Rockshox SID lifespan

[brussel]

where can I get  a neoprene sock for my rear shock?

 

 

[louis0852]

Howzit Brighter-Lights

 

Just want to know where you baught the Enduro wiper seals?

[Brighter-Lights]

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FK308F09-Enduro+Seal+Wiper+Kit+For+Rockshox+Fork.aspx 

 

See they're out of stock on 28mm...

 

Else direct from www.enduroforkseals.com... $25-00 shipping so need to buy other parts too to make it worthwhile... in the old days they charged $5 shipping which is more realistic... get a US based friend to buy them...

 

 

[Wyatt Earp]

"It receives less splash oil from the bath"

 

 

 

What bath ?

 

 

 

The Sid is not an open oil bath fork.Summit Cycles2009-02-20 12:37:53

[Dirtbreath]

 

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/FK308F09-Enduro+Seal+Wiper+Kit+For+Rockshox+Fork.aspx 

 

See they're out of stock on 28mm...

 

Else direct from www.enduroforkseals.com... $25-00 shipping so need to buy other parts too to make it worthwhile... in the old days they charged $5 shipping which is more realistic... get a US based friend to buy them...

 

 

 

Try mojo.co.uk

 

[SwissVan]

Beg to differ. Allot less dirt gets in there. If you bomb through a muddy water crossing' date=' most of it will just hit the boot and never get to the seals. Some will, yes, but the most won't. [/quote']

 

Thats obvious, BUT stuff still gets in and a fork boot is a good trap for moisture and dust which you wont see untill the seal starts leaking oil....

 

And then of course there is the weight weenie factor, do u know how many grams 2 x fork boots, 4 x straps (to clamp each end) adds in extra weight?

 

 

 

Ok I'll be honest....

I dont like them cause imo they look *** (boots)

Nice anodised stuff should not be covered by a boot, shiny steel stanchions yes they should be booted...

 

Oh yes boots are also bad for the economy, the fork mechanics need the work, the seal factories need to sell seals....

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jules]

On a similar subject: is it important to lube stanchions and, if so, what lube should I use and how frequently?

 

 

 

Is it easy to service a Suntour XCR fork?

[Johan Bornman]

On a similar subject: is it important to lube stanchions and' date=' if so, what lube should I use and how frequently?

Is it easy to service a Suntour XCR fork? [/quote']

 

Stanchion lubing is an interesting topic.

 

If you look at the construction of different forks you'll find that.

 

Rox, Fox and Marzhocci differ in the way they wipe the stanchions.

 

Rox have a foam ring just underneath that wiper seal you can see at the top of your fork. This ring gets saturated with thickish oil (15wt) by splashing, fork invertion etc  from a small bath of oil that lies at the bottom of each slider.

 

This foam ring then continually lubricates the stanchion whilst the wiper seal does its best to let some lube through on the extension stroke but wipe all dirt clinging to the lube on the compression stroke. Lub-wipe-lube-wipe-lube wipe.

 

Fox and Marzocchi don't have a foam ring. They actually have a primary seal in there that can work under pressure and not allow blow-by. This is a rubber seal. In addition, there is a wiper seal in there as well that's supposed to wipe dirt away on the compression stroke.

 

Back to the question of oiling or not.

 

If you think about it, any oil you put on there will not last very long in anyway. The wiper seal acts like a squeeqy and will remove most of the oil in three or four passes (oil is quite tenatious and will stick longer than you imagine).

 

On the Rox, if the bath is ful of oil and your bike is doing rough stuff and gets inverted every now and then, then the foam ring will do the lubrication for you.

 

On the Fox and Marzocchi, the seals are designed to wipe all oil away in ayway. So if you lube these, the wiper will smear it upwards along the stanchions and the bit that escapes will remain in no man's land between the two seals.

 

I think external lubrication is senseless, in spite of what the manual say.

 

But I'd like to hear other comments.

 

 

[Wyatt Earp]

My comment is that Fox forks DO have the foam ring.

 

Fact:It's even included in the Dust wiper kit

 

part number :803-00-079.

 

The Fox forks (float forks) are an open oil bath system (right)leg only and carry some floating fluid (left) leg which lubes the foam ring and keeps things smooooove.

