Giving this Mom MTB a Parts Bin Overhaul, and damaging it in the process 😬

Liv is Gian’t Women’s line, and this bike is a Liv Hail (it’s a little like a Giant Reign). It arrived with a number of issues, including really rough linkage bearings. I’ve never serviced the linkage on a Giant MTB before, which will be evident by my careless removal of the thru bolt in the center of the rocker link.
In the end, I replaced the link, installed all new bearings in the frame, and snagged a whole lot of upgrades from the parts bin. We also copped some pretty decent parts to use on future flip bikes, including a 160mm shock.
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[@TrailFeatures]

Seth shows that the best way to service a RockShox Reverb is to replace it with literally anything else. 👌

[@cok666joey]

word

[@AndreasRavnestad]

I have one on an old GT Force Carbon. As long as I keep it bled and pressurized it works okay, but wow that button murders my thumb even on short rides. I realize the Reverb was one of the early droppers on the market, but still -- what an absolutely pants design.

[@TimMaddux]

My LBS has literally offered to do the same for free labor, just so they don’t have to rebuild the existing dropper.

[@letsgocamping88]

Mine needs adjusting up an extra half inch to allow for the sag

[@benwilson7911]

Yeah totally agree mine packed up after a few months

[@llamacannon1714]

The backwards rear tire is always a classic, and using tubeless makes it even more fun. This is coming from a guy that rode his MTB with the rear tire on backwards for over a year.

[@StuffFilmedHere]

💀💀

[@DonceGT]

Is there a difference?

[@izzaelofficial6103]

did it affect your riding?

[@ylfursty9398]

Well having the rear tire backwards can lessen its performance on the trail or road and this is coming from a guy who rode and crashed his motorcycle because the rear tire was put on backwards 😑

[@natecowie1104]

I’ve had mine on backwards for about a year as well. The second I put it on I realized what I did, but honestly I haven’t really noticed anything either. I’ll fix it when it finally wears out.

[@emma-eventing]

you know you've got your content creation process dialed when an unexpected replacement part delay is just a blip in the magic of editing for viewers haha

[@seniorcajun]

Yea Seth is that good , cool right ?

[@brandonadk2711]

I've been mountain biking for years and I just recently started working on bikes, and I just now found out that tires can be put on backwards. Time to go make some adjustments in the garage I guess lol

[@davekal]

The rotation arrow is your friend.

[@kainpwnsu]

Oh yeah... I've heard this story many times. I've done many full tunes and cleanouts for free, simply because the bike was so sick and circling the drain.

[@PeterCPRail8748]

Gaint is sadly overlooked and out right dissed in the MTB community, I own an older trance 2 in my stable of bikes. I had the pleasure of testing out a 2022 29 trance x. In my opinion it outrides any modern trek, SC, rocky mountain or Kona trail bike. Fantastic climber and is nice and poppy on the downs for an all mountain trail bike. The comparables mentioned are some bikes I got to try out last few years. Giant has really stepped up there game last 5 years and is making solid bikes for a lot less money compared to other major brands.

[@maplejakee]

I also have an older trance 2 (2018) and it's a great time. The frame is great, nice and light and really snappy. Once you throw some good upgrades on it, wheels, tires, crankset, dropper and some new bars the thing rips.

[@Mike_Rogge]

I think the problem is that their stance (the cheapest full sus with the aluminum flex stays) is not at the standard of their other bikes. In order for someone to look into one of the better giants, they would have to either not know anyone who rode the stance as their second bike or ride one of the nice ones by chance at a demo day or something. Having a suboptimal experience for the new customers is not great for sales, even if every other product is great (and they are).

[@diligentyeti]

i love the trance 2

[@jamesofallthings3684]

I had a reign and it was trash.

[@djmaya3d]

These type of videos are really useful! I am getting ready to sell my current/old bike ( and canibalizing some parts out of it) So I want to make sure the next owner does not have to worry about it and can just go on the trail.

[@owensnicholas]

I have a very similar link on my Salsa, and I bent it overhauling the bike. It was a cast magnesium part, and the real fun came when I found out Salsa doesn’t sell it. They did send me one salvaged off another warrantied frame, though, for free.

[@justdrive.1117]

That is amazing customer service

[@armadillito]

Very glad to know some common sense prevails in the manufacturing and warranty world. So many systems cannot accommodate that kind of practical solution.

[@divscifres2674]

I especially enjoyed this episode -- I have that exact Liv Hail! Mine is more of a backup/Bike Park bike for me. Main ride is a Liv Pique -- 2017 was an BIG year for me and new bikes! Thanks for all you do -- I really enjoy your channels.

