Shock oil

[Ox_Wagon]

Some very useful and practical application of cavitation, unlike bicycle suspension. I have not tried it my self...<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Break-a-Beer-Bottle-With-Your-Bare-Hands 

http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/how-to-break-a-beer-bottle-with-your-bare-hands

 

[_im_from_earth]

Chuch Norris doesn't need cavitation to break a beer bottle, simply his focused thought!

[Bos]

Hey! gues what im going to try tonight!

[GoLefty!!]

don't stare at the bottle too long,........you'll get a headache

[AndreZA]

GL, are you gonna make up some mixtures and market it?

[GoLefty!!]

Mampara,

 

Making up mixtures is one trick but that would be a custom blend for a rider of weight X, riding bike Y under conditions Z.

 

first order of the day for any tuning is change replace the oil with something more appropriate for the XYZ.

 

All this is of course moot without an understanding of what the rider is currently doing, and what they want out of the suspension.

 

If I do any mixture it will be because I cannot obtain whats required off the shelf.

[jugheaddave]

Intreting thread, although a little over my head!!!

[AndreZA]

Mampara' date='Making up mixtures is one trick but that would be a custom blend for a rider of weight X, riding bike Y under conditions Z.first order of the day for any tuning is change replace the oil with something more appropriate for the XYZ.All this is of course moot without an understanding of what the rider is currently doing, and what they want out of the suspension.If I do any mixture it will be because I cannot obtain whats required off the shelf.

 

[/quote']

 

 

 

I would not go that extreme. What about just about 3 options, light, medium and heavy, for fork XYZ and then the rider can pic if what he wants.

[GoLefty!!]

thats already been done by the fork manufacturer.

[JA-Q001]

Where can I buy small amounts of SAE 5WT oil? Is it the same as automatic  Gearbox Oil. I have to survice my Manitou Skareb Fork. Its a normal spring suspension, about an 2003 model.

[Johan Bornman]

Where can I buy small amounts of SAE 5WT oil? Is it the same as automatic  Gearbox Oil. I have to survice my Manitou Skareb Fork. Its a normal spring suspension' date=' about an 2003 model. [/quote']

 

Any motorbike shop. Here in the big city we have Fool Frottle and the like, but I'm sure in the States where you live the bike shops will also have it.

 

It is NOT the same as automatic gearbox oil. Your Manitou will also use a heavier oil for the open bath lubrication. Here you can use engine oil if you don't want to buy a bottle of special oil just for the 32mls you'll need. Use a low visocsity one like 15W40 or so.

 

 

[JA-Q001]

Thanks, do you maybe know how much I need to put into the damper?

[Johan Bornman]

That is the million dollar question.

Unlike all the other fork companies, Manitou, being French and thus otherwise, don't publish volumes. They publish levels, but don't show you where to measure the level from. They'll say 72mm of oil.

 

Therefore what you do is reassemble the whole thing, put the 16ml of lube oil into each lower let, redo the bolts etc etc.

 

Then, you take of the top left cap and pour some oil into the damper. You manipulate the legs up and down until no more bubbles come out of the oil/damper submersion. Then you add a bit more oil. How much is a bit? I don't know, but it should be enough to cover the damper when the fork is fully compressed. If you put in too little, the lockout wont work (neither the damper, but lockout is either on, or off). If you put in too much, the oil can push out the top cap or through the shaft seals during hard compression.

 

Manitou does publish the service guides but keep a few things secret. Damn frogs!

 

PS - the foot nut on the one side in a Manitou is strange. It screw in, using an 8mm allen key. It is not a left hand thread, but screws in, rather than out.

 

[CaptainDura]

Maybe hijacking this thread a bit,

 

but JOHAN, when is your next suspension course in cape town,

 

AND will it include both the front and rear shock ? As i reckon the back shock needs as much services as the front one

 

And lastly when will you have all the seals and washers ready for us,

 

 

 

[GoLefty!!]

Manitou French????

 

Manitou is a division of Answer Products which is American... or did I miss the memo?

 

Engine oil in a damper,  [scratches chin]..

 

Could work but I'd go even lower than 5W 40 and head straight toward 0W30. the former is still too viscous for a suspension unit.

 

If you can get hold of ISO 32 hydraulic oil you'd be fine.

[Johan Bornman]

Yup, French. It is a large French conglomerate that manufacturers everything from forklifts through ....err, whatever large conglomerates make. IIRC, the shock division was only recently sold to Answer Products. Therefore all the design of current forks and shocks was perpetrated on French soil.

 

 

Perhaps you read me wrong on the engine oil as a damper part. Engine oil can be used as a lubrication oil in the open bath in both legs of Rox and Manitou forks as well as the right leg of Fox forks. Most other forks have one leg with lubricating oil and the other with a combo of damper and lube oil. Obviously you wouldn't want to ride a bike with engine oil as damper fluid, it'll have too much rebound damping.