For any of you long time Mini or Race Link riders out there. I think I improved on the suspension system today. The two tension links normally attach to the front triangle via two button head cap screws. Every other part of the suspension has a through bolt and a nylock nut on the other end. The two separate bolts are the only pieces of the system I've ever seen fail. I've seen them break, and I've personally had one bend after backing out. I had the bike apart to replace some cruddy bearings and I noticed that you can see through the frame where these two bolts thread in.
I took a chance and drilled the threads out of the frame and mounted a single long bolt in place of the two. I've got a nylock nut on there and I don't have to worry about these troublesome little bolts again.
Please excuse the hazy cell phone pic.
Tips for getting it straight:
The bolts in the rear end are all 8mm, so these threads will have a minor diameter of about 6.5mm.
I passed a drill bit through first which was about 0.290" (7.37mm). It's intermediate size will follow the path of least resistance and just knock the tops off the threads. After this the hole is large enough to slide the back end of a reamer in. I passed the reamer through backwards so it's shank acted as a guide to keep it straight. This isn't the best thing for a reamer, but the frame is a hell of a lot more expensive. A 5/16" (7.94mm) reamer worked perfectly for me. It's a little undersized, but so is a standard cap screw shank. The fit was great.
As for the bolt:
A high grade M8 x 120mm long bolt will have about 100mm of unthreaded shank. This is just enough to pass through the links and frame. Put a nut on, cut the excess, and you're golden.
I took a chance and drilled the threads out of the frame and mounted a single long bolt in place of the two. I've got a nylock nut on there and I don't have to worry about these troublesome little bolts again.
Please excuse the hazy cell phone pic.
Tips for getting it straight:
The bolts in the rear end are all 8mm, so these threads will have a minor diameter of about 6.5mm.
I passed a drill bit through first which was about 0.290" (7.37mm). It's intermediate size will follow the path of least resistance and just knock the tops off the threads. After this the hole is large enough to slide the back end of a reamer in. I passed the reamer through backwards so it's shank acted as a guide to keep it straight. This isn't the best thing for a reamer, but the frame is a hell of a lot more expensive. A 5/16" (7.94mm) reamer worked perfectly for me. It's a little undersized, but so is a standard cap screw shank. The fit was great.
As for the bolt:
A high grade M8 x 120mm long bolt will have about 100mm of unthreaded shank. This is just enough to pass through the links and frame. Put a nut on, cut the excess, and you're golden.
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