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Boulton
fabrications jack rabbit swingarm
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Submitted by
Noel Zamot
a Racer
from Colorado Springs, CO
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Ute Valley | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Welds, weight, bearings, alignment | | Weaknesses: | Price, funky front derrailleur routing, no replaceable hanger | | Similar Products Used: | stock trek swingarm | | Bike Setup: | Heavily modified Judy XC, 8 spd XT (yes!) , Titec bars, Race face post, stock wheels | | Bottom Line: | If you want a new bike and only have $350, get this upgrade. This swingarm gives you a different bike!
Perfect for: Y devotees who want to get some additional performance out of their rig, riders who appreciate good workmanship in aftermarket parts.
Not so good for: F/S riders who detest having a stiff, semi-locked suspension during stand-up climbing.
The sealed pivot removes some of the "rebound damping" you get with the original bushing on the stock swingarm. This is VERY noticeable on flats, but especially on climbs, where the rear wheel now sticks like glue on the trail. I had to actually increase rebound damping on my shock (Strata Pro with remote compression damping adjustment) to avoid my seat slapping my butt after every bump. You'll need to change your shock settings, because the swingarm is about 1/2" longer than stock - enough to make a difference in sag. This swingarm is also much stiffer (side to side) than the original, again improving stand up climbing quite a bit. The improvement in downhill performance was most noticeable with smaller bumps than with big hits (probably again the light damping courtesy of the sealed bearings).
The front derrailleur routing is unsat - the cable stop is inside the right chainstay, so you can't slip the housing out to lube the cable. Since it points downwards, it is also a potential muck magnet - not a problem here in dusty CO, but maybe an issue in the muddier east.
The swingarm does not have a replaceable derr. hanger, but the hanger is 6+mm wide (huge!), which leads me to believe that a break off derrailleur bolt would be a better option. The width of the dropouts also plays havoc with my Salsa QRs, which always seem overly tight when removing the rear wheel. Minor nit, but noticeable.
The swingarm does not include a chainstay protector, but it dearly needs it - 6061T6 is WAY softer than your average Shimano IG chain!
The workmanship is outstanding. Makes the bike look great.
In short, if you can't cough up the $$$ for a new frame, consider the swingarm (if there are any left). It vastly improves the performance of the Y with the old arm. 4 chilies for value (price), 4 chilies overall (due to the front derrailleur routing) | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris Johnson
a Downhiller
from Mission B.C. Canada
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Bear mtn dh | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | tough,nice welding | | Weaknesses: | price | | Similar Products Used: | stock trek y swing arm | | Bike Setup: | 97 trek y3 set up for dh i have zzyzx original downhill on the front with 6 inches of travel and boulton swing arm with fox vanilla rcr | | Bottom Line: | This swing arm is awsome it is pricy but it is worth it if you want to increase your travel if you buy this swing arm and have a 2 inch stroke shock you will boost the travel from 4 1/2 inches of travel to 6 3/4 of buttery smooth travel due to sealed bearing pivot if you want one of these check out www.pcez.com/boulton/ i dont know if he has any left | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
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