igus plain bearings in pivot arms and rear shock kinematics of the mountain bike from Lean Cycles

Perfect for high loads on tough enduro rides

Many bearing points that should be able to do without lubrication in the long term, but have to withstand the high loads of tough everyday MTB riding – find out what didn't work for the Swiss start-up Lean Cycles and why they chose iglidur J3 in this user report.

Profile

What was needed: Bearings in pivot arms and shock absorber kinematics

Requirements: Long service life despite high loads and different weather conditions, small installation space

Industry: Bicycle sector

Success for the customer: The used igus iglidur J3 plain bearings are free from corrosion, lubrication and maintenance and withstand dirt and wear. They are also resistant to impacts and shocks, have a long service life, are lightweight and inexpensive. And good for health and the environment: iglidur J3 is PFAS-tested*!

Problem

The Swiss start-up Lean Cycles was founded by three mechanical engineering students who set themselves the task of developing a bicycle for their master's thesis. This was to precisely fulfil the innovative ideas of the designers without having to submit to the usual market requirements. They needed a supporting company for their master's thesis – so they founded their own without further ado.

The three founders, Luca Bühlmann, Robert Probst and Kilian Örtli, rely on a combination of conventional steel tubes and 3D-printed connecting elements made of 17-4 PH stainless steel for the frame. In addition, there is a CNC-milled mono swingarm and a milled damper linkage that integrates a 3D-printed component from the SLM process.

The expensive materials of the bike were to be protected and separated in the swing arms and the damper kinematics. Radial deep groove ball bearings made of metal could not be used, and other solutions were tried and rejected. None of them were able to withstand the high loads that occur during demanding descents on enduro trails.

Solution

Winners rely on plain bearings from igus! The prototype from Lean Cycles was a winner at the Craft Bike Days organised by MTB-News and was named "Bike of the Show". And quite rightly so - the prototype project combines frame construction expertise like no other MTB and impressed both jury and visitors alike. Fun fact: the enduro bike was only completed shortly before the event.

In the end, the choice was made in favour of igus plain-bearing technology consisting of tribopolymers. Luca Bühlmann emphasises: "igus is known in the bike market for its high-quality polymer plain bearings, which are used in numerous applications, from gears to pedals." The iglidur J3 plain bearings from igus also score points under high loads and clearly outperform the durability of deep groove ball bearings. The tribopolymers used play to their strengths in the pivot arms, the shock absorber kinematics and the damper eyelets. In addition to the material-related advantages of the bushings, they also save installation space and weight.

We were unable to use radial deep groove ball bearings here. The reason is the high load. By using iglidur plain bearings, we were also able to save additional installation space and benefit from the advantages of tribopolymers.