GT i drive 5 flex bone advice needed!

Gday all riders and mechanics! I am currently rebuilding my 2005 gt i drive 5 mountain bike. When this bike is running well it is a good xc/am bike, but like other owners, i have had alot of grief from the flex bone( the small metal link at the bottom of the frame joining the floating bottom bracket to the front triangle of the frame). I wanted to know if it was possible to replace the standard flex bone with a beefier one, or will this prevent the suspension from working as designed? I spotted an aftermarket one on the BETD site GT i Drive Spares : Mountain bikes and componets by BETD Goldtec I'm thinking that this part is for the older i drives. Anyhow, sorry about the long story, but i really need to solve this pain in the bum. Any help is greatly appreciated, regards, djb.

The Dog Bone was introduced with the redesigned i-drive that is on your bike ... so, while you don't have to worry about one-or-another being from an older model, I don't know if the one for a DH bike is the same length (and, thereby interchangeable) as one that is on your bike.

AND, I don't know how swapping the one for their DH bike will affect the suspension on your bike ... but, I also suspect it may resolve your problem.

Of course, someone at BETD might know the answer to your question, so you may want to contact them.

In the meantime, or if BETD doesn't have the answer, to get a sense of how a stiffer Dog Bone will cause the suspension to react, you can make a "sister" Dog Bone that you will install in tandem with the stock Dog Bone that is on your bike ...

I guess I would make the FIRST "sister" Dog Bone out of something like a plastic laundry detergent jug ... if it helps a little, then I might try adding another one OR using a stiffer material.

BTW. You should also contact GT, directly, and describe the occasions when the handling is less than desirable and query them as to whether they think a beefier Dog Bone will resolve the problem. Heck, they may send you a replacement!

Also, to state the obvious, the problem could actually be with your rear shock.