1998 FSR and 2011 Boardman HT Pro

[S-M]

2003 seat stay will not fit without mods, the top of the stay where it bolts to the linkage is about 2mm wider than the 98 FSR linkage.

Now the FSR linkage can probably be adjusted by giving it a bit of a bend, but that still leaves how to actually mount it.

I think if i drill out the 2003 linkage a little, the stock 98 bush and spacer will slide right in without much trouble at all.

Or maybe the 2003 enduro linkage will fit onto the 98 GC frame?
I am planning on buying the BETD linkage at some point anyway, maybe best to simply buy the enduro version..

A decent little project for me to get my teeth into, i will take photos as i go along

 

[EarlofBarnet]

Just a thought, but the Enduro's have small 1mm thick washers between the bearings and linkages. Could this be the 2mm you need?

 

[S-M]

Dont think so, if you look at my photo, the top of the seat stay has two holes with threads cut into them, this section is wider than the stock 98 linkage by approx 2mm (ish)

Now the two holes can be drilled out a little so the stock 98 bushes will fit, this seams easy enough in theory, they probably need to be enlarged around 2mm, plenty of metal around that part.

The stock linkage would need widened a little, i1m not sure what it is made of yet, but it looks like it could be simply forced open a little to take the new wider seat stay, or i could machine down the actual seat stay maybe 1mm per side

The problem i have with the widening of the linkage method is, i would be stuck with the stock linkage and i had planned to fit a BETD linkage down the line, looking at the pictures of the BETD linkage for the 98, it does not look like it would be a good idea to try bending it.

Machining down the new seat stay would allow me to fit a 98 BETD linkage down the line, but i`m removing some strength from that area, i need to have a good think about my next plan of attack.

Machining down the seat stay is looking a better option at the moment though, so i`m not stuck in the future.

 

[bigmick]

i don't think the 03 link will fit the connections are different

also the 03 linkage has the bearings installed on link 98 are installed at the stay
my guess is you will need to make some sleeves to fit it on using the original link and bolts
2 small sleeves at where it joins chainstay and one bigger to join it at linkage

 

[S-M]

Actually, i have not even tried the chainstay yet, i was assuming they would be the same width? maybe i should check them out before doing any further work.

I thought i would simply need the tophat washers/spacers and the chainstay connection would just bolt up.

The wheel widths are all the same, so they should be fine, will double check though.

If the new stay is simply an alloy, i might just file it a bit shorter by hand, its probably got 1mm worth of paint/powdercoat on it anyway!

 

[S-M]

Been busy spannering in the man-cave.

1st discovery!

These parts of the stock 98 bush are the exact right size to slip into the 2003 enduro bearings, win!

So the chainstay can be bolted up super quick once some spacer washers have been added to key the new stay in the middle of the chainstay joint.

But the shock linkage to seat stay will cause a problem as i originaly thought.

I spent HOURS cutting this down a little at a time by hand, with a hacksaw and 3 different metal files, i got it so it would slide into the linkage, then i drilled out the holes to 16mm, this allowed me to add in the 98 plastic bushes.

Here you can see it all bolted up, with the stock 98 bushing fitted and running through the new seat stay.

Another angle of what i thought was the finished article, its taken me all day, but it looks like its all working spot on, i discover the 98 rear mech hanger does not fit the enduro drop outs, damn but it should be an easy fix.

Lets add the rear wheel anyway!

****!!

The rear wheel will only fit if i let the tyre down (wtf?)

It would appear that the enduro dropouts are around 2cm in towards the crank compared with the 98 ones, i can only assume that the enduro has LONGER chain stays to compensate for this.

I was so close :evil:

Not sure what the plan will be now, i cant sell the seat stay as i have machined it down, i cant use it on the bike at the moment as my big 2.3 tyres dont clear, i may have to try and source a set of enduro chain stays, DOH!

 

[S-M]

Could use a 24" rear wheel ?

Maybe!

They look a bit sketchy though.

 

[bigmick]

can you not just use a narrower tyre on rear and buy the enduro hanger

 

[S-M]

It would probably still be too tall, the tyre is squashed up

Its not just the width that is the problem.

The 2.3 tyre is tight on the stock setup regarding the width, but it clears, i cant believe the dropouts are fitted 2cm closer to the bike on the new linkage, its the only thing i never thought about checking before starting my day of wasted energy

 

[S-M]

Well my PIKE X-Firm spring kit arrived today, i had bought some Marzocchi forks for the FSR but they seamed to have disappeared while being inside our fantastic postal system, so i decieded to put the FSR bike back together and rebuild the PSYLO fork so i can still ride it.

I can confirm the PIKE springs DO fit the 30mm stanchion PSYLO models, what you have to do is cut away the plastic around the middle of the spring, this is the coloured band that tells you what stiffness it is (ie medium/x-firm etc)

This coloured plastic band is just a smidge too wide to fit down the smaller stanchion, with this removed, they drop down nicely

You also have to swap over the topcap as the PIKE topcap is a little larger (its probably 32mm but i never measured it)

The springs are a little longer, so when screwing the topcap down, it puts a little preload on the spring, its not an issue for me though, for some reason i seamed to gain some extra travel as well, maybe the PSYLO system has a little extra headroom that was unused, or maybe my stock medium spring was just totally knackered

My left hand stanchion is marked around where the seal touches it (previous owner damage) and with the u-turn knob wound right round, i think im getting an extra 1.5 to 2cm extra, strange! i wound it down to its original height anyway.

Just been out for a 14 mile blast around the coast with no issues at all, bar getting a puncture just as i approached my street