Suspension oil alternatives?

[droo]

I kniw it’s been a loooong time sinve any action on this tread, but if any one are out there:

1. Can i use 10w Castrol in the sponges/ dust seals on RS SID and not 15w?

 

2. Bel-ray HVI 5w in the RS SID XX WC damper?

 

3. Castrol 10w in lowers?

 

Thanks Stef.

 

HVI is only for cartridge dampers, in an emulsion damper like the XX it'll foam and possibly wear out the inside of the stanchion tube. 

 

Also, you'll want Magnatec 5wt in the lowers, unlike the 10wt it's fully synthetic so it won't swell seals. The viscosity is also almost an exact match for the RS 15wt and 0w30.

[Hairy]

HVI is only for cartridge dampers, in an emulsion damper like the XX it'll foam and possibly wear out the inside of the stanchion tube. 

 

Also, you'll want Magnatec 5wt in the lowers, unlike the 10wt it's fully synthetic so it won't swell seals. The viscosity is also almost an exact match for the RS 15wt and 0w30.

always nice reading your posts RE suspension

[Craig Armstrong]

Since its been done here a few times already, and a few of my questions have been answered in previous comments, I guess I may as well keep it all in once place and continue with this thread.

 

I've picked up a 5-6 year old 2nd hand bike with a Rockshox Reba and I figured its probably best to give the shock a service.

 

I began by looking just for the foam ring and dust seals but ended up finding a full service kit at Evobikes for a R450 (less than most places charge just for the foam rings and dust seals).

 

This has raised a few questions in my mind:

1. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a lowers service would cost at a shop

2. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a full service would cost

3. If you were to guess, would you say its worth doing the full service or would a lowers service be enough? The fork still works fine, but maybe has a bit of stiction

4. For someone who is relatively well experienced in DIY on motorcycles and cars, is doing a full DIY service on a shock do-able, or is it recommended to leave it to the pros.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Craig Armstrong

[Kalahari Vegmot]

Since its been done here a few times already, and a few of my questions have been answered in previous comments, I guess I may as well keep it all in once place and continue with this thread.

 

I've picked up a 5-6 year old 2nd hand bike with a Rockshox Reba and I figured its probably best to give the shock a service.

 

I began by looking just for the foam ring and dust seals but ended up finding a full service kit at Evobikes for a R450 (less than most places charge just for the foam rings and dust seals).

 

This has raised a few questions in my mind:

1. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a lowers service would cost at a shop

2. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a full service would cost

3. If you were to guess, would you say its worth doing the full service or would a lowers service be enough? The fork still works fine, but maybe has a bit of stiction

4. For someone who is relatively well experienced in DIY on motorcycles and cars, is doing a full DIY service on a shock do-able, or is it recommended to leave it to the pros.

100% Doable. Just make sure you download the right documents for your fork off the web to ensure correct oil quantities etc. Some forks are best left to the droo's. Deffo not an older Reba, do it yourself.

 

And do a full service.

[Skylark]

Lowers service around R700 and full service R1200, probably more rather than less.

[Tankman]

Lowers service around R700 and full service R1200, probably more rather than less.

 

 

Jeeez ... can I start servicing your suspension, please, pretty please!!

 

Before reading your post, I would have charged R450 for lowers and R650 for full!

Lefty's, RS1's and stuff that takes longer or that is dirty R750 for full.

Excluding seals, labour and oil only.

Rockshox Dustwiper and Foamring Kit - R235

Fox Dustwiper & Foamring Kit - R745 vaseline not included.

[DieselnDust]

HVI is only for cartridge dampers, in an emulsion damper like the XX it'll foam and possibly wear out the inside of the stanchion tube. 

 

Also, you'll want Magnatec 5wt in the lowers, unlike the 10wt it's fully synthetic so it won't swell seals. The viscosity is also almost an exact match for the RS 15wt and 0w30.

 

Please excuse my ignorance,... What is an emulsion damper?

[GrahamS2]

4. For someone who is relatively well experienced in DIY on motorcycles and cars, is doing a full DIY service on a shock do-able, or is it recommended to leave it to the pros.

It's really easy. Just work in a clean area and follow the instructions on youtube.

[droo]

Since its been done here a few times already, and a few of my questions have been answered in previous comments, I guess I may as well keep it all in once place and continue with this thread.

 

I've picked up a 5-6 year old 2nd hand bike with a Rockshox Reba and I figured its probably best to give the shock a service.

 

I began by looking just for the foam ring and dust seals but ended up finding a full service kit at Evobikes for a R450 (less than most places charge just for the foam rings and dust seals).

 

This has raised a few questions in my mind:

1. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a lowers service would cost at a shop

2. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a full service would cost

3. If you were to guess, would you say its worth doing the full service or would a lowers service be enough? The fork still works fine, but maybe has a bit of stiction

4. For someone who is relatively well experienced in DIY on motorcycles and cars, is doing a full DIY service on a shock do-able, or is it recommended to leave it to the pros.

 

1 & 2 See Tankman's post. Our pricing's not far off either.

