
USA, Orange County Ca.
I have only done about 40 miles on my Rise M-Ltd and already it's creaking like an old barn door!

I haven't stripped it down yet to check it all out but the threaded end of the upper suspension link is on the non-drive side which I think is incorrect, can someone please confirm?

Many of the bikes, including my Rise were assembled at the factory with the the threaded portion of the upper axle installed towards the non-drive side. I don't see how it really matters one way or the other, however the Rise Blue Paper is calling for the threaded portion to face the drive side.

Screenshot 2022-07-15 18.54.27.jpg

When I first started the tech article, I thought the creaking was the result of a lack of axle lubrication. While this may contribute to the creaking, it's now my opinion the main culprit is the linkage arm shifting on the axle and the suspension opening up. Since I've used the Loctite 638 cylindrical retaining compound, I've had no more issues with creaking or play in the rear suspension. I would also suggest using a heavy duty waterproof grease.

Eventually you'll need to disassemble the linkage again for maintenance. The retaining compound provides a secure connection. I like to use a soft rubber mallet to drive the linkage arms off of the axle. This insures the linkage arms do not get scratched or damaged during disassembly.

I use something similar to this.

Screenshot 2022-07-15 19.00.06.jpg
 

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