Voima: removing links from the swing arm

[megabobra]

I've looking for a creak (yes a creak, not crack ) in the Voima frame. I'm guessing it's just some grit that's worked its way somewhere it shouldn't, so I want to pull off the swing arms and linkages and to clean them up/check bearings. I can reproduce the creak by grabbing the end of each swing arm (with wheel/axle removed) and pushing them in opposite directions, one up and one down. Same thing by pushing/pulling on the top of the wheel laterally when installed.

I see the links come off the frame easy with the self-extracting screws, but has anyone removed the links from the swing arms? You can see them being installed in Leo's build video here @ 2:39:


Thoughts?

 

[Durrti]

With it being extremely hard/expensive to replace parts on this thing, I’d search every other possible place before I’d pull the links. I had a seat post that gave me a nasty creak that I would’ve sworn was in the linkage. I’d even try some spray lube in the links before I’d pull it apart. Just my 2¢.

 

[Hiltix]

I would ask here: [email protected]

 

[Paul Mac]

Creak will probably be seat post, that's common on the voima, easily cured with a bit if grease.
But the swing arm links are easy to remove.
I just undo the retaining caps about half way and then tap them down lightly with a nylon hammer while holding the link bar and it just pulls off.

 

[megabobra]

Creak will probably be seat post, that's common on the voima, easily cured with a bit if grease.
But the swing arm links are easy to remove.
I just undo the retaining caps about half way and then tap them down lightly with a nylon hammer while holding the link bar and it just pulls off.

Thanks Paul. I bet you're right. I've experimented in the past with adding grease to the seat post but found that it seemed to attract a lot of fine dirt/sand, particularly through the clamp.

Interesting that the manual specifically says do not use grease on the post - I wonder if it's for this reason?

 

[Hiltix]

The grease didn't work for me for long. I then used copper paste. Since then it has been quiet, even on the crank arms and the handlebar stem. I can really recommend it.

 

[megabobra]

Well I got the links off the swing arms and gave everything a good clean up. There was some abrasion on the surface of one quarter of each of the rear links, as well as on the mating surface of the frame. When the bike's upright, it's the upper portion of the links where sand/dirt can sit and become wedged between it and the frame. Some pics below.

After putting it all back together, the creak remained! So I pulled out the dropper and post clamp, cleaned up both and reinstalled (no grease) - creak gone! So it was simply the seat post again, good one @Paul Mac. It was worth cleaning out that buildup on the swinglinks though.

If the creaky dropper comes back, I'll try some copper paste, thanks @Hiltix!

 

[Sijmes]

Creak will probably be seat post, that's common on the voima, easily cured with a bit if grease.
But the swing arm links are easy to remove.
I just undo the retaining caps about half way and then tap them down lightly with a nylon hammer while holding the link bar and it just pulls off.

The seat tube seems to flex and rub on the inserted part of the dropper, I think the bottom. Greasing the whole inserted length stops this for quite a while.