[Bicyclist]

I think the shock hardware BS is the crappiest thing ever. First my Demo has that nonsensical small lower eyelette, and a BS design where you can't touch the shock.

Now my Enduro has those stupid conical washer thingys where it's frikken impossible to get a shock in.

I vow to never own a Specialized bike with anything proprietary or useless again.

End rant.

 

[SuperKat]

SANTA CRUZZZzzzz
Sorry about your bad luck.

 

[Bicyclist]

God damn it I'm sick of the proprietary BS. It's almost as bad as Cannondale.

Now I want a single pivot so I don't have to worry about this junk...

 

[mastercycleman]

can you say VPP, or a turner works

 

[matsO]

I've just sold my demo so I will never ever have to be in that situation again...but there was a trick or 2 how to mount the shock without 2-3 friends helping.

 

[DHS]

I think the shock hardware BS is the crappiest thing ever. First my Demo has that nonsensical small lower eyelette, and a BS design where you can't touch the shock.

Now my Enduro has those stupid conical washer thingys where it's frikken impossible to get a shock in.

I vow to never own a Specialized bike with anything proprietary or useless again.

End rant.

i totallly agree with you

can we please get the rep button back now

 

[bjanga]

I vow to never own a Specialized bike with anything proprietary or useless again.

This thread makes my morning. +rep

 

[Castle]

it's really not hard, just use a 8mm allen slide it through from the non drive side of the linkage, use it to help hold the washers in place, get your shock in the front most mount but leave it loose. (I would also go ahead and insert the pivot axle into the drive side linkage to help keep the links aligned) Then wiggle the shock in the rear most mount while removing the 8mm allen slowly. I can swap the spring on my sxt in no longer then 15 min's.. First time I tried it, it took me a while to figure out a method to get it all back together..

I see people recommending vpp, I had two of em of which both ate bearings like crazy.

 

[bizutch]

2 other things that make it really easy. for the frame mount, just like Castle said. On one side, slide the mounting bolt in to hold 1 spacer, on the other side slide in a BIC pen to hold the other. Slide the shock down and smack the mounting bolt right through.

For those conical bearings, little bit of grease on the backside holds them right in place.

In all fairness though...it was a mystery of mysterys before being shown those two things.

FYI: Cane Creek sells the Double Barrel with a pair of slices of Plastic dowel that make it a snap to install on the Demo.

 

[DirtBag]

it's really not hard, just use a 8mm allen slide it through from the non drive side of the linkage, use it to help hold the washers in place, get your shock in the front most mount but leave it loose. (I would also go ahead and insert the pivot axle into the drive side linkage to help keep the links aligned) Then wiggle the shock in the rear most mount while removing the 8mm allen slowly. I can swap the spring on my sxt in no longer then 15 min's.. /QUOTE]

Bingo....

I have a D-9 with a Manitou and agree at first try the spacers are the biggest PITA. But after getting them in the system works as designed. I had to pull of my shock at the mountain and was more frustrated because I was trying to rush and get back up to the lift. I dropped them about 12 times and was swearing something fierce. But after the second time it went real fast....

 

[Bicyclist]

Well on my Enduro, I've worked for like 1.5 hrs to put in my shock.

I've done it before, and the best trick for these ones is to use a note-card to mimic the 15mm drive-side bolt. However, this time I can't do it. I don't know why. But this has pushed me over the edge.

 

[Zark]

Every bike and company has its annoyances and attributes mechanically.
Specialized has a toolkit for replacing all their bearings for example.
Santa Cruz bikes have the bearing life of a housefly.

I thought the conical washers were a cool idea on the Enduro's, no sideloading on the shock and all.

 

[Bicyclist]

When was the last time you sideloaded a shock?

 

[Zark]

When was the last time you sideloaded a shock?

I had a Y bike back in the day, so about '98. I went through 3 shocks in a year:biggrin:

 

[Bicyclist]

Touche. I weigh like 40 pounds so I don't have too much of an issue.

 

[Jeremy R]

When was the last time you sideloaded a shock?

Cue the Romic pics! :biggrin:

You really should own some other bikes, and see what is up.
Different bikes have different issues.
On both my Demo and Enduro, I have never had to so much as replace a shock bushing this year. No loose bolts, pivots, etc.... on either bike.
I know of other good DH bikes that have problems like
constantly broken shock bolts, linkages that have more play in the rear than Little Richard, and shock bushings that wear out every 3 days of Dhing.
Pains in the ass are just part of our sport. It gives us character.:biggrin:
I know, you should get an Ellsworth, their owners have a ton of character.

