[TahoeBC]

So after several years of serving me well I gave up on this bike since I was no longer able to find replacement Bushings. It gave me a excuse to by my Ellsworth though which I love.

Every once in awhile I see the frame sitting in my garage and I think about building it back out, got plenty of extra parts laying around to do it.

In another thread I found someone mentioned that they were able to find bushings at
http://www.mcmaster.com/

Well Looks like they are a pretty standard size but there are so many materials to choose from Nylon, Delrin, Rulan, PTFE, and various incarnations of those also. Any one go this route yet? and what type of material worked well for you? Also specific part numbers you may have ordered from this or another manufacture would be greatly appreciated.


Looks like there is a ready source of derailleur hangers to be had
http://www.derailleurhanger.com/schwinn.htm

 

[joemamad]

HI! I have ordered bushings from McMaster-Carr. I saved the part # it is 57785k39. This number is about 4 years old, I haven't ordered anymore since I ordered 2 full sets. I chose to get the UHMW bushings. Ultra High Mulecular Weight polyurethane bushings they are white. If I rember correctly the shaft size is 1.5", the outside diameter is 1.75" and the thicness is .125" (1/8th) I had to shorten the insert depth of the bushing but that was no big deal. These bushings are tight, smooth and seemed to wear long It really took the slop out of the rear end. You'll be able to ride that bike forever with a supply of bushings.

I'm currently riding my sweetspot and it handles some decent sized (4'-5') drops and jumps and speedy rocky downhill runs. A strong frame.

 

[TahoeBC]

Thanks Mang!

I went ahead an ordered a set made out of Delrin this weekend, part number Part Number: 2705T46, if these do not hold out long I'll give the UHMW's a try. It will be nice to bring this bike back to life, had a lot of good times on it.

 

[RoosterFXP]

I have been looking for these bushings for a while. Did these work well for you? I am specifically curious how they fit. I will probalby order the MDS Filled Nylon and give those a try. I found a new set from a LBS but the bushings are blue and for the carbon frames so they wont fit (both schwinn, LBS and a some other guy I met confirmed this). I am an engineer and work with these matarials a lot... From the looks of these blue ones they are nylon.

I have all the tools to measure the bores and such but if you guys can give me confidence in the fit I will go ahead and order them and not waste any time

Im in love with my S-20, bought it new in 98

 

[joemamad]

HI, yeah my pivot tube is 1.5" outside diameter. The bushing is 1.75" outside diameter to fit into the hole in the frame. The bushing material thickness is .125". The overall width is 2", the flange is .25" around the circumference of the bushing.

My original bushings are blue nylon also. There is a diffferent size though, I once tried to buy bushings on e-bay, only to find that they were thinner material thickness (I couldn't use them).

 

[TahoeBC]

The one's I tried Delrin , part number Part Number: 2705T46 I was not satisfied with, even though the measurments seemed right, they just did not fit as snug as the Blue OEM ones's.

 

[RoosterFXP]

I have a brand new set of BLUE bushings I bought from my LBS and they have one more set with pin. I have the right tools to measure them properly and will do so tonight, along with some digital pics I will post.

What I need to find out is if they will fit my aluminum ' 98 S-20. The stock bushings on my bike are creme in color. I tried to take my bike apart over the weekend to measure my stock creme color ones but my bike is still tight and I did not want to damage them. Seems like they are still in great shape... for now anyways, but I ride a lot harder these days.

Any info anyone can provide is helpfull. I have the resources to have some made if I find enough people to place an order and get the price down. Stay tuned as I am determined to make sure my bike last for many more years

 

[RoosterFXP]

Ok, here are photos of brand new blue bushings suposedly for the carbon frame homegrown bikes. They measure as such:

Blue Bushing Measurements
ID = 1.510
OD = 1.662
OAL = 0.630
Flange Thick = 0.082
Flange OD = 1.997
Pin OD = 1.501
Pin ID = 1.373

Blue Bushings (Suposedly for Homegrown Carbon Fiber frames)

My Bushings

My Bike

Now, if someone has the creme color ones like on my bike I would be curious what they measure. I would take mine apart but I dont want to mess mine up as they still have a bit of life left in them.

So, I have two options. I either find bushings for my bike and sell the two blue pair I have (which one is already taken). Or, I find myself a homegrown frame to buy. So if anyone has one laying around I'm a potential buyer.

 

[TahoeBC]

Looks like the same frame as mine, only mine was the largest size they made. My bike was originally a 97, at some point (maybe 2000/2001) I broke the front triangle, followed by the rear triangle about 6 month's later, the part's were interchangeable. I think the rear Triangle being like a 1999 it had been upgraded with disk brake mounts.

I seem to remember at some point they changed the bushings a bit to wear longer. My measurement done imprecisely with a ruler were like what Joemamad stated above.

 

[joemamad]

The UHMW bushings I ordered fit tight. My rear had some slop in it from worn bushings, these tightened it up. At first the pivot tube felt a little loose with the bushings out of the frame, but once installed they were tight.

 

[RoosterFXP]

Hmm well we seem to have proved there are two different sizes.

This is getting confusing... im tired from thinking at work all day so i will try to sum it all up soon. I would know for sure if i took my bike apart but im not willing to do that yet...

How hard is it to get this sweet spot apart?

 

[joemamad]

I didn't find it that difficult. Just loosened the pinch bolts and very carefully used a wooden dowl on the pivot tube and tapped the tube out one side. I spread the pinch area very carefully, and only very slightly with a screwdriver to relieve any pinch force on the tube. Once it is out a little ways, it becomes easier to pulll out. I removed the shock before surgery. When reassembling, do not use any petroleum-based lubes (grease, WD-40, 3-in-1 oil, etc...), I used Rock Shox Judy butter it's made especially for plastics like urathane shock elatomers (remember those?).

