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Enduro needle bearing ride report.......

26054 Views 196 Replies 72 Participants Last post by franz15, Mar 31, 2013

DGC

Discussion Starter · Dec 27, 2009

2

Instead of just posting a ride report on the original thread I started a few days ago I thought it better to start a new one so more people will see this.
I normally would not post a ride report on a topic like bearings vs. bushings but this is well worth posting about.

The Enduro shock eye needle bearing kit is well worth every penny. It took about 100 yards of dirt to realize the super low friction of this needle bearing kit. The first 75 yards was spent checking and re-checking the tire and shock pressures. I thought they were soft and low psi., nope. ***The difference is quite significant***
You will feel the difference using the Enduro needle bearing kit over the stock DU's and reducers. I had recently installed the **4th. set** of DU's and reducers this year. Time will tell with maintenance on the needle bearing kit, but consider this.....for me, the maintenance on the DU's + reducers are rediculous at 4 sets in a year, that is 3 sets too many.
If you rebuild your fork at least once a year, your King hubs the same, then cleaning and regreasing the needle bearing from time to time should not be an issue.

The weight difference is nothing, if you have your Spot set up at over 28 pounds, then a few ounces, if that, is worth it's weight in gold.

What more is there to say, this needle bearing kit kicks ass.

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moosehead

· #2 · Dec 27, 2009 (Edited)

+1 another thoughtful tweak dgc. the needle bearing and carriage looks similar to the one in CK rear hubs except a helluva lot smaller. never heard of the du/reducer wear. whatdaya think was causing it/from dwl or older turner?

squish

· #3 · Dec 27, 2009

I'm guessing that the upper rocker is working that bushing a tad bit harder. I started using a through shaft style reducer set up from Marzocchi in my DHX a year and a half ago and I went from replacing two or three upper DU's in a year to just one.

I'm gonna have to check out this new bearing set up, especially if it will eliminate that head ache all together and make a noticeable change. I have no problems doing a little bearing maintenance now and again that's for sure.

How well are they sealed?

happy trails...

squish

Dusty Bottoms

· #4 · Dec 27, 2009

4 DU's is called a "frame alignment problem". Take your frame into the factory for immediate inspection. Thank you.

Mtn. Biker123

· #5 · Dec 27, 2009

Dusty Bottoms said:
4 DU's is called a "frame alignment problem". Take your frame into the factory for immediate inspection. Thank you.

I was wondering when someone was going to speak up.

I suspect you've got other problems too. I ran a push'd Dhx for almost a year and never had to replace the DU bushing once. They were the spacers not pin and sleeve type which are much more prone to wear out the bushing.

That said, I'm still looking forward to the mod:thumbsup: Thanks!

DGC

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 27, 2009

Squish

moosehead said:
+1 another thoughtful tweak dgc. the needle bearing and carriage looks similar to the one in CK rear hubs except a helluva lot smaller. never heard of the du/reducer wear. whatdaya think was causing it/from dwl or older turner?

Thanks moose.
So DB, are you saying the same for Squish too? he must have a really crooked frame according to your explanation.
As usual DB, your wrong and way off base.

I checked the frame, talked with DT about frame alignment. It is dead nuts straight. If the frame and rocker were that far out, there would be shock durability issues and a decent amount of binding. There would also be un even grooved wear inside the old DU's. None of which are the case with my bike.
Maybe 2 sets a year is acceptable for me, since I purposely ride a ton more rocky and choppy terrain than I did with the older TNT Spot. I don't wait til you can lift the seat up 1/2 inch from the slop in the reducers, I replace them when the reducers move sloppy freely in the DU, and the DU is worn looking. So maybe I will be a good endurance tester for the Enduro kit, time will tell.

Anyone remember the Intense Tracer 4 inch travel horst bike from a number of years back? It too went through DU's and reducers quickly, as do a few bikes here and there. It happens. Certain designs add to the wear of the DU and reducers.

Squish......the Enduro kit is sealed quite well, seals on both sides of the spacers. I will take a look after I get another 4-6 rides, that might take 6 weeks or so with winter tho...............Tapper knows how important a good powder day is....!!!!!!!!

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Reactions: 1

kosmo

· #7 · Dec 27, 2009

Cool. A winter rainy weather project -- although installation looks awfully simple.

Link to source, please, or just get it through your LBS?

Thanks from the in-laws in Montana, where it should hit minus 10 degrees -- ugh!

NM, got it from your other thread. Been out of touch for awhile.

highroller

· #8 · Dec 27, 2009

kosmo said:
Link to source, please, or just get it through your LBS?

there's some here... http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id275.html

kelly1

· #9 · Dec 27, 2009

DGC said:
Thanks moose.
So DB, are you saying the same for Squish too? he must have a really crooked frame according to your explanation.
As usual DB, your wrong and way off base.

I checked the frame, talked with DT about frame alignment. It is dead nuts straight. If the frame and rocker were that far out, there would be shock durability issues and a decent amount of binding. There would also be un even grooved wear inside the old DU's. None of which are the case with my bike.
Maybe 2 sets a year is acceptable for me, since I purposely ride a ton more rocky and choppy terrain than I did with the older TNT Spot. I don't wait til you can lift the seat up 1/2 inch from the slop in the reducers, I replace them when the reducers move sloppy freely in the DU, and the DU is worn looking. So maybe I will be a good endurance tester for the Enduro kit, time will tell.

Anyone remember the Intense Tracer 4 inch travel horst bike from a number of years back? It too went through DU's and reducers quickly, as do a few bikes here and there. It happens. Certain designs add to the wear of the DU and reducers.