 

I don't like stanchions getting lubed.

[NotSoBigBen]

Sorry Boris I won't do it again ......

[Jules]

I ask cos my (relatively new) Suntour fork has been misbehaving a bit recently. It's started to feel as if it's halfway between lockout and normal. Sometimes if I jump a pavement it will be hard for a second before the suspension kicks in. I tried lubing the stanchions and it seems to have helped a little.

[Wyatt Earp]

Jules

 

 

 

You say that lubing the stanchions helped, well this is good news then as it sounds like stiction (stiction -Friction that tends to prevent relative motion between two movable parts at their null)

 

I would drop the lowers and drop some 10 ml's of 15 weight oil in there (both sides)

 

Clean stanchions properly before assembly too.

 

 

 

20 ml's is very little to warrant purchasing a full bottle of oil, if you want some give me a shout.

[Johan Bornman]

You're right Anton.

 

What I wanted to demonstrate was the different approaches by the shox companies and the thinking behind customer lubrication.

 

And to answer Jules. The difficulty in fork servicing goes up exponentially as the fork has added features. I don't know the XCR offhand.

 

Things that add complexitity is stage damping, platform damping, individual rebound and compression damping and lock-oout.

 

So, the less of these the fork has, the easier and cheaper it is to service and repair.

 

I happen to think that Marzocchi is the most complex, but some people find the shim stacks in Fox puzzling. The problem with Marzocchi, in my view, is the millions of models, each with its own oil level idiosyncrasies. What complicates it further, is the year on year changes. I've discovered the hard way that a 2007 stamp on a crown may not mean it was a 2007 fork. It could be a 2008 model with completely different fluid levels.

 

A regular service is usually quite easy, if somewhat daunting to the first timer. It is when problems occur and you have to do troubleshooting from vague symptoms, that's when it is difficult.

 

 

[Jules]

Thanks Anton and JB. My fork should be easy then because it is cheap and doesn't have fancy features, apart from a lockout.

 

 

 

Anton, what do you mean by "drop the lowers"? Does this mean I must undo the bolts at the top of the stanchions?

 

 

 

Is there a special type of oil I need to use?

[Johan Bornman]

Jules, the terms do get confusing. Here's a glossary that I compiled and want to put on my website at some stage, it'll help you a bit. Have a look at Stiction as well.

 

A glossary of bicycle suspension terminology.

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Air Cap ? A cap either on the top or bottom of the fork that protects the air inflation valve

 

Air Spring ? An air system for replacing or augmenting coil springs. Air works best for lighter riders and for shorter travel forks. Air springs respond in an exponential (progressive) fashion.

 

Arch ? Also called a bridge. It is the support structure connecting the fork?s lower legs. Usually a one-piece casting. It?s purpose is to make the legs move in unison and not independently.

 

Black Nitrate ? A coating used on steel stanchions. It?s purpose is to reduce friction and protect the steel from corrosion.

Blow-off -  The opening action of a valve at a pre-determined pressure threshold.

 

Boss ? The fixture that mounts V-brakes onto the fork?s lowers.

 

Bottom Out Bumper ? A rubber pad that prevents the stanchions from bottoming out on the metal of the fork lowers under extreme compression.

 

Breakaway ? Stiction or static friction. The force needed to initiate the movement in a fork.

 

Bushings ? A cylindrical low-friction sleeve that lines the lowers and in which the stanchions slide. It can be made from white metal or be a plastic-lined sleeve.

 

Cavitation -   The vaporising of fluid from high velocity fluid movement or from change in pressure.

 

Coil Spring Air Assist ? A hybrid coil/air spring. It effectively allows the user to increase the coil?s spring?s spring-rate by adding air.

 

Coil Spring ? A coiled wire ? usually steel or titanium - that suspends the fork and compresses under load. Coil springs tend to feel livelier and smoother than air sprung forks, especially in longer travel models where air can sticky and sluggish. Coil springs respond in a linear fashion.

 

Compliance ? The inverse of spring rate.

 

Compression ? The downward travel phase of the suspension in operation where the wheel either moves up towards the bicycle or the latter moves down towards the wheel.

