The Drongo Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 "Buy the Recon, and open the old shock for fun. It will give you confidence in opening up your next one" +1! Btw - wish me luck too Hubbers, I'm about to open up my Reba Race forks (not 29ers though, Dangle) for their first service... Gonna give you 2 tips: for free. 1. Let the air out first.2. Loosen the bolts at the bottom of the lowers about 5mm out, and give them a light tap with a nylon mallet. Oh. one more for free. 3. don't try it in THE HOUSE, if you have A WIFE. If you already know the first two, you gonna THANK ME, for the last one. ENJOY.
SwissVan Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 My Fox fork went to the official fox dealer for a service the other day (First service since I got it last year +/- April) its done a fair amount of riding since then....bad person. Got it back and found out that they replaced the fork crown under warranty only paid for the service, seals and consumables. Reason for replacing were given in Schweizer Deutsch and a bit vague, something like Znorgli warrli Gröezt wurster aahlii which loosely translated means some dimension that was incorrect. Moral of the story is it pays to use the correct shop for the service and to service it within the waranty period
RodTi Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 Moral of the story is it pays to use the correct shop for the service and to service it within the waranty period There's a warranty period?
RodTi Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 Thanks for the advice. I'm getting disillusioned with bike shops and I'm starting to realize that spending time cycling isn't spending time in the saddle. Forgive my ignorance but who is Johan Bornman? Fortunately, this has been covered by your fellow Hubbers... Just know this - Windhoek Lager and Louis Gosset Jnr got their whole "he is watching you - always", from Johan Bornman... As for time in the saddle vs time cycling - my wife is always having a go at me that I spend more time 'tuning my bike' ["howzit bike" than what I do riding it... She might have a point there... Which I will deny to my dying day, of course... Now, just need to find a pair of bricks to replace my workstand...
RodTi Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 But just to bring this whole thread back on track - good advice offered here - service times depends on the type of riding you do, and the terrain you do it in... 50hrs for dry weather appears to be standard - but that will fall quickly if you're into muddy conditions. Of course - regardless of the prescribed time, give the fork the once over after every ride - you will soon get to know what it usually looks like, and when something out-of-the-ordinary starts happening, which will require attention... Lastly - if it's a high-end fork - then it stands to reason you would be kind of silly not to maintain it... Do that regularly and properly, and you would be able to resell it in 7 years time with a good conscience... Don't do it regularly, well then - after 7 years, it might still be working - but pity the soul who eventually buys it and opens it up for the first time...
nigelhicks Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 There's a warranty period? Yip all forks have a factory warrenty which is generally 2 years agains MANUFACTURING FAULT - thats why it is best to send the fork back to the distributors for servicing rather than doing a home job (unless the fork is old and you know what you are doing) ... If you do a home bush mechanic job you WILL loose your warrenty as with forks like Fox they use specific Fox oil as lubricant within the stanshions (not your fork oil that goes inside the stanshion - this gets pored in at the bottom where the bottom bolts are) Those guys can tell if a fork has been wrongly serviced and then you are snookered if there is a recall on a part. I have had the entire internals of my old Boxxer Worlds Cups replaced as they had a fault from the factory - New Internals and fitment free of charge! Most forks are very easy to service as many of the guys have said - BUT you need to do some research first to make sure you are using the right weight oil (each manufacturer is different) ... In some cases you actually need to increase or decrease the oil weight to get the fork to function better - an example of this is the 2005 to about 2008 Marzocchi Forks - they came standard with 7.5 weight oil but the valving system was too open for this weight and the forks reacted better (as it slowed the rebound down) when a 10 or 15 weigth oil. With the rock shox forks the compression side of the fork is composed of an all-in-one compression stack which you just unbolt with a 19mm (i think) spanner. You need to remove the outers first though to get at the air piston and the rebound valving. See the link to download the service guide http://www.sram.com/en/service/rockshox/view.php?catID=1&subcatID=11 Also if you guys are wanting a COMPREHENSIVE DVD on bike maintenance look out for a DVD called "The Fundimentals" ... its got both Riding tips as well as FULL servicing tips. BRILLIANT
nigelhicks Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 The DVD is available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Fundamentals-Mountain-Bike-Technique-DVD/dp/B000F9LMT4 oh and if you have a rock shox fork .... ANY rock shox Fork and it develops a 0.5 - 1mm dead-spot / play in the initial fork stroke ... Dont worry ... there is nothing wrong with your fork - this is caused from a small wave washer in the rebound cartridge (if i remember correctly) that compresses after a while and doesnt return to shape causing the free-play - you can solve it by replacing the washer with a thin rubber o-ring but you need to know what you are looking for (i missed it ... sent it to Jeff Minnaar who fixed it). Dangle - with the Reba XX does it have stiction? if so your seals may be too dry - Invert the fork to about 45 degrees. Measure and inject 15cc/ml of 15wt suspension oil into lower legs, through both (left andright) shaft bolt holes this will help to lubricate the "outer" part of the stanshions as they slide against the bushes inside the shock.
