Spectral ON 6.0 frame bearings failure, anyone else or just me !?

[Jonah]

Hi, finally got my Spectral On 6.0 and did about 6 rides at Cwmcarn, Afan and Glyncorrwg. Then noticed the dreaded knock and movement at the pivots, top of the chain stay pivots was quite obvious. My LBS checked and all of the frame bearings and bushings need replacing, most of them had actually seized, and it was obvious no grease was packed around them. I only wash bikes lightly using a soft brush as main tool and a light hose. Want to ask others as slightly worried this bikes suspension and pivot/bearing structure and design is not up to the task. Also got a Whyte 150 and have had 2 sets of frame bearings in 14 months, so fully aware they are a consumable and will need regular replacing and service/regrease of pivots, etc. And Whyte lifetime warranty the bearings. Thanks!

 

[adambcvg]

Wow.... I'm going to check mine out of the box when it arrives to make sure it has grease in them.

My Cannondale has done nearly 3 years before needing the top rocker ones doing, the others are still fine. I don't use any cleaning solution on it though and I don't really jump it (not an easy life though).

 

[Jonah]

Cheers, could be poor assembly practice or dodgy set from factory. I’ve used Muc off spray and have done for years? I reported to canyon and while they would send out more bearings, no real acknowledgement of the issue. Hoping it’s a one off, and will monitor from here on. I’m typically riding fast quite rocky trails usual to South Wales trail centres. Couple of drops ova few feet and some tabletops, but 150mm of suspension should have no problem coping. Otherwise really enjoyed the bike, got a lot of riding in on those few trips

 

[adambcvg]

Considering what I've seen people do on them (on the dreaded YouTube), you'd think they'd be fine... I'll still check it though before I use it.

 

[Jonah]

yeah, can’t imagine a middle aged civil servant such as me is riding harder than Fabian Barel....

 

[G-Bru]

I have clocked 106 miles on my month old 7.0. Do a lot of small to medium size jumps and some rooty single track, no issues so far, but will keep an eye on it.

 

[Peaky Rider]

I stopped using the cleaning agents, of the sort you mention, anywhere near bearings many years ago, based on my personal experiences.

 

[Jonnymac]

Hi I've had similar issues with my 8.0 as have two of my buddies who both have 7.0's. With all 3 bikes we have found that the plastic bushing is the item that is causing excessive play. The play is where the rear shock extended bolts to the pivot and is noticable when you lift the bike by the seat.
Canyon don't list the parts on their website but you can buy them by contacting canyon through the web chat. The item is part #10000068 (shown as Part #23 on the exploded parts diagram) and costs £2.95 for a pack of two bushes. Its relatively simple to fit although the old bush takes a bit of digging out and generally falls to bits in the process. In all cases when we have replaced them it solves the play issue immediately. With all our bikes this bush failed with less than 1000 miles on the bikes so I expect it will be an item that needs regular replacement. All the other bearings on the bikes are holding up well for now. See exploded parts diagram attached

 

[Jonah]

Thanks mate, that would make sense, and as bushings they’ll take a beating. I can keep n eye on those when bike is back. If you are using a bushing tool that works on these great if you could let me know what it is and where from. Thanks again

 

[steve_sordy]

Some bikes just have poor design when it comes to protecting the bearings from water ingress. I had a Norco Sight 1 (Canadian clockwork bike) and all the frame bearings failed in 8 months! The replacements each went within 6-8 months thereafter. I had the bike over three years and it didn't matter how much I paid for the bearings or what type I bought, they continued to be consumed at the same rate. But I loved the bike!
But my British Whyte T130 has a lifetime guarantee! In more than two years of use, there is no detectable play anywhere (that's jinxed that then!)

 

[Jonah]

Cheers, think you’re right. Got a 6 year old yeti ASR 5 my son now rides, bearings still good as new. I do consider them a consumable, but want a bit more life out of them. Got a whyte s150 and 2 sets in 13 months, but at least they are lifetime warrantied. I am being forgiving as the rides I have had were really good, so will be getting grease into the pivotpoints when I can.

 

[steve_sordy]

..........., so will be getting grease into the pivotpoints when I can.

I was told NOT to put grease into the pivot points as it just attracts dirt and creates a grinding paste. The grease has to go into the actual bearing. I have read that the way to do this is to use a sharp pick and tease out the bearing seal and then to fill the bearing with a water resistant grease. I have never done this myself on a pivot bearing. But I have done it once on a bottom bracket bearing when it was already knackered and I was trying to get one more ride out of it before the replacement came. It worked, but I didn't try for a second ride!

 

[Tamas]

My first thing with full suspension bikes is to disassemble the linkages and pack the bearings with grease (and do this twice a year). I also coat the outside of the bearings with grease because the seals keep the grease in but not the water out. This way I can get some decent life out of them.

 

[Jonah]

Good advice, will have to give this a go, cheers

 

[pegasus]

No problems with mine so far albeit a womens 6.0 and had it for nearly a year now, but will keep an eye on it.

 

[Indigo]

Don't grease suspension "pivot point" bushes! *

Way back in '97, I bought a AMP Research B4 full suspension MTB and was worried about having to replace suspension pivot point bushings, so I oiled them thinking it would make them last longer. The oil attracted dirt and they wore out prematurely. 1-2 years later the rear end was weaving side to side as I peddled, so I contacted AMP to obtain new bushes. AMP were surprised and wanted to know why they failed. When I told them what I had done, they explained that the bushings had a special coating that was expected to last the lifetime of the frame. They sent me new bushes (for free) with the explicit instruction to never use any lubricant (wet or dry).