[@lirastolons4951]

My main ride is a Liv Pique as well 🎉

[@nsoneditz]

I love these videos, and I appreciate you taking the time to give us such good content. :)

[@nonanon666]

Bought my wife the same Hail. She's used it three times. Every month I pump the tires up and wash it. Every six months I pump up the shocks. I swear when my current Enduro breaks I'm just going to paint the Hail black and tell her it's my new bike, she'll never notice.

[@frankthetankricard]

If a shop replaced my rocker arm with a spray painted one I'd flip out. I say this fully aware that you're not a shop and you probably tried your best to find a matching replacement. Still, how is flat black spray paint acceptable? At that point you should have had it professionally painted the factory color with 2k automotive paint and clear coat. I understand you did a full service and installed better parts for free but I would still not be okay with the rattle can paint job. Owner probably didn't even notice though. :D

[@ervinfowlkes8326]

I wish we could see the owners reactions when they get their bikes back Great video!

[@hitnorcal]

All those bearings make you really want to ride a hardtail.

[@harrygrimley4352]

This was cool. Thanks for sharing this with us. Heather is lucky to have a friend like you.

[@urg0nnah8me]

Love that you touched on how Giant makes women's bikes differently than their men's bikes. Giant is overlooked far too often. They make their own frames. They even smelt the metal they use to make their frames so they get the exact blend they want. They do this with their carbon as well. They start with the fabric and weave it themselves so they can control flex points how they want. This comes into play for women's, and men's frames. You mentioned data being collected and they do this for all the different sizes. Then they take that data and weave the carbon so it's stronger where it needs to be because power output is different for different sized riders. When Giant says it's a woman's bike, that's because it was designed for a woman. It's not just a paint job and touch points. It's crazy how much Giant puts into a bike and they're cheaper than these other companies that have other companies make their frames overseas.

[@veganpotterthevegan]

People overlook the biggest bike company in the world? *A lot or those other companies pay GIANT to make their bikes😅

[@sportmedtech]

This one kind of annoyed me. Almost all of the issues are from neglect and or laziness. Laziness in cleaning, laziness in maintenance and general neglect. Regardless of the owners situation it takes no money to keep your bike clean. Most of the issues are from total negligence in cleaning or basic maintenance.

[@mamashecrazy7423]

Except if you’re a busy mom who also runs her own business. Sometimes there is just not enough hours in the day;😊

[@FeatureCreation]

@@mamashecrazy7423 bullshit

[@maplejakee]

@@mamashecrazy7423 not really an excuse. It takes 5-10 minutes after a ride to spray the bike down and add some lube. I do hope she takes care of it this time as over $1000 in upgrades were put into it

[@CobituRocobitu]

Can I work for you?😢

[@tededdy8423]

I thank this man for getting me into mountain biking 💪🐐

[@aydin334]

You're videos have helped me fix up/clean/take care of my cheap mtb and i'm really grateful, thanks!!

[@ConnorJames]

Can we start a support group for anyone who's had either their wallet, or their mental health, sabotaged by a Reverb?

[@wheatthinbecker]

I hope u thread that driveside pedal the rest of the way in lol (@ 10:42)

[@maplejakee]

Good catch

[@saltyman37]

I'm so glad the last tire I put on backwards still had a tube in it. Never happened to me again (knocking on wood) since I transitioned to tubeless 4 years ago.

[@majortom4543]

Why is it worse to do that mistake if it is tubeless? i dont have tubeless tires

[@MrFitness94]

@@majortom4543 reseating the bead can be annoying if you don’t have the proper hardware. Also wasting sealant and can get messy

[@christopherjohnston5683]

My girlfriend had the same Reverb Post, to rectify the situation, we put on the Wolftooth cable actuation swap. Now actuation is smooth and consistent, and no more sag, it's become issueless.

[@armadillito]

Another problem I didn’t know existed that wolftooth has a product to solve

[@Drt0Kkdo]

One of my favorite parts when working on bikes is that smooth feeling from moving parts after knowing they felt like a pepper grinder before service.

[@justinrieger3133]

I've been watching your videos for a little bit now but I just learned that I ride with the same community you used to ride with in South Florida. We'd love to see ya at Critical Mass some day!

[@aliens1990990]

That bike is just glorious !! 🙌 and we have all put the tyre on backwards at least once !