 

Compression Damping ? A restriction of the speed at which the suspension compresses. It is usually variable, allowing the user to increase or decrease compression damping. Without damping the wheel will bounce several times before coming to a standstill. Damping is created by adding friction to the system.

 

Convertible Travel ? A variable fork travel system. This is done by changing a travel clip on the compression rod inside the fork..

 

Crown Steerer Assembly ? the stanchions (inner legs), the crown and the steer tube press-fitted as one assembly. Sometimes this unit is replaceable as a spare part.

 

Damping ? A modification of the rate of suspension compression or rebound. In an oil suspension it is achieved by controlling the flow of oil through a series of holes from one chamber to another. By changing the size of the holes or bypassing them completely, the damping is altered.

 

Detent ? A way of adding clickable increments to rotating adjusters.

 

Drop Out ? Two tabs at the bottoms of the two sliders for attaching the wheel.

Dust Boot ? Usually a piece of concertina rubber covering parts of a fork to protect it from dust and water.

 

FFD ? Fluid Flow Damping. A Manitou trademark for a low-cost oil damping system. The compression damping cannot be adjusted but the rebound damping may be non-adjustable or adjustable.

 

Check Valve -   A one-way valve.

 

Coil Spring Air Assist ? A new feature for 2005 that utilizes a full length coil spring and allows you to increase the spring rate of the fork by adding air as a booster to that coil spring.

 

Coil Bind -  When a coil spring is fully compressed and the coils touch each other.

Coil Spring ? A coiled piece of metal that acts as a spring to help suspend a fork.

Compression ? The phase of the suspension operation in which the wheel travels up, or travels closer to the frame. The suspension forks reaction to a bump in the trail.

Compression Damping ? Restriction of the rate that the suspension compresses under load. Too much will make the fork feel harsh whereas too little will make your fork ?Blow? through its travel.

Convertible Travel ? A system used to alter the travel of a suspension fork. It requires moving a travel clip on the compression rod to a different position. This operation is accomplished by disassembling the fork and physically moving the travel clip on the compression rod.

Crown Steerer Assembly ? the stanchion legs (inner legs), the fork crown, and the steer tube pressed together as one assembly. This assembly is then finished by adding all of the fork internals and then outer casting (slider).

Damping ? A function that modifies the rate of suspension compression or rebound.

Detent ? An indentation that causes a rotating adjuster to stop at fixed increments.

Drop Out ? The end of an outer casting (slider) where the wheel attaches.

Dust Boot ? Usually a piece of rubber in the shape of a cylinder with baffles to allow it to compress as the fork compresses through its travel. Its function is to help keep dirt and water from getting into the inner legs of the fork.

 

Fade -  The tendency of a fork/shock to reduce in efficiency through use ? typically from heat.

 

FFD ? Fluid Flow Damping. A Manitou patented low cost oil damping system. The compression damping is non-adjustable and the rebound damping may or may not be adjustable, depending on the fork.

 

Fork Crown ? The forging that joins the stanchions to the steerer. Nowadays it could be made from carbon as well as aluminium.

 

Floodgate -  Rock Shock platform valve design.

 

Hydraulic Fork Oil ? Oil used in suspension designs to provide damping. It has special characteristics that determine how it reacts when exposed to compressed air, how it changes viscosity when its temperature changes, and how it moves through valves and ports.

 

Hydraulic Lock Out ? a condition caused when the mixture of air and damping oil is out of balance. It is caused when there is too little air space in a chamber, not allowing the fork to compress through its travel.  

Infinite Travel System (IT) ? A handle-bar mounted air travel adjuster that lets the rider change the fork?s travel and ride height without a spring rate change. The travel can be changed in infinite increments between the positions of full compression or full rebound.

Isolite -  Rock Shox cushion that compresses under impact and allows oil flow when the fork is locked out. It also provides specific compression rebound and spring rate according to the travel on the fork. Used as an internal valve spring.

 

Lock Out ? The act of restricting a fork?s travel. Generally controlled by an external or bar-mounted knob and used to restrict fork bob when climbing.

 

Lowers ? Lower legs. See sliders.

 

 

MCU ? (Micro-Cellular Urethane) A special urethane that is filled with tiny air cells that act like springs when compressed. It does have some damping properties and can thus be used without the use of other dampers.

