 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hemlock owners out there. Does your seatstay bridge hit the seat tube on full compression? Mine does, which I fear is not ideal for the longevity of the frame. I've measured the shock, and as far as I can see it's the correct size (200mm*57mm) so I'm not really sure what's wrong.
Mine did although I know from previously mentioning it not many owners experience the problem. I put a zip tie around where it would hit so it acted as a kind of bump stop. The seatstay brace never slammed the seattube...more just very lightly touched although enough to chip the paint.
Here is what Cotic had to say when I emailed them earlier this year...
"The clearance there is tight and it probably wouldn't touch if the front triangle were anodised. That small brace piece is there to hold the stays in line from side to side but it can bow outwards slightly when the pivot axle is tightened up depending on exact width of the rocker. You would be safe either bow it slightly inwards or round off the edge that's catching with a file"
However a couple of changes have happened since then. Firstly I replaced the chainstays for the 2011 version and it was only then I noticed that the old chainstays had cracked just above the barrel nuts where the chainstays attached to the main frame which coud have made a difference. Secondly the shock got serviced and it hasn't hit again although if I do let the air out the shock I can compress the suspension to the point where it touches.
Cool, cheers for that - sounds about right. I might just round off the edge a little bit with a file, I tried the zip tie method but it broke pretty quickly. I was running a rather too soft shock at that point though 😳
I also need to replace some bearings, but that's another story...
Just to add, the Hemlock has a fairly linear rate of travel and therefore my plan to reduce bottoming out without increasing the shock air pressure was to fit a Fox air volume tuning kit so that the air
pressure would ramp up in the final part of the travel. Never got around to it though given I haven't suffered the bottoming out after the changes.
[i]I also need to replace some bearings, but that's another story...[/i]
I did a bit of a DIY guide on this thread that may help...
http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/sooooo-hemlock-owners-any-tips-to-shift-these-bearings
That's ace! I'll have a fair bit of free time over summer so I reckon I might have a go at doing the bearings, though I might get my hardtail built up first just in case it goes wrong.
Mine was fine with a normal seatpost but it can hit the hose on my reverb right at the end. And has damaged it a bit albeit I think superficially. My solution has been to fit the Fox air can volume reducing spacer (The biggest one) which appears to have eliminated the problem but I also really like the feel of it. I also fitted 2011 chainstays, which may or may not have an effect on this point.