Squish......the Enduro kit is sealed quite well, seals on both sides of the spacers. I will take a look after I get another 4-6 rides, that might take 6 weeks or so with winter tho...............Tapper knows how important a good powder day is....!!!!!!!!

I just started following this,Are you replacing more bushings than on you're previousTurners?[for approximately same rideing/conditions] just curious. thanks... kelly

RiceKilla

· #10 · Dec 27, 2009

Good review, I'll keep my eye out for an extended review.

big-ted

· #11 · Dec 27, 2009

I'm going to go ahead and put money on the needle bearing setup being less durable...

Jamie_MTB

· #12 · Dec 27, 2009

4 du bushes doesn't sound right to me.

DGC

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 27, 2009

yes and no

kelly1 said:
I just started following this,Are you replacing more bushings than on you're previousTurners?[for approximately same rideing/conditions] just curious. thanks... kelly

I ride the same area trails, but I ride more often, and ride much rougher trails than I did with the old bike.

Mtn. Biker123

· #14 · Dec 27, 2009

DGC said:
I ride the same area trails, but I ride more often, and ride much rougher trails than I did with the old bike.

So are you saying that the premature DU bushing failures are justified?

DGC

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 27, 2009

no

Mtn. Biker123 said:
So are you saying that the premature DU bushing failures are justified?

I would say that my riding has changed from the old bike to the new bike, definately adding more wear. I could see 2 sets of DU's, not 4. And the fourth one was just put in, so that makes 3 sets used up. So it would be more accurate to say 3 full sets.

Mtn. Biker123

· #16 · Dec 27, 2009

DGC said:
I would say that my riding has changed from the old bike to the new bike, definately adding more wear. I could see 2 sets of DU's, not 4. And the fourth one was just put in, so that makes 3 sets used up. So it would be more accurate to say 3 full sets.

How many miles? I did 2000miles conservatively on my RFX w/DHXc before switching to the CCDB, no problems. After a year and a half and over 4000 miles (on the CCDB with spherical bearing) they are still good as new.

Many miles on the HL over the last three months, but just got a shock upgrade and I can't remember if Push provided new spacers with the Mx. That said, I expected to have developed some play and notta

Based on this, the new gen DW linkage is rough on DU's and I can't imagine that the bearings will last either..... Or, there is another issue. If you "scrub" any of the teflon coating during the insertion of the pin or the bushing itself it can cause premature wear as well. I'm still looking forward to trying them out though.

Does anyone know if Push offers the super slick pivot bushes for the HL? I'm also assuming that the eyelet upgrade is compatible with the HL as well.

OAN...Will they work with the CCDB with the spherical bearing S/U?

LncNuvue

· #17 · Dec 28, 2009

After 9 months of abuse I had about 1mm of vertical play. It was pretty significant and rather noisy.

squish

· #18 · Dec 28, 2009

Typically I get right around 2000 miles out of my upper DU's. The lower DU's last a lot longer. One thing I have to take into account is the fact that I ride an XL frame, and weigh in the neighborhood of 230 lbs! I also tend to wear the pivot bushings a bit faster, most folks seem to be able to pull 3 to 4 years out of a set, I typically get 2 before they start developing a bit of play. I'm thinking the small amount of twist I get out of the frame tends to load up the DU's and the other pivots a bit more, then throw in the fact that the uppper DU does most of the rotating in the shock and there's a pretty good formula for a quickly toasted bushing.

I also ride between 3000 and 5000 miles in a typical year. XC and long back country rides on trail or back roads are normal, but I managed a couple of days on a lift this year and a few more "All Mountain" rides. There are a lot of factors that can contribute to quickly worn DU's, the fact that they are not sealed doesn't help either, I always find dirt ground into mine.

Some random thoughts to stir the pot a bit...

happy trails...

squish

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006_007

· #19 · Dec 28, 2009

DGC said:
Instead of just posting a ride report on the original thread I started a few days ago I thought it better to start a new one so more people will see this.
I normally would not post a ride report on a topic like bearings vs. bushings but this is well worth posting about.

The Enduro shock eye needle bearing kit is well worth every penny. It took about 100 yards of dirt to realize the super low friction of this needle bearing kit. The first 75 yards was spent checking and re-checking the tire and shock pressures. I thought they were soft and low psi., nope. ***The difference is quite significant***
You will feel the difference using the Enduro needle bearing kit over the stock DU's and reducers. I had recently installed the **4th. set** of DU's and reducers this year. Time will tell with maintenance on the needle bearing kit, but consider this.....for me, the maintenance on the DU's + reducers are rediculous at 4 sets in a year, that is 3 sets too many.
If you rebuild your fork at least once a year, your King hubs the same, then cleaning and regreasing the needle bearing from time to time should not be an issue.

The weight difference is nothing, if you have your Spot set up at over 28 pounds, then a few ounces, if that, is worth it's weight in gold.

What more is there to say, this needle bearing kit kicks ass.

So there is a significant difference, but WHAT is the difference? Do you need to adjust shock pressure values? Better small bump sensitivity?

DGC

Discussion Starter · #20 · Dec 28, 2009

the diff

006_007 said:
So there is a significant difference, but WHAT is the difference? Do you need to adjust shock pressure values? Better small bump sensitivity?

Sorry I did not quite get it all out back when I posted this........In the original post I was about to say the difference with much less friction is a more lively feel, the trail gets smoothed out more than with the stock Fox DU's, yes better small bump sensitivity for sure, it is smoother all the way through the stroke not just on small stuff. Full travel is easier to achieve. I also noticed climbing traction was a little better.
I would tell you to set sag as normal and put a few rides on the bike then see if you need to adjust pressure from there.

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