+1 for Dirt. In a different league to other mtb mags 8)

Lighter my ar5e…Floating hope rotor = 170g, Braking Wave rotor = 166g, Alligator Aeries rotor = 134g, all in 203mm. 🙄

Dirt as a mag, this as a site 8)

Intersting 8)

brooes ygm back, cheers.

I paid £10 for an unused one from here 2 weeks ago. Willing to pay another tenner if our selling (got two Rockshox equiped bikes) 😉

Kaesae's the person to ask about bearings 😆

can't help you with the oil amount, but would be interested in your opinion on the forks.

TF Tuned selling Manitou springs cheap, they will fit Fox DHX (36mm inside dia) not some of the Vanilla (32mm)

r3g mail me your address details and I will post it Sat. (12 hr days tomorrow :cry:)

r3g are you still after a 3/16" Allen key ?

Kaesae nice try….but how are you going to accelerate the oxidisation process by starving the bearings of oxygen 😕

Bearings killed by drowning ! 😆

Home… just inspires you to get out and ride 😉

Nothing new there then 🙄

If your stanchions are worn, chamces are your bushes are too 😕

If you knock one of your performance bearings into the crack it might absorb the load and prevent further cracking 😆

"Are you willing to do more than talk same question to everyone else".

What ! 😕

"On the frames I sell and with the bearings my back ends run, energy is actively being absorbed by the action, as there is less energy for the dampening unit to deal with the whole bike performs better" 😕

The whole idea of the Damper is to absorb energy, the suspension transmits that enegry.
Did you ever spend a whole day in school ?

A Kaesae quote from another forum. Nice one Coffeeking 😆

"I believe that subtle manipulations to the rear end on full sus MTB frames can improve both the efficiency and subsequent ride quality. On the frames I sell and with the bearings my back ends run, energy is actively being absorbed by the action, as there is less energy for the dampening unit to deal with the whole bike performs better.

Look at it this way if a proportion of the energy that is created when the back end moves is absorbed by the actual back ends action then the shock is better able to do its job. As long as this process doesn’t interfere with the movement of the rear end or shocks dampening there are benefits to be gained.

Say we have 100% pressure or energy in the transfer of movement from wheel contact to shock. With standard bearings there is no energy absorption and also as a result of the loose tolerances play either from the beginning of the bearings life or later on. The rear end will move on a very slight arc, and is therefore not as efficient at dealing with these forces that are being applied to it.
However in contrast my bearings or teflon thust spacers and other mods actively absorb energy without interfering with the function of the back end or the shocks dampening characteristics.
How could this not be a good thing? That said the proof is in the pudding" 😕

What a load of b%^*+X

Kaesae, I will try and simplify this. I am no expert, but I think you need help.
Here goes:-
If your back end is nice and smooth & slick (with your SPECIAL PERFORMANCE bearings) then the shock has MORE work to do.

If your bearings are stiff or siezed, then your frame and wheel will take a fare share of the shock because when it takes a hit sha**ed bearings don't allow the shock to do its work.

SIMPLES 😕

Had 2.25 Racing Ralphs on 5.1's, then tried them on 4.2's, more skitish in corners.

I've got an unused one. Not far from you in Mold. I will be at Llandegla in the morning if that helps 😉

Thats a helova percentage rise… motorists get stuffed again 😥

Why not just ask Kaesae 😆

Kaesae…You keep going on about performance and caged bearings. Can you be a bit more specific, are they for High Speed, High Loads, High Temps ?!

The reason I ask, is that some high speed performance bearings actualy have a slacker tolerance to allow for centrifugal forces increasing the ball dia. at high rotational speeds. Such PERFORMANCE bearings would'nt be suitable for mtb's realy 😕

As for your steel caged bearing (again), The cage will provid no protection whatsoever from water, in fact it will help water spread around the bearing by capillary action far better than an open caged type or one with no cage 😉

Kaesae.. going back to your pic of a caged bearing ( a bit late, but I have been working long hours last few days, and missed all this fun ) You could'nt have picked a worse bearing! The ingress of water past the main seal (most common cause of mtb bearing failure I have seen) will have a field day rusting not only the balls and race, but also that steel cage. When that bugger rusts-up, its for good. You could have at least chosen a brass or plastic caged bearing.

As for the cage giiving protection ! if water can get past a tiny gap in a seal, it will have no problem with the larger gaps around the cage.

I think we all agree that removing bearing seals and adding or more grease or reagreasing improves the life of most bearings. But it is not rocket science.

