bezzer

Hi all
I am new to the forums so please be gentle with me :-)
I am having a few problems with my two mountain bikes that I can't seem to figure out.
the first bike has been suffering with a stiff bottom bracket/front crank after several rides on a muddy gritty track (the longdendale trail if anyone wants to know) I made sure the bike was clean after every use. I came to use the bike one day last week and the front crank was stiff and there was a loud grinding noise when moving it in either direction, which I thought could be caused by grit, dirt or maybe water in the bottom bracket which would need to be re greased or replaced all together, also I thought the free wheel maybe stiff too. before taking it to a bike shop to have it looked at and fixed, I decided to check it over myself first to see if I could spot any other problems.
I turned the bike upside down to check the rear wheel and left it like that overnight. on checking the bike in the morning, there were black water marks running down from the front crank towards the seat and it was no longer stiff, has the problem sorted itself out or would I still be better taking it to a bike shop to be looked at? also the free wheel still feels a it stiff and the front crank isn't as free moving as I am guessing it should be, any ideas?
I also have a problem on the same bike with the front suspension (coil spring, none adjustable) sticking, it doesn't sound like there is anything stuck in the forks. any ideas on what this could be caused by and how to fix it?

I also had a problem with the front and rear wheel on my other mountain bike, if you lift the bike off the ground by the seat and spin the rear wheel, it causes the bike to bounce, I have checked the wheel and there is no side to side movement and the wheel isn't buckled in any way that I can see, the brake pads hit the same place on the wheel rim all the way round without rubbing or catching on the tyre, no idea what could be causing this.
also the front wheel seems to be out of balance if that is possible, same as the rear wheel, it isn't buckled, it doesn't wobble and the brake pads don't catch on the wheel rim or the tyre. but if you turn the bike upside down and pin the front wheel, as it slows down it looks like there is a weight in the wheel, just before it is about to stop, it swings like a pendulum until it finally comes to a stop, again, I have no idea what could be causing this.
I also had a problem with the front suspension on this bike, I haven't been on it for about a week, as with my other bike I had washed it after it was last used, when I did ride it yesterday, the front suspension was stiff and wouldn't move (coil spring, adjustable) after my ride and after I had washed the bike, the suspension worked fine, is this a problem, what could it be?

I hope I have been able to explain things properly, any advice or help you can offer me would be greatly appreciated.

many thanks

Paul

Mondoman

Duplicate post -- please see other thread on this.

bezzer

sorry about that, I have no idea why it posted twice.