[Closed] Needle Roller Bearings

Probably not. There is not enough rotational movement in a shock bearing and the rollers would end up hammered into the outer race and become as rough as a badgers a.... They would also capture all the crap of the day and seize imo 🙄 Possibly need a larger shock eye diameter to accommodate a roller or a smaller dia bolt which would probably break.

Just sometimes what is fitted is the best compromise for function, production, cost etc......

BETD...do they not do external ball bearing kits/mods?

If you search for betd in the last 6 months you will get some views.

But this is stw and Hope don't make them so there will be no concensus!

My own view is that they are great - until it rains / gets muddy. The lack of effective sealing is the reason I'd not buy another. But that may depend on the width of the mount where the "seals" are free to move about.

Got there first csw 😉

Dang you trekster!

I'd still not totally write em off. But in the wet ime expect a very short life. Du bushings may not be perfect but get my subsequent business.

i really liked them

the enduro ones are sealed well enough that I got over a year out of mine and they would still be on there had i not sold the bike first. They lasted longer than normal bushings and the friction really was lower.

Mine were the enduro bearings which had rubber seals and they were on a dw link type bike. No idea on the BETD ones.

Retro - I'm glad to hear that. I suspected my betd ones were only let down by the rubber seals being allowed to freely move outboard of the bearing.

I have put the BETD strong bush in my Trance and it is a lot chunkier and also looks like it won't fail as quick as the original one.
The original ones are made of cheese.

Treckster is spouting about something he has no idea about (usual STW post) . As retro stated the enduro ones are fab, really sealed well and super smooth and last like that for ages and ages. They are sold by real world cycles in the usa, expensive with import duties but worth it imo. If you go to mtbr forum there's a long thread about them and hundreds of peoples experience's, Chris who designed and sells them from real world cycles is always answering questions on the thread and the customer service is like Hope's.

Go onto the mtbr forum, look in the shocks and suspension section and you will find the 'Enduro shock eye needle bearing kit' thread, or just stick that info into Google. Also Chris will tell you if its worth your while putting them on your bike depending on the rotation each end recieve's as quite often he will recommend just 1 end or even none!

It's a good read so enjoy.

Not sure I can afford £150+ with import duties to just get a shock mount. If the ones available in the UK or europe (which are like £15) are not well sealed enough, I'll stick to bushings.

continuity - Member
Not sure I can afford £150+ with import duties to just get a shock mount. If the ones available in the UK or europe (which are like £15) are not well sealed enough, I'll stick to bushings.

£150? Both ends on my bike were about £45 all in. Bear in mind as well that you often only need to get one end (the one with most rotation) to get 90% of the benefits.

The RWC kit includes 3 different sizes to match different eyelets, plus various shims etc which the other kits don't. Plus Chris, the RWC owner is a top bloke to deal with - highly recommend them.

I would echo what retro said in his last post. Well worth it, the one's from UK or Europe are rubbish. Factor in that you will not need to replace these and the cost starts to equal out a little. I was having to replace bushings ever 4 months and the friction was a joke especially when I was spending serious money on kashima coatings etc to get plush suspension. It's a no brainer when looking for best performance imo.

Just read the mtbr thread on them.