I got a new cheap S3 from ebay off a dealer (too long ago to rember who), absolute garbage. I don't think it was genuine Cane Creek to be that bad. The top bearing was binding in the cup, and the bottom one rusted after first outing.

cynic-al, please don't call me Shirley. The answer to your question is listed above 😉

Tinsy….sorry for the delay, got dragged around Tesco for the last hour 😥

If you look at the lower pic, you will see a small cutout I made in the side of the bearing and seal. When this is lined-up with the grease port when fitted, most of the grease goes into the bearing 😉

I recently stripped this BB after over a years use, and there was very little grease in the plastic tube. This was a used BB that had started to feel a liitle bit rough when I decided to do this mod. Although there is still a very slight roughness, this has been the same from day one, and I don't see why it should'nt stay working for many years.

Tinsy, I could Modify your BB. Just out of interest, are your replacment bearings 6mm wide as per originals, or are they 7mm like many of the aftermarket ones ?

As for marketing something like this, the main problem would be the position that the grease port ends up ! On my BB I marked the place I wanted the ports to be with the BB in place, then removed to do the tinkering bit 😉

As tinsy says, the new grease (one pump after crappy rides) purges out the old grease/muck. I use a light semi fluid grease, which not only causes less drag, but also keeps the lip seal lubed. Its the lack of grease on the lip seal which is the first failure point of nearly all the HTII BB's I have repaired/replaced, crappy water enters this point and quickly turns to rust when you put your bike away.

I also have my own theory on why the none drive side bearing always goes first. If you look at the sprocket side of your BB, it is well sheilded from a lot of crap thrown up by your front, whereas the other side is open to everything the front wheel can throw at it. Some will say that the preload on the bearing is the cause, but that preload nut pulls the other crank as much as it pushes the one its in, so preload should be equal accross both bearings.

Thease mods and my theorys are only based on my knowledge from working in industry for 30+ years. I don't claim to be any sort of specialist, I just enjoy tinkering.

Cutaway pic as requested 8)

This one is still going strong 😉

DeanoT, I Have sent a mail to your "The Ride Journal" link 5 mins ago 😕

DeanoT….As Lowey said above. When Romic went bust, Dave @ Stendec sold his Romic charging jig (said it cost £1200) before he lost too much on it. I was in the same predicament with my Romic from my old Ellsworth. After talking to dave about what the jig entailed, I set about making one. The problem with the Romic, is getting the little plug back in next to the main shaft seal while pumping 180 psi into the hole. I replaced the 'O' rings from the compresion and rebound adjusters (thats where the original leak occured) filled with fresh fluid, charged and refitted the little plug with the help of my new jig. Worked first time, chuffed.

My ACME Romic charging jig

DeanoT, if your shock is just in need of a few seals and fluid, I may be able to help. I don't claim to be suspension guru. But for the sake of £20-30 (at a guess) I may be able get a bit more life out of the old shock yet 😉

Kaesae.. fivespots use bushes in all the suspension pivots not bearings 🙄

Crag…the stiction in Turner bushes is one of the reasons they they feel harsher over fast bumps. After going to a Hustler with bearings in all its rear pivots, the suppleness of the Hustler was in a different league (both bikes were running std. RP3's)

Tim, M6 is Metric 6mm (the dia. of threaded bit). You require M5 X 10mm long bolts for you Hope clamps. This size will also fit your bottle cage holes.

Bigman, yes mate I do realise. Based on my selling price and the cost of rebuilding with parts to suit my new frame, I think it would work out about the same. Plus, if I bought a new shock it would come with the correct length steel spring included, whereas if I altered my existing shock, I would have to fork out for a spring as well 😕

I have just listed my mint 200×57 CCDB (2010 Version)on the classifieds if anybody is after one 😉

My new frame requires a 215×63 😥

Hustler her too. I did think the 5spot was was great……until I tried a Hustler 😛

Are your outer seals in good condition and lubed ?

BIGMAN I am sure you had your problems with Stendec, but to be fair to him (not them), Dave Garland the one man band who is Stendec, has helped me out many times. Not just with servicing work, but also with odd queries I have asked him about old shocks snd forks I have been tinkering with. I have been there many times, as I only live 15 mins away from him, and have spent as little as nothing (he has given me bits for nought) or as much as £550 on a CCDB. Each time he has been more than helpful and friendly. While there, I have seen all makes of shock being worked on, including BOS Stoy & Avalanche, as well as Works bikes from the Chainreaction Team & other works riders shocks/forks. He has an amazing amount of knowledge about all aspects of mtb suspension, much of it gained from working over the last 10+ years at the highest level in downhill racing. I am sure he has made mistakes like many of us, but a cowboy he aint.

geetee1972…your fork will have a far higher shaft speed than your shock, as it works on 1:1 ratio 😉

pos. smell, The bacon and egg baps at Llandegla 😀
neg. smell, the septic tank at the finish of Llandegla 😮

pos. sound, forest machinery cutting new trails 😀
neg. sound, when your riding along in a world of your own, and someone shouts "comming through on the right" 😳