3. Just do the whole job. No point going half arsed, especially if it's second hand. Do lowers every 50 - 75 hours and a full rebuild every 100 - 150.

4. Fork yes, shock no as a general rule. As soon as you encounter a cartridge damper you're in for special tools, bleeding and other messy stuff - it just depends on how much you're willing to spend on tooling and how good you are with little fiddly parts and following instructions.

 

Service manuals for most suspension are available off the manufacturers' websites, have a read and see if you're comfortable with everything and take it from there. Just keep everything clean and don't think you can 'make a plan' with any of the tooling or shortcut any of the steps. You will come to grief.

[droo]

Please excuse my ignorance,... What is an emulsion damper?

 

In an emulsion damper there's nothing separating the oil and air - Rockshox Motion Control, Manitou and older Fox and Marzocchi open bath dampers are examples of this. The other main kind is a cartridge damper, where the air and oil are seperated by a bladder or IFP, like in the RS Charger or Fox FIT (bladder), Fox GRIP (IFP) and pretty much all shocks.

[DieselnDust]

In an emulsion damper there's nothing separating the oil and air - Rockshox Motion Control, Manitou and older Fox and Marzocchi open bath dampers are examples of this. The other main kind is a cartridge damper, where the air and oil are seperated by a bladder or IFP, like in the RS Charger or Fox FIT (bladder), Fox GRIP (IFP) and pretty much all shocks.

 ah right got it. Emulsion just seems to be called an open bath most of the time.

[Skylark]

 

 

Jeeez ... can I start servicing your suspension, please, pretty please!!

 

Before reading your post, I would have charged R450 for lowers and R650 for full!

Lefty's, RS1's and stuff that takes longer or that is dirty R750 for full.

Excluding seals, labour and oil only.

Rockshox Dustwiper and Foamring Kit - R235

Fox Dustwiper & Foamring Kit - R745 vaseline not included.

I service my own fork but I've seen the prices I mentioned in a typical larney Lbs, or were those prices just that particular lbs price gouging?

 

The branded lbs especially seem to charge those kind of fork service charges.

[Tankman]

 

I service my own fork but I've seen the prices I mentioned in a typical larney Lbs, or were those prices just that particular lbs price gouging?

 

The branded lbs especially seem to charge those kind of fork service charges.

Ok well I am not a larney Lbs, workshop at home, beer in the fridge typa setup.

 

No gouging ... those are my prices!

 

[SCD]

Fork lowers service is easy and regular care will keep things smooth and your fork in good shape.

 

Dampers can be done DIY but it requires skill and patience.. I did a service of a RS Motion Control and airspring but decided not to do it again since it is just too much work to do it properly. I looked at the youtube clip of a Fox CTD damper service and humbly bowed out.

 

Droo at Stoke is at least as good at the work bench as he is in giving free and useful advise. Use him where appropriate. You won't be sorry

 

Since its been done here a few times already, and a few of my questions have been answered in previous comments, I guess I may as well keep it all in once place and continue with this thread.

 

I've picked up a 5-6 year old 2nd hand bike with a Rockshox Reba and I figured its probably best to give the shock a service.

 

I began by looking just for the foam ring and dust seals but ended up finding a full service kit at Evobikes for a R450 (less than most places charge just for the foam rings and dust seals).

 

This has raised a few questions in my mind:

1. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a lowers service would cost at a shop

2. Can anyone give a ballpark amount for how much a full service would cost

3. If you were to guess, would you say its worth doing the full service or would a lowers service be enough? The fork still works fine, but maybe has a bit of stiction

4. For someone who is relatively well experienced in DIY on motorcycles and cars, is doing a full DIY service on a shock do-able, or is it recommended to leave it to the pros.

[Craig Armstrong]

Thanks for the advice guys.

I've decided to take the plunge and buy the service kit and do it myself. I've got the workshop book and stuff so I reckon I'll manage.

 

I hate to ask the same question that's been asked many times already, but because of my fear of getting it wrong, I'm going to double check.

Is the consensus that I should use a 15w fully synthetic oil for the lowers and Castrol Magnatec 5w30 for the damper? And Castrol Red Rubber Grease for the seals that need it.

 

Can you get 1l or 500ml bottles of the Castrol stuff? If so, where would you guys suggest that I look?

Edited May 29, 2018 by Craig Armstrong

[rudi-h]

Morning all - just wanted to find out opinions/experiences of using alternative suspension oils to those specified by RockShox or Fox. I recently serviced a RS Recon and Reba, as well as a Fox F120, using Putoline HPX oils of appropriate weights, without any grief so far. Any long-term experience out there? I've attached a couple of tables (Suspension - Comparative Oil Weights Table.pdfsuspension oils - graph.pdf) I used to pin down the nearest viscosities to the OE oils and kept to synthetic/semi-synthetic oils in an effort to avoid any problems with seal damage.

 

why not buy the oem stuff? IMO it's not worth the risk to play around with alternative oils if the thing you're servicing costs R20k and the oil you put in a couple of bucks.