Help with Klein Adept Race main pivot bushings...

[metpraxis]

My once trusty Klein Adept hasn't been used for a couple of years as it was starting to show play in the back triangle. Pretty sure it was the main pivot (presumably bushings shot). I set it to one-side and haven't pulled it apart as yet, but I plan on doing so at some point soon (hopefully the frame itself hasn't ovalised).

Are there any specialists out there that manufacture new bearings/bushings for these kinds of applications? I'm fairly certain that I won't have any luck getting the parts from Trek (and it would be a shame to scrap the bike as pretty much everything else is perfect on it, including the flip-flop blue/green paint!).

Thanks for any suggestions
Stu

 

[lockedmyselfout]

Re:

I think Trek do still have parts for these. I think they are shared across early Trek Fuel, Adept and Gary Fisher Sugar models

 

[metpraxis]

Re: Re:

I think Trek do still have parts for these. I think they are shared across early Trek Fuel, Adept and Gary Fisher Sugar models

Well, you never know, I guess - I have put in a request in the "Contact" section of the main Trek website, asking if the specific part numbers are available. Didn't have any luck a year or two back when I tried at the local Trek LBS (they basically said the NZ distributor was crap, and weren't very interested!). That's NZ through-and-through, though, and doubly-so here in Queenstown.

 

[lockedmyselfout]

Re:

If you have no joy, pm me a frame number and a model year and i'll look into it when I'm back at work on saturday

 

[metpraxis]

Awesome, thanks. The standard Trek response email says they will get back in 24 hours, so if I haven't heard anything, I'll flick you through the bike details.

 

[metpraxis]

Have heard back from Trek, and unfortunately the two top hat bushings aren't available any more (although the axle, bolt and main bushing are). Unfortunately, having now taken it apart, it looks like the problem is really with the top-hats. One is pretty much OK, but the other is pretty loose on the axle (and also a bit loose in the frame). I've ordered some Loctite 680 as I need that for re-assembly anyway, and it *might* help if I swap the top-hats from one side to the other and loctite them into the frame.

Still, realistically leaves me back at the original question, as to whether anyone has had any bushings custom manufactured? The ones on the bike appear to be aluminium coated in PTFE, but nylon would probably do the trick. I'm guessing it is going to be prohibitively expensive to get just a couple of bushings made, sadly.

 

[metpraxis]

Well, I got the last pair of Top-Hats that the NZ distributor had kicking around. Just waiting on a main bearing sleeve, as Trek NZ sent me something that is very like the correct one, but 4mm too long (54mm instead of 50mm). I'm guessing maybe off a Trek Y or similar? I don't think the pivot sleeve will be hard to find though, as Trek US definitely have them in stock. Hopefully I will hear back from Trek NZ next week. Next job is to bodge up some fittings so I can use syringe and nasogastric tubing to bleed Hayes HFX Mag brakes. No way I am paying 15-20 quid for a bleed kit containing about 50p of parts.

 

[metpraxis]

Just in case any other Adept (or Sugar*) owners might be looking for top-hats (or think they might need 'em later on), the following three places seem to have them, one in the UK, one in Netherlands and one in Poland. Neither foreign site has an English version, mind.

http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/frames-fo ... hat-p12555

http://www.jarnobakkerwebshop.nl/p/1650 ... w-w253580/
http://bmsbike.com/product-pol-1160417- ... ophat.html

Not sure why I couldn't find these when I was first looking (although I actually found the triton cycles listing through a google image search), as I'm sure I searched on the later part number as well as the older Klein one. Oh, well - no harm done as I got a set locally anyway. The Trek warehouses don't have further stock, so anyone who might need a pair would be wise to get some ordered and have them in-hand.

*I'd also mention Fuels, but I assume they all broken their rear triangles by now