If you want to ride faster, with more acceleration and control, have you considered your rear triangle and linkage on your Surron LBX? We all talk about big power upgrades and beefing up your rear suspension and forks, but there’s a pretty flimsy part that’s holding all that stuff together. That part is called your rear triangle linkage.
Your rear triangle is the part that joins your Surron frame to the linkage, which holds the bottom of your rear shock. The triangle and linkage take the force of all the infinite impacts as your wheels roll over various terrains.
Trouble is, the triangle setup on the Surron LBX is far from robust. As our team has found many times over, landing too hard on a stock linkage can leave you walking home. Uncomfortably, too, because there’s no graceful way to land so hard you break your bike. So how can you prevent that from happening?
Why do you need to upgrade your triangle linkage?
The rear suspension is vitally important to keep your wheels planted so the power can be transferred to the ground, but it’s the little stock triangle that’s taking the brunt of these impacts.
This seemingly insignificant part could potentially cost you a heap of money (and probably some broken bones) if it fails. If you’re commuting, this could be useful information to know about, especially if your Surron takes hard hits up curbs or steps. If you ride through the woods or at a MX track, then definitely read on!
Let’s look at exactly what the suspension triangle does, what the rear linkage does, as they go together, and what we think is the best upgrade.
Spoiler alert: We design our own parts here at GritShift and think they’re the best! However, we’ll also show you parts from other manufacturers at different price points, so you can choose the best one for your riding style. We super-over-engineer our parts, but if you’re not landing (or missing!) jumps at the tracks, some more cost-effective ways may better suit your riding.
Skip to the best triangle upgrades
What does a suspension triangle do?
The Surron LBX suspension triangle, which is also known as the rear triangle, forms part of the rear suspension. It connects the rear of your Surron’s frame to your rear suspension via the rear linkage.
The rear triangle is designed to help maintain traction on the rear wheel by allowing the suspension to smooth out the bumps for a more controlled ride.
What does a rear linkage do?
The rear linkage is the part that connects the top of the rear triangle to the bottom of the shock. It holds both of these components in place via an attachment to the swingarm.
The height of the rear linkage directly influences the bike’s handling and stability. If you change the size of either the triangle or linkage, you’ll be changing the bike’s geometry. This will affect the handling characteristics. A small increase in height will make the front end feel more planted, while a larger increase in height is good if you’ve increased your front wheel size to 21”.
Working together, the triangle and linkage create a progressive spring rate feel on the rear suspension, due to the wonder of science and geometry. It will allow quick movement at the bottom of the suspension stroke to allow for quick movements over the small bumps, then ‘progressively’ getting slower at the top of the stroke (when the spring is being compressed). This is part of the reason why different triangles and linkages create a different riding feel.
Best Surron Triangle Upgrade
The problem with the rear suspension setup on the Surron LBX is that the entire bike is just not designed to handle the big power, big brakes, big wheels, and big air most people are putting their LBXs through these days. We can fix that!
In no particular order, here are our favorite triangle upgrades for the LBX:
Heavy Hitter Titanium Triangle Upgrade
Heavy Hitter is GritShift’s R&D department. We’re certain this is the most robust, over-engineered triangle linkage on the market. And it only weighs 6 ounces! If you like big jumps, hard trail sections, and putting your Surron through some gnarly terrain, just get one of these!
This Triangle is made from Titanium, super strong and let’s face it, looks amazing! It is on the pricey side as far as triangle linkages go, but think about how much it would cost if you snapped or bent an inferior triangle. There goes your suspension, possibly your jackshaft, swingarm… big ouchies…
Check out this insane lightweight titanium Surron triangle and linkage upgrade here
However, we get that not everyone wants to land a triple on a Surron, or has the need for a really robust part… So here are a few other options for some alternative quality aftermarket parts:
Warp 9 V2 Suspension Triangle
At a lower price point, the Warp 9 triangle offers much better quality than the stock triangle. It comes in at 9.55 ounces, made from strong aluminum, and is quoted to be more than 3 times stronger than OEM. It will retain all the same geometry as your stock triangle, and who doesn’t like Warp 9?
Shop the Warp 9 triangle here today
EbikeZilla Billet Suspension Triangle Upgrade
On a similar page to the Warp 9 triangle is the Ebikezilla triangle. It is also way stronger than stock, relatively light, and again, maintains its original suspension geometry. Between the Warp 9 and the EbikeZilla, see what you like the look of better, they are both perfect if you want something better than stock but not at the full robustness of the Heavy Hitter triangle.
For the most part, both the Warp 9 and the EbikeZilla triangles will suit the everyday rider. If you’re heading to an MX track or harder enduro trails, I would definitely be recommending the Heavy Hitter triangle.
All upgraded triangles are similar to install, which we’ll get to shortly.
Thinking of the EbikeZilla Triangle? Check it out here
How do I upgrade the rear linkage?
The installation of the rear triangle and linkage is similar on all brands. If you’re only going to install the linkage or triangle, then skip to that section. Keep in mind, if you have extra mods the installation process may look slightly different. Ask us if you’re not sure of compatibility with your Surron LBX.
Tools needed:
13mm socket and ratchet
6mm Allen wrench
Motorcycle stand
- Remove the 13mm bolts on the rear of the triangle and top of the linkage. Caution: Once this bolt is removed, the wheel will drop to the ground due to the triangle not holding the tension.
- Remove the middle bolt of the rear linkage
- Remove the bottom bolt of the rear linkage and remove the OEM linkage from your Surron
- Remove the 6mm Allen that holds the front of the triangle, lift up the suspension, and take out the triangle
- Put the new triangle into place, and tighten the front bolts with Loctite or similar
- Put the linkage back in and bolt on the bottom of the shock
- Put the bolt in the middle of the linkage
- Hold the weight of the back wheel upwards, and attach the back of the triangle to the top of the linkage
- Check all bolts
- Test ride and recheck all bolts
If you’d rather watch the installation, here is a great video of the Warp 9 triangle and linkage installation.
Upgrade the Surron triangle or linkage or both?
If you’re wondering what to upgrade first, the simple answer is both! It is easier to replace both at the same time. Having said that, if you need to choose as funds are tight, then I’d be replacing the triangle linkage first.
It really doesn’t take much to install the triangle first, then upgrade the rear linkage as your next mod. They are relatively simple parts to install, and not a big deal which gets replaced first.
Random facts so you look cool with your mates
Did you know?
Dirtbike rear suspension first appeared on the scene in 1972 and it was Yamaha who created the first single shock absorber that debuted at the Motocross World Championships. Designed by Lucien Tilkens, it wasn’t long before other manufacturers started developing their own single shock absorbers.
Science Stuff:
Changing the linkage ratio, that is the distance and angle between the middle bolt and the distance between each end, will change the amount of wheel movement up and down.
This is a great video to watch to explain with images how this works. Keep in mind it explains ICE dirt bikes, so the linkage setup sits under the swingarm instead of on top of the swingarm, but the theory remains the same.
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