Tips for cleaning cartridge bearing MTB pivots?

[Dave]

Can anyone recommend a good technique for keeping cartridge bearing
MTB pivots clean and quiet between overhauls yet won't dissolve the
grease packed into the bearings?

On my bike the pivots are sandwiched between linkages that make them
difficult to access. Dirt gets in between the link faces and causes
extremely annoying squeaks. But the bearings need lotsa grease to
operate smoothly and tearing down the link to repack them is labor-
intensive.

Ideally I'd like to find some kinda spray product that I can squirt in
there to flush out the dirt. Every cleaning product I've looked at
has either solvents or is water-based which seems bound to cause rust/
corrosion.

Any tips?

 

[Jambo]

"Dave" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On my bike the pivots are sandwiched between linkages that make them
> difficult to access. Dirt gets in between the link faces and causes
> extremely annoying squeaks. But the bearings need lotsa grease to
> operate smoothly and tearing down the link to repack them is labor-
> intensive.

The bearings will generally have seals which can withstand drips of liquid
on the pivot surfaces in contact. A normal water and detergent solution
with sponge will be sufficient. Take off the rear wheel and rear shock, and
move the linkages through their whole range while cleaning the pivot
surfaces.