What are Offset Bushings?
...and how do they work? We've built this nifty guide with animated, interactive diagrams to help explain.
Same shock, shorter eye-to-eye
Offset Bushings are a type of rear shock mounting hardware designed to make small adjustments to your mountain bike's geometry. Unlike Standard Bushings, the mounting hole is positioned slightly off-centre. This changes the effective length of the shock, lowering the bottom bracket and slackening the head angle without reducing suspension travel.
Standard. The bolt hole is in the centre of each bushing, so the eye-to-eye is the shock's full length.
See the difference
Same dimensions. Same shock. One small difference: the position of the mounting hole.
What it does to your bike
A shorter shock lets the back of the bike sit a little lower. The whole frame tips back around the front wheel: the head angle gets slacker and the bottom bracket drops.
Standard. Stock geometry.
Why riders fit them
More stable at speed and calmer on steep, rough descents.
A lower centre of gravity that typically improves cornering.
The stroke doesn't change, so you keep all of your rear suspension travel.
How much adjustment?
It varies a little from bike to bike, depending on shock length and leverage ratio. On average you can expect:
| Bolt | Offset | Head angle | Bottom bracket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pair of Offset Bushings | |||
| 6 mm | 6 mm | 1.5° slacker | 15 mm lower |
| 8 mm | 4 mm | 1.0° slacker | 10 mm lower |
| 10 mm | 2 mm | 0.5° slacker | 5 mm lower |
| Single Offset Bushing | |||
| 6 mm | 3 mm | 0.75° slacker | 7.5 mm lower |
| 8 mm | 2 mm | 0.5° slacker | 5 mm lower |
| 10 mm | 1 mm | 0.25° slacker | 2.5 mm lower |
8 mm bolts are the most common, used by Specialized, Orange, Santa Cruz and many others. Intense and older Lapierre frames use 6 mm, and recent Commencals use 10 mm.
The clearance needed around the eyelet is equal to the offset per bushing.
Other ways riders use them
Changing geometry is the main reason to fit Offset Bushings, but shortening the eye-to-eye also helps when you change the shock itself.
A longer stroke means more rear travel, but the longer shock would also raise and steepen the bike. A pair of Offset Bushings brings the eye-to-eye back towards stock.
More travel, with geometry as close to stock as possible. Check your frame has room for the longer stroke.
If your bike's shock size is discontinued or hard to get, fit a slightly longer shock with the same or a similar stroke. Offset Bushings shorten the eye-to-eye so it fits, without changing your geometry.
A popular swap for older Trek frames that came with DRCV shocks.
World Cup proven
World Cup race teams have used Offset Bushings for over 15 years. They've helped win races and set up bikes for Red Bull Rampage, and we supply race teams, shops and custom frame builders around the world.
In one test with a top downhill World Cup rider, fitting Offset Bushings took 4 seconds off a lap at Fort William.
A week later at the World Cup, that gap was worth 25 places.Fitting them
Watch: how to fit Offset BushingsPress out the old hardware, press in the new, with the offset holes facing the middle of the shockMade from the right materials
Each part of the kit is made from the material that suits its job.
Machined to tight tolerances for a precise fit. Brass is self-lubricating, which is why it's trusted for bearing surfaces in industrial machinery and many other industries.
The downside? It's darn expensive - which is why we machine each bushing to order. Whilst we're not quite Amazon, our machining period is only 2 days.
Lightweight, with a polished finish.
Self-lubricating and long lasting, and it outlasts typical OEM parts. As it wears you never end up with metal on metal, as you can with some OEM components.
All bushings wear over time; that's their job. What matters is that the bushing is the part that wears. One made from a harder material can wear the bolt instead, which costs more to fix and can be dangerous. Carefully selecting the right material is very important.
Works with your shock
Here's a selection of the shock brands we make hardware for, all in the industry-standard 12.7 mm diameter.
Older Manitou and BOS shocks use 12 mm bushings and aren't compatible. See supported bikes →
Ready to try them?
Tell us your bike and we'll machine a pair to suit.