UK-proof bikes…

Hi all, been lurking around here for a while and have finally come across a question which doesn’t appear to have been asked and answered on a weekly basis..!

I’m currently riding a 5″ four bar FS (cube ams) and am getting ready to upgrade at the back end of the year.
After two years of maintaining the four bar rear end the major points that interest me when looking at possible new bikes are:
Number of bearings
Bearing placement
Bearing type

Number one contender is obviously the filing cabinet bike from Halifax (in fact I already own a 2005ish frame that is used as a spare bike between mates), followed closely by Santa Cruz’s five-a-like the heckler. This comparison is purely based upon the lack of bearings behind the line of the seat tube and single pivotedness.

A wildcard, although quite admired wildcard is the whyte 146, the bearings and linkages are all largely protected by the frame and where exposed are quite easily saved by a crud catcher by the looks of it, but reports of frame issues makes me wary…

So, anyone think of any other frames out there that may fit the bill? Plastic would be nice but ally will do just as well!

Heckler is a good frame in the single pivot market and cheaper than the 5 by enough to make it a better choice.

Down side of the single pivot simplicity is the fact your much more reliant on the rear shock for pedal platform etc. I love mine but would swap back to a FSR/VPP design as soon as money will allow.

Keep it clean don’t ride through bogs and you can have a nice bike and keep it running.

As an aside how much maintaining have you done? My old enduro could go up to 2 years on a set of bearings without much harm. Would expect the blur lt etc to do the same (SC give lifetime replacements on the bearings)

I see that Whyte offer “lifetime warranty” on the bearings (at least on the T129, which is the only one I’ve looked at). Not sure what this is really worth though. It sounds good, but all bearings wear and sooner or later I guess they all need replacing. A lifetime warranty just means I’d need to send it off to get them replaced (assuming the company where still in business), so I think I’d still lean towards a simpler system if reliability and long term use where a high priority.

For true winter condition full suspension Turner bushings and zerk grease ports, wifes bike is over 10 years old and the faces mainly winter rides and no issues. This is a horst link version, i have had 2 rfxs/xce and a flux dw suspension and all have been fine in the winter muds

Other bikes i have owned including 2 hecklers i would suggest Yeti’s my 7 seems fine so far.

I am sure someone will suggest hardtail for winter and full suss for summer…………given our summers not really a good suggestion

i’d be looking at the Whyte, if the system suits you. Can’t offer any experience or guidance though,… only envy if you’re in the position to get one!

As Vondally said: Turner’s journal bearings are the best ‘UK proof’ bearing system there is.

I am about to undertake the 3rd bearing replacement in 3 yrs on Mrs Digger’s Spesh FSR.

All I’ve done to my Turner, which gets a LOT more use than her FSR, is occasionally inject fresh grease into the zerk fittings.

Both the Saracen Ariel and Genesis Grapil use teflon bushes instead of bearings for the linkage, and just a bearing for the main pivot. But again single pivot design. For regular UK use I’d put up with the shortcomings of single pivot for the increased reliability.

If you’re fat, like me, you’re gonna need more pivots dude. Light peeps can get away with single pivots as there’s less ‘bob’

Lord F……..may I be so inpolite and ask you to catagorise fat in stones and pounds?

Re single pivot imho and experience makes no odds at all.

If you’re fat, like me, you’re gonna need more pivots dude. Light peeps can get away with single pivots as there’s less ‘bob’

I don’t think weight makes a difference, in fact the heavier you are the more the supension has to work to get bobbing!!!

I ran a superlight (I know!) whilst I was 18st+ with minimal bobbing even on pedally peak climbs.

Jay

Ive a bike with six bearings: Transition Covert – I ride it all year three times a week or more, mud or sun. When its really muddy I jet wash it.

In three years of abuse Ive only had to replace one bearing. I spent £26 on a whole set I got online from mountain bike bearings and it took me about 30 mins to swop all 6 of them.

So I dont really see suspension/bearings as an issue.

Resistance is futile. You know that there is only one inevitable conclusion. The Halifax filing cabinet is the answer to all your prayers.

I did a bearing change on mine late on Saturday night and I think it actually took me longer to prepare the bearings (lift seals and pack with waterpump grease), than it did to remove/replace. Must have been all of 10 minutes actual spannering time and a total cost of about £4.

It’s great to see a product that’s actually designed to be maintained.

Riding Calderdale alps yesterday in a group of six. Four of us were on Orange Fives.
Bottom line: IMHO they are perfectly adapted to the region of the country from whence they cometh.

I wouldn’t suggest you buy one, but the Pace RC405 bearing system works really well – all the bearings sit in a housing sealed by an additional metal cover with o-ring seal.

The bearings on mine – there are a fair few of them too – have been changed twice in five years of regular, all-weather, year-round use mostly in the Peak District, which tends to kill bearings fast. It’d be nice if someone would come up with a retrofittable version for other bikes, though I guess it would be a non-starter in commercial terms.

As you’re considering a Whyte 146, here’s some of my opinions on it. I spent a couple of weeks riding (I did an Enduro race, and some XC and DH) one.

