What is everyone using for their full suspension frame hardware (pivot and linkage bolts, etc). Are you guys using someone else’s off the shelf solution? Like buying a bolt kit for a different bike? Are you custom making your own stuff? Or using off the shelf hardware store stuff that’s just generic?
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I’m finishing up my first FS frame and had a difficult time finding hardware. I ended up making the trunnion bolts and main pivot bolt myself. In the future I’ll do a lot more planning in the design phase and hopefully be able to use off the shelf stuff from places like pro-bolt.com, betterbolts.com and mcmaster.
I’m curious what everyone else does.
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I tried to design for off the shelf items but found most aren’t accurate enough. I could look at using existing bike kits but then Im limiting my design choices a little. So I custom make most of it. Currently I use 1020 rod for shafts and use M8 countersunk bolts at each end. I have found a countersunk barrel nut that is good enough to BE utilised as well for rocker to stay connection. For lower shock and Horst link pivots Im using a road caliper barrel nut as its a really low profile. Im looking at ordering cnc sets from china possibly. Maybe in stainless or getting it done in another material and nickle plating but getting that tolerance for the bearings is hard.
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I found a few pivot axles on eBay that fit the bearing and length I needed, and modified the head. Its difficult to find axle lengths from manufacturers for current frame kits
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I bought a stump jumper bolt and bearing kit on sale for under $100 total shipped. That was about the easiest way I could find to do it at the time. That was a Horst link bike, I am designing a single pivot now and the goal is to be able to source everything from McMaster Carr
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