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Enduro Fork Seals – more than just seals…
February 6, 2008Published by acadianEnduro Fork Seals first stated making a name for themselves with their fork seals upgrades and cartridge bearing kits. For the past two years they started manufacturing gold – well not really gold, but some pretty nifty tools that are worth their weight in gold!
Not only am I passionate about bikes, but also appreciate nice tools! Additionally, I'm a strong advocate for using the proper tool for the proper job. Some people are fine with using a hammer and wood to press in a headset, but the simple thought of that makes me cringe!!  Ever had something go wrong with your bike the night before a big race/ride and didn't have the tool(s) to fix the problem? The local bike shop is already closed for the night.. Yup, you just missed out on a ride! Man there is nothing more frustrating. This has happened to me before and let me tell you, life is too short to miss ANY saddle time! So whenever I need to get something done on my bike and I don't have the tool(s) to do it – I just get em'!  The first Enduro tool I ever bought from Real World Cycling is their outboard BB cup tool. I own several bikes with outboard Bottom Bracket cups and after accidentally slipping my Park BBT-9 tool a few times, I decided it was time for a more robust tool to use with a socket wrench. That's when I pulled the trigger and got one of their outboard BB tool. I was very impressed by the quality and craftsmanship of their BB cup tool. When I first opened the box, I thought I had ordered something from a jewelry store – the unique gold anodized color really stands out! I've been using this tool a lot – from Shimano Hollowtech to FSA MegaExo BB cups, the tool has performed flawlessly. Well…that's until recently. I was mounting some 2008 Shimano XT cranks on a new bike and wasn't careful while installing the BB cups. I was standing on the right side of the bike and was screwing in the left side BB cup using only one hand. The cup tool slightly moved while attempting to torque the cup. So to be on the safe side, I suggest you always maintain inward pressure on the tool when you using it – especially when tightening to torque specifications.  The little Enduro Crankarm cap tensioner is also a nice piece. Just like the main BB tool, you can use a socket wrench with it - but by doing so, you can easily over tighten the cap! The cap should be just tight enough so you don't have any play in your cranksarms. I suggest first tightening it down by hand - that might be all you need to do.  After spending hours of quality time in my garage using the Enduro cup tool, I decided to acquire their Hub Bearing press tool. Why would you need such a tool? Well I own quite a few DT Swiss wheelsets and on a few occasions I've had to deal with lateral play in the hubs. The only way to take care of that is by either replacing the bearings (by pressing new ones in) or making sure the bearings are pressed in all the way. Not easy task if you don't have the tools to do it. Also, not every bike shop carry these specific bearing press tools. The first thing I did is buy the DT Swiss hub tool kit. Problem is it didn't come with any press, plus the instructions called for the use of a hammer to press new bearings in the hub body. Yikes!! Like mentioned above – I can't push myself to use a hammer to press new bearings! When Enduro released their Hub Bearing Press tool kit, I was the first one in line for one. Just like their BB cup tool – it has a nice gold anodize finish and comes with a plethora of bearing press adaptors that cover 10 of the most common bearing sizes. Each adaptor has a nice gray anodized finish and laser etched graphics indicating bearing size specifications. My hope is that down the line, Enduro will start making more bearing adaptors that will work with their Press. Like for linkage bearings, frames bearings, etc… I'm sure when/if that happens, they will be available as upgrade packages on their web site.  For the past few months I've been experimenting with both ceramic BB from FSA and aftermarket sealed bearing cartridges (used in some Shimano BB cups) and In both cases, these setups outperforms the stock Shimano bearings. I have a set of Hollowtech II cranks that is more than a year old and to this day, the BB feels sticky when compared to my other setups. To get the Shimano BB's upgraded with afterarket bearings upgraded, I had to send my cups in. Seeing how I might be doing a few Bearing swaps in the future – I decided to get Enduro tool. With all these gold tools I have, I'm really starting to feel like Mr. T! The kit might look daunting at first – but after following the detailed instructions (with nice pictures might I add) from Enduro's site, you quickly realize that the tool is a no brainer to use. It's almost a tool for dummies and after doing a few bearing swaps; it becomes apparent that the tool was developed with the “home mechanic” in mind.  The only tricky bit is the expanding collet that you need to use for removing the stock bearings from the BB cups. It needs to grab onto the inner race of the bearing, not the inner edge of the BB cup – which you can easily do if you're not carful. The only thing I thought the Enduro BB Bearing Puller/Press tool did not do is remove the outer seal that is on the stock Shimano BB bearing. But Chris was quick to point out that you indeed can use the tool to remove the little bugger. The pilot, or expander, has two sides. One is used to expand the collet but you can use the other side to extract the outer stock seal. I've also had good luck removing them using a wide flat head screwdriver to pry them out. Enduro's replacement Cartridge bearings use a smaller inner race that lets the crank spindle make direct contact with it, unlike the stock Shimano ones where the crank spindle sit on the top of that black outer seal. Enduro has a few options when it comes to Cartridge bearing upgrades. One of them is Ceramic Hybrid bearings. Ceramic Hybrid bearings have races that are made of steel while the balls are ceramic. This bearing upgrade option is much cheaper than other full ceramic setups and offer less drag than the stock Shimano setup.  If you don't feel like buying the tool you can always buy Enduro's complete BB cup set with either Ceramic Hybrid or Chromium Steel bearing.  Check out the Enduro Fork Seal's web site for pricing information. They offer Seals, Bearings, tools, lubes, headset cups, grips, OE bits and also have detailed illustrated instructions. I also recently noticed that they added a new blind bearing puller to their Bearing Tools section. Feel free to contact them with any questions you might have – chances are you'll get a reply from Chris who has been very candid in answering my 101 questions over the past year. Thank you! www.realworldcycling.com |
Comments
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(February 7, 2008 at 8:54)
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WHOA that Outboard BB tool is alot nicer than the traditional styles
Ok those tools are pretty much sexy as hell! Very informative piece Luc, I can't wait to see your whole collection one day!
what no cori's mom 2 model?
wow, those must be superlyduperly expensive.
actually - compared to similar tools out there, they aren't that expensive. check their web site for actual prices.
Sweet review! I just checked out their website... Few interesting things... Their Ceramic Bottom Bracket looks super sweet in red and also those derailleur pulleys look killer...
wow im going to have to buy another tool box those are to nice for my current one where can i get them
thats are aliens technology !!!
man i wouldnt want to use those tools.....cause i wouldnt want to get them all scratched up!!
We've got the Outboard BB Bearing Removal/Installation tool here at Simon's Cycles and it is slick! Beautiful workmanship and makes changing bearings as easy as making microwave popcorn!
Chris is a class act! Every product of his I have used is outstanding and his product support is excellent, Enduro is one of the best companies around!
The is only problem is Enduro bearings still one of the worst bearings out there...
how would you know this? have you ridden them? and if you have did you make sure you installed them correctly?
just want to make sure your not talking out of your ass here
just want to make sure your not talking out of your ass here
It's simply a fact that Enduro's bearings are entry level ones. I'm not complaining about enduro but their tool seems wicked compare to their bearings.
Louiffe, Yours is the kind of post that gives forums a bad name. Enduro makes everything from entry level bearings to state-of-the-art full ceramics. Many are designed to OEM specifications while others are for high-end aftermarket sales. You can't classify the entire Enduro bearing line together. Instead of throwing out a libelous generality, perhaps you could mention the exact bearing series and model number you may have had trouble with and what application it was used in.
I got some Demo 8 bearings from these guys. Price was not too bad and shipping to UK was fast. Bearings are far superior to the standard ones too. Deffo recommended.
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