It’s a really fun bike to ride. Manuals nicely, and easily and pops off jumps. If you like playing around on your bike then you’ll love it. It works best when both the fork and shock are set in trail and pedals and rides nicely like this. The descend mode on the shock is useless- it just blows through the travel, but it’s not a problem because you just don’t use it. The beck end has quite a bit of flex. It feels really strange at first but once you’re used to it, it adds to the fun and does help a little bit with grip too. On the whole, recommended.

Resistance is futile. You know that there is only one inevitable conclusion. The Halifax filing cabinet is the answer to all your prayers.

I did a bearing change on mine late on Saturday night and I think it actually took me longer to prepare the bearings (lift seals and pack with waterpump grease), than it did to remove/replace. Must have been all of 10 minutes actual spannering time and a total cost of about £4.

It’s great to see a product that’s actually designed to be maintained.

Riding Calderdale alps yesterday in a group of six. Four of us were on Orange Fives.
Bottom line: IMHO they are perfectly adapted to the region of the country from whence they cometh.

Buy a heckler frame instead, spend the money saved on upgrades 🙂

Also why ride a compromise? Learn how to do the maintenance on your bike, get the tools and off you go.

UK proof bikes and you’re talking about maintenance and suspension?

If it’s a UK proof bike you want then rigid singlespeed or Rohloff.

epicyclo – Member
UK proof bikes and you’re talking about maintenance and suspension?

If it’s a UK proof bike you want then rigid singlespeed or Rohloff.

…made of titanium with a belt drive… 😉

Turner, over the past 8 years I have had a horst and dw 5 spot and a dw sultan, still got the 2 dw bikes. All they have ever needed is cleaning and grease, via the zerks. Wouldnt have any thing else now.

Another vote for Turner here.

After having to regularly change the bearings on my Blur LT, I bought a DW link 5 Spot.

Other UK friendly features:

Forward facing seat tube slot.
High chainstays means no possibility of chainsuck from a muddy chain.
Frame design lacks any big nooks for mud to gather making it easy to clean.

This might be true of some other bikes too but in comparison to my Blur LT or the Spesh FSR before it the Turner is a lot better for UK conditions

I own a Santa Cruz Blur and bearings are free of charge when they need replaced. Apparently they’re guaranteed for life.

I bought a mount vision frame off ebay for £100 to build up for winter.
Come summer it was far better than my good bike so it was built up with the posh bits and loved ever since.

Single pivot/high chainstay designs are great. The pro pedal/technique sort out pedal bob, and a single bulletproof pivot bearing works well in the mud. The high chainstays are great for avoiding chainsuck damage.

So if you want a 140 bike, get a 5. If you want 160, get a Heckler.

Orange are a popular choice for obvious reasons- only 2 bearings and they’re not hard to change. (also, since it’s got a ton of leverage on them,most people seem happy to ride around on knackered pivot bearings)

But with most bikes it doesn’t take long at all to change the bearings- it’s an expense obviously but considering the total cost of biking, I think it’s well worth it to get the bike you want not the bike that you’ll have to put less bearings in. IMO of course.

I was in the same situation as OP a couple of years back. Sold the FSR and bought a Heckler frame. But also bought a HT a little before that. The HT gets used in the worst conditions. Heckler bearings were changed 1 year ago and noticed recently whilst stripping the bike, the bearings havent got too much life left in them. As NW said, being single pivot, you can get away with slightly rough bearings for a while. They are however very easy to change and there are only 2.

I bought a Santa Cruz butcher it’s a single pivot with APP so a sort of inbetween.

They stopped it due to sales so there are some bargains out there too.

Free bearings for life too.

I crossed over from downhilly stuff to a trail bike about a month ago.
I went with an Orange Five, simply because I saw one that was cheapish, the right size and I had previously had a Patriot 66 (It wasn’t a great bike, but I thought the five would be better).

I’m really pleased with mine, it’s very happy at high speed, fun to ride, and very very fast as well as being more fun then my patriot. Mine is a more enduro setup and weighs in at 29lbs, with 150mm forks.
Overall I love it and I’m a much better and more precise rider since I downsized. However, that might be me more than the bike. The rear shock also can be a bit hit or miss, it depends on tune and weight tho.

If you are taking weight seriously though, I’d go for something carbon, you can get much more bike for your kilo that way, so maybe a 146 may be a better option, it seems like a fun bike, although apparently the rear end is a bit flexy ?

To be honest, I can see Orange getting left behind in the near future, and I may not be buying another aluminium filing cabinet from the Halifax boys again if carbon bikes start performing on par with the Five.

Even though I’m a Yorkshireman and despite my bike being designed in sunny California and made in Taiwan as opposed to Halifax it’s another vote here for the single pivot simplicity of the Heckler. Got mine ex demo a few years ago and despite riding it all year round in some filthy (summer and winter) conditions have not had to change the bearings yet. Maybe that’s becasue I have bought both the bearings and the tools to remove/fit them and then never had to. My wife rides an older Superlight as does my friend’s wife and we’ve got two other mates on Hecklers and another on a Superlight; all doing fine in the Pennine slop and grit.