You’re probably familiar with the tell-tale signs that your shock bushings need replacing. These rubber or polyurethane cushions help absorb road shock and to control the amount of movement in the joints of your bike. Similar to bearings, their role reduces both friction and the extent of wear between two materials, so when the bushings finally start to degrade, there are a couple of obvious signs:
1. The rattle of the shock on its mount — it will likely sound like a knocking noise.
2. You might notice a loosening in your suspension — try lifting your bike up by the saddle and feeling the shock eyelets, you will most likely feel movement if it needs to be replaced.
Your next steps
Firstly, make sure all the components are tight, especially the shock mounting bolt. If the bolt has been torqued correctly and you can still feel movement and play then most likely the bushing itself needs to be replaced.
Don’t worry! You can replace either bushing separately if either component isn’t due to be swapped out for some time. However, we do recommend replacing both the bushing and spacers simultaneously — the low-friction coating is susceptible to being worn down and as a result the shapers will degrade and eventually become misshapen. New bushings and spacers will result in a much tighter performance.
What can BETD offer?
Our stainless steel strong bushes are an ideal upgrade to the standard plastic or aluminium two-piece bush. BETD Strong Bushes fit most shocks made today from Fox, Cane Creek, Manitou and Rockshox. Using the BETD nylon hula hoop bush and stainless steel reducer, these bushes will last approximately 3 to 5 times longer than a standard DU bush. You’ll see an increase in durability and reducing servicing intervals depending on the Great British weather.
We offer a wide range of the most popular sizes starting from 15.75mm up to 65mm all in 6mm and 8mm bolt. We also have some Santa Cruz in 3/8” bolt size too.
Hula Hoop Bushes: New longer lasting shock eye bushes for most types of shocks. They can be used with the standard alloy bushes but they do work most effectively with the stainless strong bush.
Needle Roller Bearing: Fit a new style needle roller bearing to your Fox, Stratos or 5th Element shock and any shock that uses a 1/2” eyelet bush.
The bearing comes fitted with seals and a hardened shaft. We have sizes of 22.0mm x 8.0mm and 25.0mm x 8.0mm, typically to fit the Specialized Enduro frames. Please contact us for the size you require.
Strong Shock Bushes: Strong bushes are a upgrade for most types of shocks, using the new Hula Hoop nylon bush and a stainless steel reducer. These bushes last approximately 3 to 5 times longer than the standard DU type bush and the are stiffer to help stop your bolt from bending.
Shock Bush Tool: This tool makes taking the old bush out and fitting a new shock eye bush a walk in the park. Comes with a new bush to fit into your shock eyelet (not the reducer).
