Forum menu
G'day sports!
I'm trying to help a mate save his dying bike for less than the price of an expensive thing..
The top hat bushes on the seat stay pivots of his Kona Kikapu are worn out. I know there's kits available with all the bearings I don't need, but that's a lot more bits and cost than 8 little plastic widgets at about 15p each...
A quick google as returned a result from simply bearings saying 15x19x16x3mm, but it's not available, and I'm pretty sure it's not right.
So, if anybody has an unfitted kit to hand, could they measure the top hats for me? I'd take the old ones from his frame, but he's at the other end of the country..
Ta!
I do have a kit at home yes, and a micrometer....
But I'm working away from home right now and won't be anywhere near it until Thurs/Fri this week.
If you drop me an email (in profile) so I don't forget, I can have a look when I get back if that's any good to you?
Those dimensions look wrong to me too, they are pretty tiny!
Mr Poddy,
You are a legend! Will send an email now.
I thought they were wrong, but then I've got no idea about how the dimensions are assigned anyway.. If you want I'll order some extras and chuck them in the post.. They're always the bit that goes first on those frames.
No worries 🙂
I bought them off a mate when he sold his Kona for Mrs PPs King Kikapu..... That bike is 3 years old now and still as tight as a ducks chuff in the bushing department. It doesn't get a massive amount of use but I've been very impressed with the bearing life myself
TIP:
My mate used to wrap self-amalgamating rubber tape round the bushing areas, which he swore by....
Ah!
Finally a use for that amalgamating tape I bought last year, thinking "I'll have a use for that one day..."
I agree on the lifespan though.. They are generally very good. This one is 6+ years old and has been to the Alps more than once and is still only a little sloppy.
They are good bikes IMO. Solid and dependable, but still fairly light.
In case anyone else is interested, this is the email I just sent to the OP:
[b]OK, I've measured them. I measured a few and took an average as there's a bit of varinance (0.1mm sometimes) but I only have the one type, so I'm guessing they're all the same.
This is for the black plasic top hat bushes:
Thickness = 4.7mm
OUTER Flange diameter = 16.1mm
INNER flange diameter = 12.25mm
Internal diameter = 9.7mm
Let me know how you get on! :o)[/b]
I have somewhere a used Kona king bearing set will have a look on the weekend and if the bushes are the same size more than willing to post
Cheers again PP!
Makes me wonder why there isn't a place on-line to share all this info.. Some makes like Specialized give you a datasheet in the manual - bearing sizes, bolt dimensions, torque settings etc. If there was a common place for all this info, then the manufacturers could upload it and give links to their sites and part numbers for any unusual bits. It's not as if they deliberately keep it secret.
And yes, Kona TC, they should be the same. A King is a Scandium Kikapu..