Berg Man Posted March 27, 2014 Posted March 27, 2014 Personally I think it's quite attention grabbing, but I have absolutely no complaints with non-inverted fork arrangement... Also, my concerns on this system would be1) doesn't the lower stanchions offer themselves more to damage since they are closer to the ground?and2)what about when you go through water...is it a good thing moving parts, o-rings, seals etc to be going through water??...i would expect there to be either better sealing systems needed, or more frequent maintenance needed My feeling is that (correct me if i'm wrong)...in the motorcycle world, this inverted system has existed for a long time, is quite popular for road bikes/cruisers (due to novel appeal) but isnt too popular for offroad...and it probably isnt popular because the normal system has always worked fine...since motrobike forks experience greater forces than our average mountain bike fork....i think i'm gonna wait for the motorbike guys to develop some new gadget first. For fellow cyclists...you should totally buy this amazing fork and sell me your old top-end fork for cheap... Actually, it's the other way round. Offroad bikes have been using upside down forks forever. I don't think you can buy a modern offroad bike with conventional forks anymore. The advantage of upside down is the unsprung mass being less.
Skylark Posted March 28, 2014 Posted March 28, 2014 Scratched Stanchions? These forks look rad... But Im with the guys worried about the nicks on the 'lowers' which would destroy my seals and leak oil down onto my axel and my hub..... Dunno.... Like Hairy said, it looks H O T That's a good point, current designs have most forks with an open bath oil splash chamber to lube the stanchions, the oil doesn't really ever leak past the fork dust seals and if it does it's not major and still far from the rotor/brake pads. An upside down fork looks like it will probably be very prone to any oil leaks coming out down the stanchions and easily contaminating the pads, half way through a 65km ride....Also brake pads cost around R200 a set not happiness to replace them often due to contamination.
GoLefty!! Posted March 30, 2014 Posted March 30, 2014 That's a good point, current designs have most forks with an open bath oil splash chamber to lube the stanchions, the oil doesn't really ever leak past the fork dust seals and if it does it's not major and still far from the rotor/brake pads. An upside down fork looks like it will probably be very prone to any oil leaks coming out down the stanchions and easily contaminating the pads, half way through a 65km ride....Also brake pads cost around R200 a set not happiness to replace them often due to contamination. If your fork is leaking so bad it dripping onto the brake pads you have a much bigger issue than just an oil leak, like maybe a bent stanchion too because there's no way the oil can drip onto the brakes.
Skylark Posted March 30, 2014 Posted March 30, 2014 If your fork is leaking so bad it dripping onto the brake pads you have a much bigger issue than just an oil leak, like maybe a bent stanchion too because there's no way the oil can drip onto the brakes. Where did I say the oil would be dripping directly onto the pads? Damaged oil/dust seals, reasonably common occurrence and the stanchions will be below the seals not above, so theoretically if there is an oil bath to lube the stanchions the oil will run out of the damaged seals down the stanchions towards the general area of the rotor/caliper/pads. The motion of the bike banging along the trail and centrifugal forces will do the rest, oil migrates all over quite nicely in those conditions.
Hairy Posted March 30, 2014 Posted March 30, 2014 Skylark. .....If the fluid odds on the stanchions in large volumes out who's take a transferable contact via the rider or other person by first touching the did and then transfering of to the pads or rotor. The same can be said for a Commensal fork with blown seals and fluid running done the fork
Skylark Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Hairy, would you care to rephrase that, your engrish is all jumbled up!
