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What are people doing once the top-hat bushings wear out?
1. Like for like replacements? If so who sells them?
2. Upgrade to a TF Tuned heavy duty mount kit?
How do you get the old top-hats out?
Cheers
If they're Fox (polymer) low friction bushes you can push them out by hand, same with fitting. If they're the alloy type you will need a vice and bush removal tool.
Tophats can be clamped in vice and wiggled loose, alloy bushes will need to be pressed out and back in and will also require a vice, best bet would be to get your LBS to remove them then fit Fox low friction type.
Changed mine for heavy duty TF tuned a couple of weeks ago. The originals only lasted 6 months.
I'm not an experienced bike fettler, so I used the guidance on TF's website & others on YouTube etc. I got the bush installation/removal tool from TF & for the top hats, a bolt/screw removal set from Halfords (cheap, but do the trick). I don't have a bench vice, so used a G Clamp to compress the bush tool.
All work great now.
Yes mine went agfter 6 months too.
How long do the low friction ones last, and are they noticeably better that the heavy duty kit?
I'm just consious that if I go heavy duty then all I need to do is change a £4 bushing once every, say, 9 months. All else being equal that's an attractive proposition.
It's worth a go ... can't be any worse than the OEM bushings.
I've not tried the low friction ones & was tempted at the time - I think I went for Heavy Duty as I felt that meant longer lasting.