[@augustinepierse7735]

Your the best Seth! Love your videos, your totally my favorite channel! ❤️😃

[@chadmyles-theclevelandcyclist]

This reminds me of the first time I set my gravel bike up tubeless and I put the rear tire on backwards, twice. Made quite a mess of my apartment and I had to make a second trip to REI to purchase more tape and sealant.

[@walter9724]

Cool. I saw a liv MTB the other day. Nice bike 👍

[@AdamFischerPhotography]

Great video, though I was looking forward to seeing the rear shock and the dropper post serviced instead of replaced. But I guess it's best to just upgrade for those that can afford it.

[@dariodalcin5177]

I wanna see you fix the dropper, the shock and stuff, not just slapping a new one on!

[@boogiedownbronx73]

it just takes more time...he has all these spare parts laying around why not give it away...perhaps for another segment that would be great.

[@JasonScottCarter]

My wife got a Liv and it's fits her so much better. Woman specific geometry is something I wish more brands did

[@Durwood71]

Seth's parts bin: thousands of dollars worth of brand new high end components. My parts bin: dozens of dollars worth of broken components that I hang onto in the event that I am able to salvage good pieces like nuts and springs from.

[@SpaceShrimp-rk4rt]

I actually like this a considerable ammount more than the flip bike series. It's not that I dislike the latter but it kinda plants the illusion of you buying and selling bikes as some sort of crazy merchant. I also find that the real "profit" you make is kinda questionable. On the other hand everyone loves upgrading bikes and showing how much value a bike can provide when shown a bit of love. Anyways, please keep up the great Work (Your videos are almost cinematic)

[@alexebenoit]

Hey ☺️ do you think hardtail are better bikes for beginner? Despite the Price? I often see you on a hardtail, I was wondering. I have a double suspension but I think to sell it for a hardtail to work on my skills

[@DeeEight]

ACTUALLY you put the rear tire on for better climbing traction. The direction arrows on rear tires and the ramped profile and chevron direction to the center knobs are generally for rolling speed NOT climbing traction.

[@Monsterracing19]

hey i would love if you where to make me a bike:) i live in Australia and i have a trek marlin 5 right now with the shifter and the brake together so it limits some upgrades. my brakes do not work, i have to put all my strength into the leaver just to slow down and its becoming a problem on the trail. my suspension dose not work well and its becoming a hazard for my safety. i hope we can talk farther and see if i can give you an offer.

[@nikolauslol862]

you went so overkill with these i9 hubs! love it!!!

[@MichaelRei99]

He’ll get it back in dog grooming services.

[@valueofadventure]

Breaking parts while trying to fix them is the worst 😭 I tried to fix a bent wheel and snapped a spoke once

[@zoezombie3223]

Me literally sitting in front of giant bike with this exact linkage as you break it....👁️👄👁️

[@ronniemedlin]

Cool bike. But, watching you with those bearings and linkage on a 5 year old bike confirms for me that a hardtail is a much better option for those that want a bike they can just hop on and ride without a lot of work.

[@creativespace8637]

With this bike Seth has officially taken the Flip Bike profit to -$1200 or something

[@clay_not_dirt]

Been here since you had a closet full of bikes in Florida. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You're a gem of a human being. The videos are a nice bonus.

[@n8_vel868]

If they had brought back pimp my ride but they had a different version called pimp my bike, I feel like Seth would've stared perfectly in it with the amount of detail he goes into flipping and upgrading the bike at the same time👍

[@VintageCR]

12:48 even us 'trained' bike mechanics make this mistake, sometimes. it just happens due to the nice work flow and you forget to really think about it because you just know you'll do it right every time.🤣🤣

[@timdurachko]

About 30 minutes ago I trashed the shock mount on a ktm dirtbike and had to buy a whole new swingarm. This makes me feel much less alone in my dejectedness... 😁

[@owenfrancis-rl2tc]

same thing happened to me the bike started miss behaving and i tried to take it apart to rebuild it and found a destroyed frame their was an entire spacer missing between the bottom bracket and i ended up having to retire the bike and get a new one

[@avilaomar10]

I love that he included the part where the part broke, that some shit that hapens all the time but its cool to see play out infront of yiu

[@hudsonsfishingadventures]

Awesome vid

[@onehumanwasted4228]

Hmmm, would have been interested to see what's wrong with se seatpost or the shock and how to fix it. Just replacing them is easy (if you have an infinite parts bin, like you)

[@noliemig]

Reverb isn't worth it

[@williamhayes215]

It’s a service thing for that seat post. Just got some air in the wrong places lol. Then the shock more then likely needed a damper rebuild

[@realkilju]

Would be interesting to see a mountain biker try motocross 🤔🤔

[@rupedog]

Love the pedals colour coded to the down tube sticker/paint. Nice touch🤘

[@entithicc1133]

Day 2 of asking seth to ride his backyard trails on a cross country motorcycle

[@Bigduck876]

Can you please review the trek precaliber 24 inch with suspension

[@jaystarr6571]

For best results, store your *RockShox Reverb* securely in the _trash._

[@chrissyj.6783]

That's one pretty bike you've made a whole lot better. Nice one. There's so much technology in these modern bikes that I'd be afraid to service them myself without some guidance from people like yourself.