* Maybe? If the bushes appear to have no special surface treatment, then they probably were assembled with graphite dust (that locksmith's use). It's an almost invisible extremely fine dust (Graphene) and completely dry, so it won't attract dirt. But I wouldn't consider using anything else.

 

[Clansey]

Hi I've had similar issues with my 8.0 as have two of my buddies who both have 7.0's. With all 3 bikes we have found that the plastic bushing is the item that is causing excessive play. The play is where the rear shock extended bolts to the pivot and is noticable when you lift the bike by the seat.
Canyon don't list the parts on their website but you can buy them by contacting canyon through the web chat. The item is part #10000068 (shown as Part #23 on the exploded parts diagram) and costs £2.95 for a pack of two bushes. Its relatively simple to fit although the old bush takes a bit of digging out and generally falls to bits in the process. In all cases when we have replaced them it solves the play issue immediately. With all our bikes this bush failed with less than 1000 miles on the bikes so I expect it will be an item that needs regular replacement. All the other bearings on the bikes are holding up well for now. See exploded parts diagram attached

390 miles on my 8.0, just noticed the exact play you are referring to. Cheers for this post I will contact Canyon. As they didn't last long and are relatively cheap I may stock up on them.

I am also getting play in the headset and suspect those bearings may be goosed too ?

 

[Clansey]

@Jonnymac any tools required to fit the bushings?

 

[sw1e]

I've just replaced the plastic bushes for the ones specified in the document above,either the spec sheet is wrong or the originals are a different spec because they are not quite the same. The original are slightly smaller and the Z bushes I've used look a higher quality, also the spec sheet says 9mm Z bush, they don't make a 9mm bush.
Find article numbers and information

 

[Jonnymac]

@Jonnymac any tools required to fit the bushings?

They are relatively easy to remove and refit with basic tools however I tend to use the excellent RRP bearing removal and insert tool kit. The RRP kit is a wise investment for when it comes to removing and refitting the other suspension bearings.
I purchased the RRP kit from Wych Bearings for approx £50.00 along with Kit 6a and Kit 7 which allows you to replace the 6801 and 6901 bearings.

 

[Jamsxr]

My 2016 YT Jeffsy has a similar problem, cheap Chinese bearings and not much grease. I beleave they have sorted this out now but definitely something to watch out for.

 

[steve_sordy]

A mate of mine has just bought a Spectral On and I emailed him a link to this thread. He replied that he knew about it. One of the bike mags had a Spectral On on test and had the same failure. When they reported back to Canyon, they said that the wrong material had been specified and it was now fixed. This would explain why the replacements look different (earlier post).

Shouldn't Canyon issue a recall and get the dealers to do a free replacement?

 

[Clansey]

So I spoke with Canyon and ordered some bearings, the guy was pretty annoying and kept asking for detailed photographs. In the end I just gave him the part number and bought them. I think I will get some pictures and send them in anyway in the hopes of getting some spares. In total cost me about £12.60 including the £6.99 shipping

Edit: I was going back through some GoPro footage and I found where they failed. My bike didn't feel as sturdy after and at the time I thought it was the headset or loose spokes. It wasn't a nasty feature just a fairly big G-out at the bottom of a hill.

Edit 2: Happens at 16 minute mark. Wouldn't let me link at a specific time

 

[Clansey]

So the bushings arrived and I have replaced them. It's fixed the play so cheers! The new bushings were the same as the old ones so hopefully this doesn't happen again soon.

You can see from the images that the old ones were oval shaped.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have to ask, but what is plastic doing in a load bearing component?

I accept that not all plastics are the same and that I'm sure that high impact, high strength plastic can be found. But it doesn't look like they have specified the correct one, does it?

 

[Clansey]

I have to ask, but what is plastic doing in a load bearing component?

I accept that not all plastics are the same and that I'm sure that high impact, high strength plastic can be found. But it doesn't look like they have specified the correct one, does it?

I have to agree. I'm no mechanic or structural engineer but if it happens again I will be taking it further with Canyon. The old ones were very flimsy and practically fell out the bike once the screw was out.

 

[sw1e]

The ones specified in doc above are the ones I use, they were a bronze colour, a higher quality according to the website. Time will tell if they last any longer.

 

[andy6781]

I had the exact same issue with my 6.0. I sent the bike back to the uk service centre and the bushings were replaced under warranty. Apparently this isn't a common fault, the words of canyon. My bike had around 400miles on the clock at the time I noticed the knocking, which is concerning.

I must admit that I was extremely disappointed by this. My 2013 canyon nerve is still going strong with no issues at all.

 

[Clansey]

I had the exact same issue with my 6.0. I sent the bike back to the uk service centre and the bushings were replaced under warranty. Apparently this isn't a common fault, the words of canyon. My bike had around 400miles on the clock at the time I noticed the knocking, which is concerning.

I must admit that I was extremely disappointed by this. My 2013 canyon nerve is still going strong with no issues at all.

I was speaking to someone at the weekend who had the same issue and when he sent his bike back it took two months and came back with dents and scratches. He got a load of compensation

 

[Jamsxr]

I had the exact same issue with my 6.0. I sent the bike back to the uk service centre and the bushings were replaced under warranty. Apparently this isn't a common fault, the words of canyon. My bike had around 400miles on the clock at the time I noticed the knocking, which is concerning.

I must admit that I was extremely disappointed by this. My 2013 canyon nerve is still going strong with no issues at all.

You’ve not changed bearings since 2013!?