 

[punkassean]

The first time I swapped shocks on my Enduro it took about 10 minutes, now I can do it in no time. I use the same easy methods others have described above.

If you think bikes are a pain, try working on cars buddy. Nothing compares to trying to get the downpipe out of an old Celica All-Trac. Rust and temp fluctuation combined with impossibly tight spaces. I'm talking two extensions attached to a swivel type of crap. Anyway, bikes are a snap, not matter what if for no ther reason because they don't weight thousands of pounds.

 

[Total Heckler]

Yeah wrenching on cars is much more difficult.

But this thread makes me happy. I like my fly bearings. =]

 

[SK6]

Cue the Romic pics! :biggrin:

You really should own some other bikes, and see what is up.
Different bikes have different issues.
On both my Demo and Enduro, I have never had to so much as replace a shock bushing this year. No loose bolts, pivots, etc.... on either bike.
I know of other good DH bikes that have problems like
constantly broken shock bolts, linkages that have more play in the rear than Little Richard, and shock bushings that wear out every 3 days of Dhing.
Pains in the ass are just part of our sport. It gives us character.:biggrin:
I know, you should get an Ellsworth, their owners have a ton of character.

Based on that, I got character comin' out my ass!

 

[SK6]

Yeah wrenching on cars is much more difficult.

But this thread makes me happy. I like my fly bearings. =]

No it ain't! I can bleed a cars brakes NO problem, but when my Juicy 7's wouldn't bleed, holy sh!t, what a hassle!

 

[S.K.C.]

Yeah - after reading the first post by Bicyclist, I have to admit that getting the shock in and out of my Demo 8 was tricky... From an engineering standpoint I understand why they used the unusual conical washer set-up for the upper shock mount in the "shock stay" as they call it, but I think it could have been made a bit more user-friendly.

There's lots of different tricks that I've seen over the past few years to hold the conicals in place while sliding the shock eyelet into position to insert the bolt...

Ususally what I do is cut an old sponge to size - just a little bit wider than the space inside the concials, and then stuff it in there to hold everything in place. Push down the shock eyelet until it compresses the sponge displacing it a bit, then yank it out with some pliers.

I think Reggie (Kyle's mechanic) did a similar thing, but can't be sure.

 

[Monkeybidnezz]

I agree the washers are a pain. The first time took me forever to get the shock to sit w/o dropping the washers on my D9. It got pretty frustrating, but I played around with it like everyone else. Finally figured out a trick that works for me which is using a index card or something flat to hold the first washer in. Follow with the shock and let the 2nd washer slide in as you insert. It has been fairly painless the last couple of times I worked it. I'm not sure if it works for the Enduro, but we'll see when I get it next week.

 

[Bicyclist]

I think something's up. I used the trick of the index card but to no avail. I've done it before no problems, I think something's amiss.

I much prefer working on my 914 to working on my bikes. Maybe it's 'cause I work at a shop all day, but I also have fat fingers that never want to go where I tell 'em on bikes. Everything on cars is bigger so it's more my hands' size.

 

[bizutch]

I think something's up. I used the trick of the index card but to no avail. I've done it before no problems, I think something's amiss.

I much prefer working on my 914 to working on my bikes. Maybe it's 'cause I work at a shop all day, but I also have fat fingers that never want to go where I tell 'em on bikes. Everything on cars is bigger so it's more my hands' size.

bic pen and some grease....

 

[Bicyclist]

Bic pen doesn't hold the "globe" shaped one tight enough, so it just pushes away. The notecard is better but still not secure enough.

 

[coma13]

the only way i ever got this working was with a drift punch to line up one side and barely balance the bushings for that side on.... then line up the other side, push the bolt in, balance the bushings right on the edge and try to get the shock eyelet in between without brushing the bushings off the the bolt & punch... total PITA...

 

[Jeremy R]

between without brushing the bushings off the the bolt...

say that 5 times fast and the bolt goes in automatically.

 

[bizutch]

say that 5 times fast and the bolt goes in automatically.

shouldn't you loading and unloading things.

 

[SPrider]

the new demo only requires you to take off the 2 shock bolts for the shock to come out i believe, and you just slide it out from the side, must simpler and easier than the '06 setup.

 

[Bicyclist]

About time! Does it have that lame ass proprietary eyelett size, still?

 

[SPrider]

dont know