Forks...

shaun23

Hi All, I need some newbie help/advice

I can't afford a really good bike but love to get stuck in offroad

For the record my current full suspension bike has Suntour 70mm Travel Forks.

Why have my forks got soo stiff recently? Is it mud inside? Any help/advice on what to do!

xtreem

Lube around the seals and see if they are any better.

shaun23

tried that. made no difference. the forks are either up or down and they just dont seem to spring back up as they should

Furkuk

That's how mine started and they are seized solid now.
Gonna buy a new bike in a few weeks...Just looking at what to buy

xtreem

[b]shaun23[/b] wrote:

tried that. made no difference. the forks are either up or down and they just dont seem to spring back up as they should

Ooops. Sorry.
That's my knowledge of servicing forks, if that doesn't work, then I don't know what should you do. :oops:

If your bike has waranty then take it to your lbs.
If not, strip them your self and see what's wrong. Post in Workshop and tech for more info.
And the last choice is,...........buy new forks (start from Dart 2).

shaun23

how do you strip them anyway??

Banned!

on the top of the forks there will be a cap that screws into the stanchions. loosen that, keeping a little pressure on it so it doesnt pop u. its not dangerous or anything, it can be a bit of a surprise when it happens tho.

take the springs out.

on the botton of the legs there will be an allen key bolt, usually 5mm.

loosen that and remove the lowers.

when youve done that lay all that you have out on a towel or something and take a pic so we can see whats what.

joshtp

I had this problem, i ended up buying new forks, but after i bought them i got the courage up to strip my old ones. Essensially suntours are trash, but if you tack them completely to bits, clean everything carfully, and put it all back with lots of good grease, they may last a bit longer, try doing a bit of your own tuning, for incestance, i found it good to take the elastomer out of the spring, it really improved performance. As i said though keep everything and remember how to put them back to gether

supersonic

Which Suntour forks?

shaun23

i don't know which suntours they are. juist know they got 70mm travek nd theyre rubish

supersonic

No stickers on them with model type?

They should be easy to strip as outlined above.

shaun23

ok thanks for the advice

Old Tuggo

My Suntour forks filled up with water so I ended up replacing them.

Yukon Lad

my dart twos, no matter how much i oil them, afetr about 5 mins of hard riding on red trails, especially afetr drops or jumps they go extremley stiff, then when i get in, i leave the bike in the garage, go out to oil them again and they have loosened back up again?
Anyone got any idea as to what to do?

Yukon Lad

Daz555

Yukon Lad wrote:

my dart twos, no matter how much i oil them, afetr about 5 mins of hard riding on red trails, especially afetr drops or jumps they go extremley stiff, then when i get in, i leave the bike in the garage, go out to oil them again and they have loosened back up again?
Anyone got any idea as to what to do?

Yukon Lad

Dart 2s might not be up to 'hard riding on red trails'.

Aside from that, not sure why they would stiffen during use and then loosen up again of their accord. Very strange behaviour. :?

supersonic

Cold seem to effect the darts for some reason. Not sure if it is the oil thickening, or something contracting inside.

Daz555

supersonic wrote:

Cold seem to effect the darts for some reason. Not sure if it is the oil thickening, or something contracting inside.

Seems logical at least.

Perhaps he could knit some nice woollen warmers for the fork legs?

supersonic

The tolerances in the RS Fart don't seem as good.

Rich9

supersonic wrote:

The tolerances in the RS Fart don't seem as good.

Built on a price in a sweat shop?? You get what you pay for I guess

supersonic

Yeah, the 1 and 2 seem to be built to lesser quality and can vary. They don't even have magnesium lowers, which is why the basic 80mm dart 1 weighs a whopping 5.5lbs, and with no damper!

The three seems better made, mag lowers, lighter.

shaun23

can anyone tell me if these are a decent set of used forks?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/rockshox-judy-tt- ... 240%3A1318

supersonic

In a word, no.

Flexy, undamped and heavy. Be fine for a little comfort over minor tracks, but not a performance fork.

How much are you wanting to spend?

shaun23

i can't afford much really. other "more important things have to come first" im afraid

supersonic

I have a couple for sale, I'll PM you.

BOYDIE

I think the problem with darts is that the cheaper materials within them e.g. lots of plastics can swell when the are used hard,basically when battered hard the palstics tend to swell with heat,its why they tend to stiffen up,then get lose when left to sit.I had the same problem with a set of manitou axels back in 2003,I sealed up the grease ports and put o-rings beneath the fork mount bolts and semi-oil bathed them,this extra oil seemed to keep the cheaper internals cooler.

There was a guide somewhere on the net,was a long time ago :?

shaun23

supersonic wrote:

I have a couple for sale, I'll PM you.

Sorry Mate, I think I'll have to give them a miss.

I've got insurance for my bike (ped) to pay for now!

Sorry,
Shaun

supersonic

No probs! Just be wary about some of the really cheap ebay stuff!

shaun23

will be

cheers

Rich9

supersonic wrote:

I have a couple for sale, I'll PM you.

what you got??

shaun23

he got a brand new RST Gila T4, 85mm travel, and a nearly new Manitou Black Comp, 100mm.
£25 and £50

Yukon Lad

thanks, am probably going to have to replace them. Will maybe get a burlier set such as MX Comp or something,

Yukon Lad