We are proud to announce that we have partnered with North Shore Billet to offer two Canadian-made aftermarket idler pulleys. Both options are CNC machined in Whistler, BC and are available in either 7075 Aluminum Alloy or 416 Stainless Steel. Both options are supplied as a kit which includes a solid lube bearing, from our bearing partner Enduro, and a simple spacer to replace the spacer currently on your bike, as the labyrinth channel is no longer required with these bearings.
Believe it or not, we do listen to customer feedback and pay close attention to what we read on owner’s forums and after making some promises a while ago, and a boatload of testing, we’re now ready. Steel idler pulleys have been a hot topic for many, including us and like anything new we had concerns that had to be addressed. Moving to a harder material, if our tooth profile wasn’t optimized, could have negatively impacted other parts of the drivetrain, i.e. cause premature chain wear.
After testing numerous tooth designs, we concluded that our existing [tooth] profile offers the best performance and is fully compatible with both Shimano and SRAM chains. After an extended period of testing here on Vancouver Island, we pulled the trigger and will have steel idler pulleys available in approximately four weeks in North America and six weeks in Europe.
Fully CNC machined from 416 Stainless Steel and heat-treated, post-machining, to bring them to a hardened condition and ready for anything. Ultimately, the exact life span of the new stainless steel pulley will be affected by such conditions as riding frequency, riding style and conditions, however, we feel confident to say that you will see two-to-three times the life compared to a stock alloy idler. This longer life, however, comes at a weight penalty of a paltry 22grams.
Canadian Manufacturing
Almost as exciting as offering a longer-lasting alternative for our idler pulley is the fact that both of these aftermarket pulleys are made right here in Canada, by our good friends at North Shore Billet. NSB manufactures all of their beautifully machined products in Whistler, BC and was the ideal partner for this project. When they say things like, “round things with teeth are right up our alley!”, we knew that this project was in the right hands. Our partnership with NSB is the start of something bigger, realizing a long-standing goal of ours to use on-shore and local manufacturing where it makes sense for our business model and something you will see more of in the future!
Solid Lube Bearings
The third exciting feature of this small but significant announcement is the inclusion of a solid lube bearing from Enduro. Solid lube bearings see the ball bearings set in a self-lubricating polymer that completely fills the space between the inner and outer race of the bearing. The leading causes of bearing failure are a lack of lubrication and damage caused by contamination.
The polymer's self-lubricating properties completely eliminates the need for grease and without voids, ingress of contamination is almost impossible. We have been successfully testing this bearing technology for over 12 months, in all conditions, and for this application, they are the perfect solution for a zero maintenance pulley. Ride in any weather? Use any cleaning solution? Blast it with a hose? Go ahead, it really doesn’t matter with this technology. Expect to feel a small amount of “stickiness” at first but within the first ride or two the polymer will break in and the bearing will spin as free as the ABEC 5 we supply with our stock idler pulleys.
- Machined in Canada
- Offered in two materials; 7075 T6 Al or 416 Stainless Steel
- Aluminium Idler MSRP: 89.99 CAD / 74.99 USD / 53.99 GBP (w/ VAT) / 54.99 EURO (no VAT)
- Stainless Steel Idler MSRP: 169.99 CAD / 139.99 USD / 119.99 GBP (w/ VAT) / 119.99 EURO (no VAT)
- Aluminium Idler Due Dates: North America - June 7 / Europe - June 21
- Stainless Steel Idler Due Dates: North America - July 15 / Europe - August 1st