Less weight with special plain bearings in the suspension fork

Our number 1 for suspension forks

The special bearings for Magura were our starting signal for the further development of bearings that are perfectly suited for use in suspension forks. Our current top product: iglidur E plain bearing, specially developed for linear movements, extremely wear-resistant and perfect on aluminium shafts.
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iglidur plain bearings in suspension fork

Profile

  • What was needed: Special plain bearings for guiding the immersion tubes 
  • Requirements: Wear resistance, very good response, cost-effective, and lightweight
  • Area of use: bicycle industry, mountain bike technology
The Swabian company Magura is one of the world's leading manufacturers of, a.o. brake and suspension technology and thus one of the German flagships in the bicycle industry. Also in the portfolio: cross-country and marathon suspension forks, which must bring a high degree of robustness, consistently good responsiveness and at the same time minimal weight on long rocky tracks.
Magura suspension fork and iglidur J special bearing Sabine Spitz wins Olympic gold in mountain biking in 2008 - with iglidur special plain bearings on board - in the Magura suspension fork.

Problem

For the XC fork "Magura Durin Race" with 100 millimetres of travel (MD 100R), the developers were looking for a way to reduce manufacturing costs and weight without compromising performance. The guidance of the immersion tubes, usually solved by means of metallic bearings, offered the greatest potential for optimisation here. The challenge: to find a lightweight oil-resistant component that can withstand impact and edge loads and provide very good response without stick-slip effect.

Solution

In exchange with igus, the solution was found: plain bearings made of iglidur J plastic in special shape. They are around five times lighter than metallic bearings of the same dimensions. The iglidur J material is ideal for this application; it is media-resistant, resistant to edge pressure, impacts and shocks, and has a very low stick-slip tendency. Grooves fitted on the inside ensure that the fork oil can be transported from the oil sump to the upper bearing. And the performance? In the 26.7km Olympic mountain bike race in Beijing in 2008, the bearings passed the practical test with ease: Sabine Spitz mastered the tough course on her bike equipped with the Magura fork by a wide margin and won the gold medal.
Special plain bearing in Magura suspension fork Four iglidur J plain bearings in special shape ensure very good response behaviour with minimum weight in the guidance of the immersion tubes.

Further information

Mountain bike in the mud

iglidur in the MTB

Rear frame, fork, seat post and so on – places on the mountain bike where iglidur plain bearings are used
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iglidur plain bearing product variety

Our plain bearings

An overview of all the important information relating to our iglidur plain bearings: standard and special parts, new products, laboratory tests and so on.