please delete
- Thread starter anthonyq
- Start date
Jeffgre_6163
Likes Dirt
Various forks from different manufacturers need different service intervals and maintenance.
This is the link to the SRAM site [makers of Rockshox] have a look through the manuals and down load what you need.
http://www.sram.com/service
A basic fork service is something any competant home mechanic can do [and should] without special tools. Its takes me 1/2 hour to service my Fox Fit RL fork when all I am doing is dropping off the lowers, cleaning the seals and foam ring, washing out the lowers and changing the oil
A couple of points worth noting:
- Fox and Rockshox forks have service intervals of around 50 hours . Ignor this and your forks can wear beyond repair very quickly.
50 hours is not long - thats only 16, 3 hour rides or 5 weeks at 3 rides a week in my case
- You CAN NOT lubricate your forks adequately externally [if at all] - the oil needs to be changed/refreshed as per the recommended service intervals by pulling the forks to bits
- DO NOT take heresay and recommendations from riding buddies as gospel on the maintenance of your forks. They are the single most expensive component on your bike and need to be treated as such to avoid very costly repairs and premature death.
Fox and SRAM have really good web sites with heaps of data - do the research and learn first hand from the manufacturer what your forks need
- A quick wipe down and spray may help extend the life of your fork but it is no substitute for a correct maintenance schedule
I have seen forks that have been neglected - dust and crap gets past the wipers and seals and gets between the bushings and anodised stanchions resulting in the anodising wearing off to bare alloy - not good.
This can happen in as little as a year, once done the forks tend to be write off - a very expensive write off.
Another thing to do that will help the longevity of the forks is to either flip the bike upside down for 10 minutes prior to a ride [like when you are getting your gear on at the trail head] or store it upside down.
Otherwise the oil bath will settle in the bottom of the fork and the foam ring at the seals can dry out.
Note that there is typically only 15 - 30ml of oil in the lowers to lube the seals and bushes - this can dissappear very quickly with regular use and cannot be replaced just by lubing the seals from the exterior
The bushings need a coating of oil between the bush and the stanchion to work as well as the fact that there is a soft, spongy o ring under the seal to soak up oil and lubricate the seal, this dries out if the fork is left to settle.
If you head out for a ride without flipping the bike this oil will still be in the bottom of the lower, not doing its job [Think red lining a car engine from a cold start].
For the record, the bushings have verticle slots cut in them to allow for the oil to run up the stanchion to the seals.
Once the bike is moving the normal fork motion splashes the oil around.
This is the link to the SRAM site [makers of Rockshox] have a look through the manuals and down load what you need.
http://www.sram.com/service
A basic fork service is something any competant home mechanic can do [and should] without special tools. Its takes me 1/2 hour to service my Fox Fit RL fork when all I am doing is dropping off the lowers, cleaning the seals and foam ring, washing out the lowers and changing the oil
A couple of points worth noting:
- Fox and Rockshox forks have service intervals of around 50 hours . Ignor this and your forks can wear beyond repair very quickly.
50 hours is not long - thats only 16, 3 hour rides or 5 weeks at 3 rides a week in my case
- You CAN NOT lubricate your forks adequately externally [if at all] - the oil needs to be changed/refreshed as per the recommended service intervals by pulling the forks to bits
- DO NOT take heresay and recommendations from riding buddies as gospel on the maintenance of your forks. They are the single most expensive component on your bike and need to be treated as such to avoid very costly repairs and premature death.
Fox and SRAM have really good web sites with heaps of data - do the research and learn first hand from the manufacturer what your forks need
- A quick wipe down and spray may help extend the life of your fork but it is no substitute for a correct maintenance schedule
I have seen forks that have been neglected - dust and crap gets past the wipers and seals and gets between the bushings and anodised stanchions resulting in the anodising wearing off to bare alloy - not good.
This can happen in as little as a year, once done the forks tend to be write off - a very expensive write off.
Another thing to do that will help the longevity of the forks is to either flip the bike upside down for 10 minutes prior to a ride [like when you are getting your gear on at the trail head] or store it upside down.
Otherwise the oil bath will settle in the bottom of the fork and the foam ring at the seals can dry out.
Note that there is typically only 15 - 30ml of oil in the lowers to lube the seals and bushes - this can dissappear very quickly with regular use and cannot be replaced just by lubing the seals from the exterior
The bushings need a coating of oil between the bush and the stanchion to work as well as the fact that there is a soft, spongy o ring under the seal to soak up oil and lubricate the seal, this dries out if the fork is left to settle.
If you head out for a ride without flipping the bike this oil will still be in the bottom of the lower, not doing its job [Think red lining a car engine from a cold start].
For the record, the bushings have verticle slots cut in them to allow for the oil to run up the stanchion to the seals.
Once the bike is moving the normal fork motion splashes the oil around.