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SJ lower shock eyelet reducer movemenet problems

2155 Views 14 Replies 11 Participants Last post by Squating Goat, Aug 16, 2006

aussiemtbrider

Discussion Starter · Dec 21, 2005

My new 06 SJ expert (70 miles done so far) has developed movement in the rear shock lower eyelet reducer. This is the 4th FSR I have had since 1997 and they have all had this problem - however it usually took a couple of months before the problem showed, not 6 hours of riding!!!!!. I have 3 friends who also ride FSR's and they also have the same problem. I am a little dissapointed that this problem has not been addressed by specialized by now. Does anyone know of some after market upgrades that use a better compound metal that will last longer before the wear is noticed? Or does specialized do some non OEM reducers that work better?

So far all I have heard from specialized is - 'you will need to buy new reducers"

Apart from this small problem the rest of the bike is awesome and rides really well.

aussiemtbrider

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

wrenchmonkey

· #2 · Dec 22, 2005

Probably the DU bushing, but shouldn't be worn this soon.

All the FSRs tend to chew the DU bushings @ the lower bolt, not usually the reducers, but wearing one out that soon is unusual. Were the bolts torqued correctly? Any play in the rear will accellerate this wear. I know a company in the UK called BETD makes a sealed bearing replacement for reducers/bushings for enduros, maybe they might do a model for you bike. Good luck.

JakeWake

· #3 · Dec 22, 2005

aussiemtbrider said:
My new 06 SJ expert (70 miles done so far) has developed movement in the rear shock lower eyelet reducer. This is the 4th FSR I have had since 1997 and they have all had this problem - however it usually took a couple of months before the problem showed, not 6 hours of riding!!!!!. I have 3 friends who also ride FSR's and they also have the same problem. I am a little dissapointed that this problem has not been addressed by specialized by now. Does anyone know of some after market upgrades that use a better compound metal that will last longer before the wear is noticed? Or does specialized do some non OEM reducers that work better?

So far all I have heard from specialized is - 'you will need to buy new reducers"

Apart from this small problem the rest of the bike is awesome and rides really well.

aussiemtbrider

There is virtually no way it could be worn out in just 6 hours of use. Most likely, the shock bolt on the link is loose. Make sure this it tight.

If for some reason it is till loose, then the reducers or DU bushing was undersized from the beginning. In which case it can be replaced under warranty. Visit your LBS.

Otherwise, this is a common wear item and is not expensive. In places like the UK, it's common to replace them twice a year.

Jake Wake

Stratocaster

· #4 · Dec 22, 2005

123

My Stumpjumper FSR did it too after about a month of riding. Checked it out, found a loose shock bolt, tightened it up. Fixed 1 2 3.

consumerbydesign

· #5 · Dec 22, 2005

Beer Can

Cut to size. Wore it out, replaced it again. If can material is softer then the bike, why not?

aussiemtbrider

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 25, 2005

big boy kit

Sorry to say JakeWake but I checked everything and it was all torqued properly and done up tight, but like you said may ave been undersized from the start. However, I got the bike shop that I brought the bike from to call the specialized rep for the area and they are sending me out a 'big boy kit'. Apparently the bikes are designed for people around 140 - 150 lbs, and not 200 lbs like myself (reps words). I am not sure what the big boy kit is but hopefully it will solve the problem.

Thanks for the reply.

aussiemtbrider

JakeWake said:
There is virtually no way it could be worn out in just 6 hours of use. Most likely, the shock bolt on the link is loose. Make sure this it tight.

If for some reason it is till loose, then the reducers or DU bushing was undersized from the beginning. In which case it can be replaced under warranty. Visit your LBS.

Otherwise, this is a common wear item and is not expensive. In places like the UK, it's common to replace them twice a year.

Jake Wake

1yellowbrick

· #7 · Dec 26, 2005

My '05 sj 120 had play in the lower bush right from the get go. However the more I rode the less play it had, it now has none. After the season I don't want to take it apart for fear it will be loose again. BTW this is not my first Specialized FSR, and not the first loose bush i've dealt with. On my Enduro I purchased the bushing kits from my LBS and then had to return them, they were looser than what I was replacing. I had a local machine shop fab' them to my spec's (they were expensive). They went for two years.
I've been to the BETD website their stuff looks great, however I' curious about shipping $$ to Canada.
Let me know what you find with the "big boy" kit.

Yellowbrick

azdrawdy

· #8 · Dec 27, 2005

That sounds like the same area that caused my '06 SJ FSR to creak like a beyotch. Mine rocked when pushed from side to side. I removed it, cleaned it up, torqued it back in, and haven't had a problem since. Admittedly though, I only have a couple months and a couple hundred miles on it.

