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I need some advice, my bike knocks a little when I pick up the rear wheel. I traced it to the lower rear shock mounting, as I lift it I can feel movement with my fingers underneath the shock eyelet up and down. The shock was serviced 2 months ago and I have just replaced the bushings now. It's still doing it, any ideas please or is it a stuffed shock eyelet?
Worn mounting hardware?
Dismantle it and get the micrometer out is probably the simplest test, if either the eye, frame link or bush are either not round or a significantly different size that'll be it.
Shouldn't be it's only 9 months old?.
If it's ever been loose it could wear parts in a hurry- turns the entire bike into a little hammer and anvil.
What sort of shock hardware is it, proper stuff or rubbish aluminium tophats? If it's the 2-part tophats, worth ordering a "heavy duty" (or "not crap") kit on general principles imo.
Ok, it is a black anodised cylinder I think is aluminium which goes through the bush and a steel rod goes through the cylinder to fit to the bike via steel bolts either side.The lower cylinder has a polished bit where the anodising has rubbed off by the looks of it.
Sounds like you replaced the wrong bit. Did you replace the shock eyelet bush or just the aluminium mounting bits that sit in and either side of the eyelet?
It is probably just the shock eyelet bushing but for a few quid more I'd swap the lot out for some heavy duty kit. Or you could consider getting an offset shock bush from Burgtec for extra slackness.
I replaced the eyelet bush only.
just one end?
IF it was a stuffed shock eyelet (unlikely) it would have been pretty to press in the stock bushing. Just to confirm, the eyelet bush is the shape of a hula hoop crisp?
If the mounting hardware is old, it may need replacing too. Were the aluminium top hats easy to put back in the bushing?
I did both eyelets. It has no top hats it's just straight through.
what bike is it? and how old
Did you replace the bits that go through the shock eyelet as well? Typically the eyelet bush will wear first as its plastic and designed to wear, the the mounting hardware will wear as well, but at a slower rate. So will you will wear many eyelet bushes before the mounting hardware needs replacement.
Might seem a daft question but are you using a clutch mech? I had what I thought was a suspension 'knock' and thought it was the shock or the bushes or even the suspension pivots. It turned out to be a binding clutch mech (sram).
Thanks for the replies. I took it off again and swapped out the thing the goes through the eyelet (not the bush) for one off a spare shock, problem solved. It was loads tighter to get in, now no knock or movement.
Bingo!
They do last a lot longer than the bush, but they do wear.
BETD do some good replacements (strong bushes) which normally come with a couple of the hula hoop bushes (eyelet bushes) included.