 

Micro Lube ? A series of lubrication ports for greasing fork wiper seals without dismantling the fork.

 

<?: prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Mission Control -  The Rock Shock compression damper for long travel forks (>120mm). Has separate low-speed and high-speed damping settings. Low-speed is handled by orifices and high-speed by shim stacks. It also features a tunable platform. 

 

Motion Control ? The Rock Shox compression damper for short travel forks (<120MM). A  basic orifice damper with blow-off valve.

 

Negative Spring -  Any spring applied to oppose the main spring. Typically used in air springs.

 

No Boss ? A term for forks with no brake posts for V-brakes. Can only accommodate disc brakes.

 

Oil Damping ? A system that uses the resistance to oil flow through holes in a valve to provide a means to alter the rate of suspension compression or rebound.

 

Oil Level ? The level of damping oil necessary to make the fork perform as intended. Usually measured as the air space between two points inside the fork stanchions.

 

O-Ring ? A soft, flexible neoprene or Buna rubber ring with a round cross-section, which is used for sealing and retention.

 

Oil -  In suspension forks, the most common used medium for hydraulic systems.

  

Oil Weight ? A description of the relative viscosity of oil. Oil with low weight numbers (5wt or 7wt) flows through the valves with less resistance than higher weight numbers (10 or 15 wt).

 

One Point Five Standard - 1.5 inch interface standard for frame head tubes, headset, cups, stem, and steer tubes. Found mostly on long travel single-crown forks.

 

Outer Casting ? Also known as the slider. Comprises two lower legs connected by a bridge.

 

Packing Down ? The condition where a fork does not have enough speed to extend between bumps. Can be controlled by the rebound damping system.

 

Preload ? The compression of a spring before the operating loads are put on the suspension, so that it provides a stiffer spring rate.

 

Piston ? A fork component connected to a compression rod, that slides up and down a stanchion. It can be found in an air spring or damping system.

 

Platforms ?  Platforms are devices that attempt to lessen the effects of the rider?s movements and pedaling forces on the suspension but still allow the trail to elicit a full response from the suspension. Generally they reduce response to small bumps but on up on large bumps. Usually an air-sprung valve is used that opens by gravitational forces when experiencing big bumps. Manitou calls its platform SPV (Stable Platform Valve) and Rock Shox calls its platform Motion Control/Mission Control. This lets you set the fork to be more or less reactive to weight shifts such as pedaling.

 

Porosity ? Pores in a material that allow gas or liquid to flow through it.

 

Platform Plus Damping ? A Rock Shox damping system similar to SPV, but achieved through non-adjustable valves.

 

Rapid Travel II,  Wind Down ? Two systems for controlling the travel in suspension forks. Also known as RTII, and <?: prefix = st2 ns = "urn:schemas:contacts" />WD. RTII is used to control the travel when climbing and descending, whereas WD is an incremental travel adjustment between to set limits and does not affect the spring rate of the fork as severely as RTII.

 

Quad Ring seal ? A seal that replaces standard o-rings in designs that require more efficient air and oil sealing methods.

 

Rebound ? The opposite of compression and the return phase of the suspension where the wheel returns to its original position. If this happens too fast, the bike jumps like a pogo stick and ?bucks? the rider after big hits. If it is too slow, the fork squats down during travel and can?t recover quick enough to full extension. This is known as Packing Down. This is controlled through the rebound damping system.

 

Rebound Damping ? Restriction of the rate that the suspension rebounds when the compression load is relieved.

 

Remote Lock out system ? A handle-bar lever actuated system that controls the lock out function on front and rear suspension.

 

Reverse Arch ? Also known as RA. It is the placement of the arch (bridge) behind the fork rather than the conventional front position.

 

Sag ? The amount a suspension fork compresses at rest with a normal load (rider?s weight).

 

Schrader Valve ? A type of valve used to introduce air into a chamber. Usually called a ?car valve? after its application in car wheels.

 

Seal ? A part, usually neoprene rubber or Buna, that keeps contaminants out and/or working fluids in.

 

Semi Bath ? A pool of oil at the bottom of the sliders that keeps the bushing surface and stanchion legs (inner legs) oiled by splashing. Also known as Open Bath.