Hairy Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Hairy, would you care to rephrase that, your engrish is all jumbled up! ....typing on a cell = that grammar
BogusOne Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 ....typing on a cell = that grammar HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/39/3913dfb9446400336f43236d4ceeaa731879e6bb5f4c573b6b5826e7bebc0695.jpg
Dubber Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Inverted forks have been around for ages - Paul Turner, who started RockShox went on to start Maverick, and their claim to fame was the inverted fork, as well as the funky rear suspension system. I remember chatting to Tania Raats about one of her successful Sani2C races (can't remember if she won it that year but she finished on the podium). At the time she was sponsored by Maverick. She put a lot of the success of the race down to the fork. Apparently it was one of the wettest Sani2C's and a lot of the competition had problems with their (normal) forks. They all got clogged up with mud etc. Her inverted fork had no issue. That said, they do have a reputation for blowing a seal as they get older. And being inverted this leads to oil dripping down onto important things like brakes - not a good combo.
Flowta Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Scratched Stanchions? These forks look rad... But Im with the guys worried about the nicks on the 'lowers' which would destroy my seals and leak oil down onto my axel and my hub..... Dunno.... Like Hairy said, it looks H O T Never had issues with my Maverick and scratched stanchions, granted I had the protectors but it those were untouched by the time I sold it. Only time you're going to scratch it is if you smash into it with a rock, or are a tjop in transport. (but then that's a liability with a "standard" fork anyway.) General trail debris and any stones thrown will be towards the outside of the wheel
Velouria Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 That said, they do have a reputation for blowing a seal as they get older. And being inverted this leads to oil dripping down onto important things like brakes - not a good combo. I rode the first stage of W2W a few years ago with a blown seal. Two things - we use our brakes way too much, and we rely on our suspension a lot. I got to the finish a complete wreck - I couldn't see straight as I'd locked the fork out, and I'd learned very quickly how to carry speed through corners. As for the clearance on that fork - amazing. Even with the 29er conversion.
Dubber Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 Where did I say the oil would be dripping directly onto the pads? Damaged oil/dust seals, reasonably common occurrence and the stanchions will be below the seals not above, so theoretically if there is an oil bath to lube the stanchions the oil will run out of the damaged seals down the stanchions towards the general area of the rotor/caliper/pads. The motion of the bike banging along the trail and centrifugal forces will do the rest, oil migrates all over quite nicely in those conditions. Yep - happened to my partner at W2W 2013. Blew a seal, oil ran down the fork and contaminated the brake pads. He did day 3 with no front brakes. It was interesting...
Hairy Posted March 31, 2014 Posted March 31, 2014 I rode the first stage of W2W a few years ago with a blown seal. Two things - we use our brakes way too much, and we rely on our suspension a lot. I got to the finish a complete wreck - I couldn't see straight as I'd locked the fork out, and I'd learned very quickly how to carry speed through corners. As for the clearance on that fork - amazing. Even with the 29er conversion.Yep - happened to my partner at W2W 2013. Blew a seal, oil ran down the fork and contaminated the brake pads. He did day 3 with no front brakes. It was interesting...Please do not back up statements with facts .............
janfromnam Posted April 1, 2014 Posted April 1, 2014 Wait 3-5 years, and then get an inverted shock, all the teething problems would definitely be sorted by then.
GoLefty!! Posted April 1, 2014 Posted April 1, 2014 Where did I say the oil would be dripping directly onto the pads? Damaged oil/dust seals, reasonably common occurrence and the stanchions will be below the seals not above, so theoretically if there is an oil bath to lube the stanchions the oil will run out of the damaged seals down the stanchions towards the general area of the rotor/caliper/pads. The motion of the bike banging along the trail and centrifugal forces will do the rest, oil migrates all over quite nicely in those conditions. damaged seals are a reasonably common occurence on normal forks because the mud stacks on the seals and is then wetted by the oil pushed past the seal by the forks action. That dirt is then pushed past the seal damaging it. repeat the action and leaks develop.An updside down fork does not have this problem, thats why MX bikes now use upside down forks. Also lubricant weaping past the seals tends to push dirt out and take it in. I'l repeat myself - dripping oil is indicative of a much bigger problem usually associated to poor maintenance and dirt damage to seals as a result of excess dirt collected on the seals. Upside down forks DO NOT have this problem.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.