jannosmit Posted March 18, 2011 Posted March 18, 2011 something we do time 2 time ( Reba and Sid ) take out all the air, ( + & - ) and put your bike upsidedown for 24hours. Pump it again (top first, then bottom) and it will feel better. Something about oil getting bake to the top, not sure
Handlebar Posted March 18, 2011 Author Posted March 18, 2011 Yip all forks have a factory warrenty which is generally 2 years agains MANUFACTURING FAULT - thats why it is best to send the fork back to the distributors for servicing rather than doing a home job (unless the fork is old and you know what you are doing) ... If you do a home bush mechanic job you WILL loose your warrenty as with forks like Fox they use specific Fox oil as lubricant within the stanshions (not your fork oil that goes inside the stanshion - this gets pored in at the bottom where the bottom bolts are) Those guys can tell if a fork has been wrongly serviced and then you are snookered if there is a recall on a part. I have had the entire internals of my old Boxxer Worlds Cups replaced as they had a fault from the factory - New Internals and fitment free of charge! Most forks are very easy to service as many of the guys have said - BUT you need to do some research first to make sure you are using the right weight oil (each manufacturer is different) ... In some cases you actually need to increase or decrease the oil weight to get the fork to function better - an example of this is the 2005 to about 2008 Marzocchi Forks - they came standard with 7.5 weight oil but the valving system was too open for this weight and the forks reacted better (as it slowed the rebound down) when a 10 or 15 weigth oil. With the rock shox forks the compression side of the fork is composed of an all-in-one compression stack which you just unbolt with a 19mm (i think) spanner. You need to remove the outers first though to get at the air piston and the rebound valving. See the link to download the service guide http://www.sram.com/en/service/rockshox/view.php?catID=1&subcatID=11 Also if you guys are wanting a COMPREHENSIVE DVD on bike maintenance look out for a DVD called "The Fundimentals" ... its got both Riding tips as well as FULL servicing tips. BRILLIANT So you take the bike into your LBS and ask who will send the Forks to the distributor for a service. Any idea how long that will take and what it would cost. Thanks for all the great posts.
Handlebar Posted March 18, 2011 Author Posted March 18, 2011 Fortunately, this has been covered by your fellow Hubbers... Just know this - Windhoek Lager and Louis Gosset Jnr got their whole "he is watching you - always", from Johan Bornman... As for time in the saddle vs time cycling - my wife is always having a go at me that I spend more time 'tuning my bike' ["howzit bike" than what I do riding it... She might have a point there... Which I will deny to my dying day, of course... Now, just need to find a pair of bricks to replace my workstand... How come Jo Bornman even needs a suspension fork? Is it just when he comes in to land?
Cassie Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) There is also a crush washer involved in some shock serives...can't remember the details. I was lucky enough to attend one of Johan B fork service workshops...but had to sign a contract of non disclosure....I can already hear the knock at the front door...men in black with a small memory wipe thinghy majic....nice knowing you guys!!! C Edited March 20, 2011 by Cassie
Wyatt Earp Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 Shew Cassie Crush washer , you will have to share.
ichnusa Posted March 20, 2011 Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) lots of ignorance in this thread... Forks definitely need to be serviced... probably not as regularly as 50 or 100 hrs, but they need to be serviced. The problem with not servicing the fork or shock for so long is that it only gets done when there is a problem - ie the oil is all dirty and acting like a grinding paste rather than a lubricant. Fork stanchions get worn, dampners blow etc. This is obviously fixable, but it costs a lot more than replacing the oil and seals. I suppose its like saying your car doesn't need to be serviced - it still goes well after so many years. But it will eventually need an engine reconditioning if you dont simply replace the filters and oil occasionally... Jeff Minnaar is great - most of the local and some DBN shops send their suspension work to him Edited March 20, 2011 by ichnusa
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