[@davegillette953]

Great episode I'd love to see another higher end bike rescue!

[@divyan.guruapekshith2825]

If I were to ever trust anyone to break my bike it would be Seth 😂😂

[@chimps4gimps]

The very definition of ‘used and abused’. Great work Seth 🔥👊🏼

[@Chaddlee]

A big thanks to Seth for some inspiration. When I upgraded by high street MTB to something more trail ready I added some good, cost effective new parts to me old bike to improve it and then sold it cheaply to a young lad in my town. I have since seen him on trails and at a local bike park. I lost a bit of cash selling to him, but watching him ride and enjoy the bike is worth more than the cash value. Big thanks for the inspiration.

[@TheoreticalCyclist]

Great upgrades! Nice work (as usual)! Last time, we froze the stuck shaft/axle with a can of compressed air and got it out that way.

[@roastpenguin8787]

Wow, what a bike for a mom to ride, great video

[@GTDrummingman]

I have a Giant Trance 2018 and my rocker cracked in the exact same place in 2020. I heard creaking for weeks before taking it to the bike shop. You couldn't see the crack until the whole rocker was taken off. It then took 7 months to get a new one over covid!

[@carlwilliams3488]

My wife has a Cube WLS Access, also a womens specific frame design, which she feels much more comfortable on. You can really feel the differences when you ride it compare to another Cube we have (a mans LTD Race). Well worth searching out.

[@epicmountainbikeclips5573]

Kitsuma is the best trail and probably a great shock

[@B1KER]

Can't say how many tires I've put on backwards....on video as well. #facepalm

[@gabo_cchi_san]

more bike hacks

[@matthausfrick5971]

Hi Seth, an other amzing service video. Could you please make a video where you go into detail where you buy replacement parts, like the bearings, and also make like tutorials on the services you do on these bikes? Cheers

[@urbanredneck3068]

This may be a tiny bit weird, but I'm running this same bike! Luckily it's teal so not super feminine, but virtually the same as a Giant Reign. Great bike!

[@deusexaethera]

My old ProFlex had nylon bushings rotating on anodized aluminum supports. Those things NEVER wore out. After 20 years of riding they still worked great. Dunno why anyone bothers with ball bearings in their suspension linkages. If nothing else you could get Oilite bushings that are made of sintered bronze and have oil embedded in them, so they don't have to be manually lubricated.

[@islandaerial3414]

Your definition of 'shot' bearings is different than mine. My 'shot' bearings usually fall out then I have to punch out the outer race 🤣🤔

[@ktodman3449]

You should fix up a old bmx to do 540s

[@WisconsinAdventures]

That flat black linkage looks like crap and sticks out like a sore thumb. You should have taken more time with that and fixed your mistake much better than that. Sloppy work

[@genericgoogleaccount8907]

6:51 im still dying for this video

[@Kaiden-qh8mp]

Seth i am so glad that you help people get back on their bikes and helping with the things that need to be repaired or replaced I have learned so much from you thank you

[@YTOnlineReviews]

Very useful.

[@kuldeepjoshi7369]

Hey seth i have a video idea that also help some people with their mtb questions. I don't know if this idea gonna work but i think it's still pretty cool Buy a budget frame And build a sub 1000$ bike with all budget parts like when u upgraded your old trek 4900 in like (I'm not sure) 2017. And also i am build my bike and i don't know what budget parts to buy like which dropper post and which air fork. And personally i don't really like the 99$ fork that u bought for a flip bike So please give some suggestion on good budget parts.

[@Zukini28]

It’s interesting to see how quick new gear wears out. I have Norco mountain bikes with over 10 thousand km’s on them with original chains, no issue changing gears.

[@GokkunGuru]

OneUp suggests having 10mm spacers above the stem for the installation of the threaded top cap. This is to prevent clamping forces from the stem onto the threaded section of the steerer tube. I also didn’t follow their advice and only went with 5mm spacers above the stem for the cool factor. You are ballsy to go with no spacers above the stem. It definitely looks cleaner. But you are clamping about 8Nm onto the threaded section of the steer tube which is has less material to clamp onto.