I have taked the pivot apart a few times and lubed it because the cleaner you keep the bushings, the longer they will last and the quieter they'll be.

 

[TahoeBC]

OK did a bit more playing around today, took it apart and reassembled everything using some wood blocks and a clamp to press the sides in tight against the bushings. Everything is great no play, etc.

Went out for a lunch ride about 20 miles, get home and I've got play again.

Looks like the Blue OEM bushings I have, have a flange thickness a hair over a 1/8 inch, so the pivot arms have to press in more than normal for a tight contact with the 1/8 inch bushings i'm trying. But the arms naturally want to work there way back to there normal position, even though I've torxed the screws down hard.

Appears to my eye that the flange thickness on my OEM bushings is 4 mm. I can place them next to the 1/8 inch McMaster-Carr see that there abit thicker.

 

[TahoeBC]

Just to add how I have always serviced mine. Pretty quick and easy.

Loosen pinch bolts

Lightly tap out tube with a hammer and tap. Made by grinding and old Phillips head screw driver down to a flat end.

I just tap it all the way out, no removing of the shock.

remove bushing, clean up if nessary. I never lubed them in any way. When they start to fit loose in the frame, I wrap them with a couple loops of teflon pipe tape to snug them up.

insert bushings back in

line up rear trangle holes and tap cylinder back in.

with two blocks of wood and a vise I press everything tight

Tighten pinch bolts

Seems like at least you could place the blue bushings next to your installed ones and compare the flange thickness for starters.

 

[RoosterFXP]

Guys,

Things are just not adding up. I have taken notes on all these comments and im scratching my head. TahoeBC if your bushings are definately not less than 1/8 thick on the flange, these new bushings I have are not going to work for you. They are definately less than 1/8. The measurements I made were tken with nice calipers and are accurate to .001 inches with exception to the bushing ID which is probable a couple thousanths larger, this is due to flat spots on the tips. I dont have a proper bore guage but its close enough.

What I find weird is I gather your OEM flange thickness is larger than 1/8 and you say with the McMaster bushings you have play on the pin. But that would mean that there are two different rear triangles... yours being wider. This it what really throws a wrench in my thinking. Maybe they made the switch in 99 when the rear disc was added. Who knows.

I may be able to get my hands on a friend of a friends frame for inspection here in a week or so. I will most likely take mine bike apart and see if my new blue bushings are the same as my OEM creme ones. If they are the same im golden, but i will still try to help you guys out. Anyone who has a passion for this frame is a friend of mine. If they are different, im still screwed but at least I will be able to do a comparison and help us all out.

I will stay tuned with this thread until we solve this. I can get anything made, will probably not be too cheap but the more ordered the price will go down. I would guss for the bushigs alone would be about $40-$60 a pair plus material. Thats about half what I paid for these blue ones!

My brain hurts, Im off to bed whew.

Oh btw, if those mcmaster ones fit but you have end play ( a gap in ther ) just need to have some shims made... could be a solution for you. May even be able to get them from McMaster.

 

[TahoeBC]

Yep they are definitely slightly larger than an 1/8 inch, I did think about the shim thing last night also.

Luckily for me this is not my primary bike, but it sure is fun to take out once in awhile even if I have to retighten the pivot after every ride, since it will only be a few times a year.

Amazing how well this 10 year old suspension technology has held up over the years. The Bushings have always been the weak link though. The newer ones they came out with lasted much longer than the original one's though.

I do not believe that I switched my bushings with the new rear triangle though, since I got new ones with my warranted front triangle, 6 month's before. BTW keep an eye on the frame in the pivot area, thats were mine cracked, basically the bike broke in half landing a jump, it was not pretty. The whole pivot area was trashed so I got a new cyclinder and bushings along with the frame.

One possiblity is mine was the "Homegrown" version made by yeti in Durango.

 

[RoosterFXP]

Dumb question, cause I know these bikes well (the aluminim ones) but I must ask...

You homegrown is carbon fiber right? I just have not been around many carbon bikes so Im wanting to clarify how they are built. If you look at a photo of one you still see welds, so what is really carbon? Do they just use like aluminum connectors and the tubes are carbon molded around the connectors? This may help me, cause I was originally thinking that the pivot housing on a homegrown would be carbon.

If our pivot housings are made from different materials that would be an important thing to know. I would assume the carbon would need to be thicker in this area they may had to re-engineer the whole thing. This will help me figure out whats going on I think.

Thanks

 

[TahoeBC]

Mine is aluminim, I think the carbon fiber ones had a whole different look to them.

See this link
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_full/product_19210.shtml

Ours was this one, but the picture is not correct
http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_full/product_19208.shtml

Updated for correct link

 

[TahoeBC]

Came across this website, check it out

http://www.geocities.com/schwinnriders/homegrown.html

http://www.geocities.com/fastfreddyfour/

 

[Fast Freddy]

Wow - that was a ride in the way back machine....lol I forgot I had that old page - I was determined to save every last SweetSpot then. Since - I've sold that bike and I'll go look in the garage for the parts box I had - if memory serves me right I had an extra set of bushings and couple pivot tubes (even one made of Ti - oooh wow....lol). Hopefully the dimension - or print I had is in there - since I was going to get bushings made... I'll check it out when I get home later....

FF

Came across this website, check it out

http://www.geocities.com/schwinnriders/homegrown.html

http://www.geocities.com/fastfreddyfour/