 

Shim Stack ? A valve system for allowing damper oil to bypass under certain conditions such as a sudden bump. Controlled by a spring, the user tunes it by varying spring-preload on the stack. Shim stacks offer some adjustment. Either the spring rate can be changed to make it open under different conditions or it can be turned to partially or fully expose a port under the stack.

 

Sprung Weight ? The gravitational effect of any mass resting on a suspension system. It is a function of both the mass and the gravity exerted on it.

 

SPV ? (Stable Platform Valve). Manitou trademark for suspension Platform. See Platforms above.

 

SPV Evolve ? The latest version of Manitou?s SPV damping system.

 

Slider/Outer Casting ? The tube (outer casting leg) of the suspension fork that remains fixed to the wheel. It slides up and down on the stanchion leg (inner leg).

 

Spiking -  This is when the fork has too much compression damping and won?t make full travel on hard bumps.

 

Stage Damping ? Good forks have several stages of damping ? two or more. This helps the fork handle differently according to the speed of the required compression. For instance, when you brake hard you don?t want the fork to sag. Here low-speed compression damping comes in. Hitting an obstacle requires high-speed compression damping.

 

Stanchion Clamps ? Also called double or triple clamps. These are clamps that hold the stanchions below and above he head tube on long-travel forks.

 

Stanchions ? Also called stanchion legs. These are the two suspension tubes (inner leg) fixed to the fork crown. They remain stationary during the operation of the suspension.

 

Steer Tube ? The tube that extends from the top of the fork crown into the handlebar stem. Its goes through the frame?s head tube and attaches the suspension to the bicycle frame.

 

Stiction ? Fork-speak for Static Friction. See Breakaway.

 

Spring Rate ? In layman?s terms this would be spring strength. The rate at which the resistance of a spring increases as it is compressed. In coil springs it is linear, in air springs it is exponential.

A high rate is a stiff spring and low rate a soft spring. Compliance is the inverse. To change the spring rate on a coil-spring fork you have to change the spring. The pre-load function will only take up the slack but not stiffen the spring. Increased compression damping will feel like a stiffer spring and can compensate for it to an extent.

 

Air forks make it easy to increase the spring rate. Just put more air in.

Spring rate is a compromise. Tough terrain requires a stiffer spring and vice versa. 

 

Stroke ? The total distance that a suspension element can travel.

 

Thru Axle  - A way of mounting a thru axle hub to special outer legs that are not made for standard quick release hubs. Manitou?s Hex-lock (thru axle) system uses a hex end. Others use round ends.

 

Top Out Bumper ? A rubber or coil spring that prevents the shock that occurs when the load is suddenly removed from the suspension so that it is allowed to rebound to its limit.

 

TPC ? (Twin Piston Chamber) a damping system that has independent pistons for rebound and compression. The system utilizes a mixture of air and oil in the damping leg of the fork for the damping.

 

TPC+ - A variation of TPC that has added a floating piston to the compression damper to enhance the performance of the compression damping under the load of bigger hits.

 

Travel ? The amount that a wheel moves between the most compressed and the most extended states of the suspension

 

Unsprung Mass -  In suspension parlance it is the portion of a fork or rear suspension that puts no load on the suspension or puts no force on it. In bicycles this would be the wheels, the lower portions of the suspension system and the wheel-based brake assemblies.

 

U-Turn ? Rock Shox? coil spring system for external travel adjustment and automatic spring rate compensation.

 

Valve -  A device that blocks or allows movement of fluid or gas between two chambers.

 

Viscosity ? A description of how a liquid flows. Liquids with higher viscosity are thicker and flow slower than liquids with low viscosity. In forks and shocks, the fluid?s thickness has an affect on the damping speeds of rebound and compression.

 

Volume Control ? A new system designed to work with SPV as a control of the compression ramp up rate of the fork. It has a range of adjustments from linear to very progressive.

 

Wiper Seal ? A rubber material that is used as a seal to keep dirt and water out of the outer casting legs. It is not designed to keep air pressure or extreme oil pressure in.

 

 

[AndreZA]

Okaaaaayy, I'l stick to "the whatsamadinges that goes ppfffffffffftt when you push on it"

 

 

 

.Mampara2009-03-11 07:17:51