To Fork juice or not to?

E

evad

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Been using a silicone spray post ride on the shock, fork and dropper bounce a couple of times and wipe with a clean rag. Fox 32 120 fit and fox reactive shock.
Do others do this, good idea or just attracting more dirt?
 
Hmmm, I'm on the fence with this one. I do clean my stanchions and shock with a rag that has some lubricant on it but I've found doing the same on a dropper post has filled the post with shit that is getting past the seals. The insides of my forks always come out pretty clean when I change the oil but the dropper post is a different story, it's actually fouling the action of the post so I say yes to parts that have good seals and no, a big no to parts with shit seals.
I always put a good layer of slick honey on my fork seals after each time I re assemble them.It gives a good lubricant to the fork action for a few months.
 
The less shit there is sticking to the stanchions (by way of Fork Juice or whatever), the less chance there is of it getting past the seals.
 
Good idea. Silicon spray will dry and not leave a sticky residue.

Spraying and cycling the suspension also lifts dirt from the wipers, which can then be wiped off
 
Always paranoid that spraying this stuff on my stanchions will end up missing and going onto the brakes :(
 
Some manufacturers advocate use of silicon spray, some specifically say not to and to use a rag with fork oil on to clean.
 
Fork juice seems to cling to the surface better than silicone spray from my experience, I really like the stuff but I can't comment on spraying a dropper post.
 
I use fork juice after using mr sheen for years. Love it, makes the air forks on my mx bike so much better on the track once it dries and gets choppy.
 
Forks yes. After just having a Dropper post crap itself and using Fork Juice routinely on it I'm thinking Dozer is correct. Just keep the dropper clean. It doesn't need the same kind of level of low friction a fork needs to work correctly.
 
Between the marketing words and the material safety data sheet, fork juice seems to be naphtha ( aka shellite) and silicon lubricant . I'd be tempted to think some seals won't like naphtha long term, but I've always used naphtha in a pressure bottle and silicon spray on forks. Tossed my last rockshox seals, otherwise I'd plop them in naphtha for a day to observe.

Any upper, external stanchion service is not a substitute for a proper lowers removal, replacing foam rings and seals and using a good lube.
 
Thanks, good on shock & fork, keep off dropper. Makes sense I think water gets past my dropper seals.
 
Three said:
I get where they're coming from, but their example is obviously a neglected fork imo.
Click to expand...

They do look fair rough!
I've had my fork serviced before, they haven't asked if I've been using fork juice or mention they're in bad nick, so maybe it is okay to spray it?
 
doihoi said:
Re-visiting this thread, as I spray fork juice on the fork, shock, and dropper, however Cyclinic think differently
https://www.cyclinic.com.au/fork-lubes-and-juices-why-not-to-use-them/
Click to expand...

That fork is probably a very bad and extreme example of a poorly maintained fork. The takeway from that article should be that fork juice is not an alternative to regular cleaning and servicing of the fork.

After every ride I spray some around the seal area, cycle the fork/shock and wipe it all away, then wipe over the stanchion with a towel which has more fork juice sprayed on it. Service fork/shock regularly within the recommended service internals, or more often if riding in harsh conditions.

Have never had an issue doing this for 5 years on several bikes.
 
I don't use any sort of external stanchion lube. I'm also careful "cleaning" around the seals. Washing/wiping improperly around that area runs the risk of forcing grit below the seals. Like others have said, regular fork maintenance is the key. Maintenance intervals are highly dependent on where and how you ride but if you drop the lowers and there is any dirt or contamination below the second lip of the seal (about 1mm below the top lip of the seal) then you've left it too long. Seals need to be packed with good quality fork grease and when you go to service the fork, there should still be some of that grease in place. Do not get that grease all over the foam rings. These should be completely soaked in whatever you use for splash lube (I use Mobil 1).

I have been running a fork seal experiment on a 100mm SID that still has the original seals from 2009. It must have over 30,000km offroad use on it and the seals are still not letting any fine grit down past the second lip. Regular maintenance on this fork has been the key.
 
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