[@MichaelRei99]

Good point!

[@rupedog]

Yep... weakens the steerer tube significantly in that area... but the bottom of the steerer is on full tube, so likely fine for her... she didnt look like a big lady in the vid.

[@DrtSqrt]

Awesome video Seth! I ride a Liv Intrigue and absolutely love it. Thank you for acknowledging that Liv is one of the very, very few companies that actually designs bikes for women from the ground up. I've ridden my Intrigue and the equivalent Trance, and they really do feel like different bikes, with my Intrigue not only feeling like it fits like a glove, but also just feeling so much more powerful and efficient while riding it than the Trance did. I'm proud to ride a bike from a company that promotes their women athletes as much as their male athletes and that works so hard to get more women on bikes period. If it makes you feel any better, I did the same thing to my linkage when I was replacing the bearings in it. Luckily, Liv/Giant has such amazing customer service and warranty that I had a brand new, perfectly matching, part in my hands in 4 days. This kind of service (not to mention the crazy bang for your buck on these bikes) is why a Liv bike will always be my first choice! Would love to know how she likes her bike now!

[@abecoleman3250]

the edc tools always led to creaking on my headsets, across all of my bikes (and others' bikes too). might wanna watch out for that!

[@graysonmtb]

Thats a rad Mommy bike!

[@ControlAllDa1337]

I love that I found this channel. Makes me want to get back into mountain biking after all these years. I can't afford a bike yet due to the debts I incurred after losing my business but I'm going to save up what little I can until I can afford something 🙏

[@Bwopro]

Ahh the old back wards rear tire. If I did that I wouldn't bother removing it and putting it the correct way.

[@zachblalock9446]

I don’t even ride mountain bikes yet I’ve been watching Seth for a long time and will continue to do so

[@likeaboss882]

These hail/reigns of this generation (2018ish) are tough as nails. I’m surprised seth didn’t opt for the cascade link for this as it likely would have been easier to track down.

[@mbieber6663]

This was so fun to watch--kudos to Seth for being such a great guy!

[@inventiveowl395]

12:48 Ah yes. Directional tires. No matter how many times you do it right, you're gonna do it wrong one day.. xd

[@samtortell3680]

You should start doing more traveling videos like to whistler/ the north shore or like Sedona or smt

[@jeremybarrette4535]

I changed the suspension bearings in my old Giant Trance a few years ago. They were equally thrashed.

[@lirastolons4951]

I’m so happy to see a Liv on your channel it’s what I’ve been riding and it looks just as beat up as this one in the beginning 😅

[@benevans4616]

Reminds me of muc off

[@MeMelon4u]

Bro is just simping

[@matthewrowston3835]

upload a build please

[@Ryan-mv5wi]

the kittsuma is like the best shock for people who own giants and livs works so well with the suspenion layout

[@mikeb.2166]

Thanks for the vid, the rebuild/upgrades are by far my favorite - keep up the great work!

[@chaneli4855]

Every time there's just that one bolt or nut that just doesn't want to comply....having same issue right now...tomorrow another round 😂

[@ericl5785]

Really enjoying the latest content Seth, thanks for keeping it interesting (and educational)!

[@kimbersal1]

Yeah, female specific bikes were first started with the Santa Cruz Juliana. (I believe. Others may have been doing the same thing, but I had never heard of any). It was called that for Juli Furtado, an absolute rock star in mtb, road racing and skiing. A shop where I worked for a bunch of years, called Another Bike Shop, in Santa Cruz, worked very closely with Santa Cruz bikes pretty much from the beginning , starting with the earliest Tazmon. (An original frame designed by none other than Tom Morris himself, still hangs in the shop. She wanted a female specific frame.qAnyway, when they were working on the Juliana, they brought one to our shop to test. They are only about three miles away. Being the towering figure I am at 5’4”, it was put to me to try out. I could definitely feel the difference and could tell the frame dimensions were built for a woman. Little bit longer seat tube for longer legs, little bit shorter reach, thinner handle bars and so on. We also worked very closely with Fox when they were developing mtb forks. I actually had the first retail Fox fork on my first ( of many) Santa Cruz Chameleon single speeds. I’m on my fifth one now, but still a single speed. This one has a Fox 36 on it. I sure wish I still had that first one.😞

[@mslmsldk]

There are really good money in restoring used Giant mountainbikes. I bought a Giant XTC Advanced 27.5" for only $600. Literally most bikes with a good drivetrain for few money will pay off.