BTW, I don't know about that 200 pound comment. I am weighing in at 235 (6'4") and find that this bike is very capable of handling anything I throw at it. This is one very capable XC machine.

Michael

Wild74

· #9 · Aug 15, 2006

JakeWake said:
There is virtually no way it could be worn out in just 6 hours of use. Most likely, the shock bolt on the link is loose. Make sure this it tight.

If for some reason it is till loose, then the reducers or DU bushing was undersized from the beginning. In which case it can be replaced under warranty. Visit your LBS.

Otherwise, this is a common wear item and is not expensive. In places like the UK, it's common to replace them twice a year.

Jake Wake

I have a 2005 SJ 120 Comp (Canadian edition) with about 70 hrs of trail riding on it. The bike has developped some up/down play at the shock's lower eyelet. I wanted to order the replacement parts through my Specialized dealer. He's saying that he needs the measurements for the parts, from what he was told by the Specialized rep ("These parts are made by/for Fox not Specialized, we don't even know the size of them."). This sounds strange, but I didn't talk to the guy; call it hearsay at this point. I looked in both owners manuals (Specialized/Fox) and don't see anything. Specialized refers to the "Lower Shock Eye Bolt" with dimensions in theirs, but nothing regarding the reducers or bushing.

What else do I need to specify other than the Model and Year, which my Specialized dealer already has?

B.BL

· #10 · Aug 15, 2006

I had the play at the lower shock mount too. My LBS fixed the problem by tightening the bolt.
I wonder how tightening a bold could fix that problem. Could someone wiser than me explain this to me?

245044

· #11 · Aug 15, 2006

You're joking, right?

B.BL

· #12 · Aug 15, 2006

mopartodd said:
You're joking, right?

who do you mean?

Squating Goat

· #13 · Aug 15, 2006 (Edited)

Wild74 said:
I have a 2005 SJ 120 Comp (Canadian edition) with about 70 hrs of trail riding on it. The bike has developped some up/down play at the shock's lower eyelet. I wanted to order the replacement parts through my Specialized dealer. He's saying that he needs the measurements for the parts, from what he was told by the Specialized rep ("These parts are made by/for Fox not Specialized, we don't even know the size of them."). This sounds strange, but I didn't talk to the guy; call it hearsay at this point. I looked in both owners manuals (Specialized/Fox) and don't see anything. Specialized refers to the "Lower Shock Eye Bolt" with dimensions in theirs, but nothing regarding the reducers or bushing.

What else do I need to specify other than the Model and Year, which my Specialized dealer already has?

The shock reducers are made by the shock manufacturer. Order the parts from the shock manufacturer and not the bike company. You will need the diameter of the bolt in mm (probably 5 or 6mm) and the distance/width from the outsides edges of the reducers as they pass through the eyelet. For example the reducer measurement for my Tomac Revolver (NOT the SJ) is 6mm x 22mm. My reducers cost $10. There is likely a DU bushing that is pressed into the eyelet. Both the DU bushing and reducers are wear items. Either one or both might be worn out.

The shock manufacturer will likely have your bike in their database so you might not need the measurements. Do know which shock model you have before calling.

Wild74

· #14 · Aug 16, 2006

Squating Goat said:
The shock reducers are made by the shock manufacturer. Order the parts from the shock manufacturer and not the bike company. You will need the diameter of the bolt in mm (probably 5 or 6mm) and the distance/width from the outsides edges of the reducers as they pass through the eyelet. For example the reducer measurement for my Tomac Revolver (NOT the SJ) is 6mm x 22mm. My reducers cost $10. There is likely a DU bushing that is pressed into the eyelet. Both the DU bushing and reducers are wear items. Either one or both might be worn out.

The shock manufacturer will likely have your bike in their database so you might not need the measurements. Do know which shock model you have before calling.

The shock is a Septune with a Lower Shock Eye Bolt (Specialized Owner's Manual) of M6 x 35mm.

So that I understand this right, the length that I need to measure is from one reducer's outside face to the other's outside face when they are mounted on the shock? In other words, approx. the gap size in my shock/rocker link (whatever it's called on this bike), right?

Thanks for the info.

Squating Goat

· #15 · Aug 16, 2006

Wild74 said:
The shock is a Septune with a Lower Shock Eye Bolt (Specialized Owner's Manual) of M6 x 35mm.

So that I understand this right, the length that I need to measure is from one reducer's outside face to the other's outside face when they are mounted on the shock? In other words, approx. the gap size in my shock/rocker link (whatever it's called on this bike), right?

Thanks for the info.

Yes. Exactly like that. Sounds like you have a 6mm bolt diameter.

FYI For me it seems that my DU bushing wears faster than my reducers but they both eventually wear out.

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

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