New to suspension forks - to oil stanchions or not to oil?

subwoofer

...that is the question.

I have tried searching for the information I am after, but might not know the correct terms, so please excuse me if this is a common question.

After owning my last bike 15 years, the old faithful fully rigid bike is being given semi-retirement and I now have a Giant Roam 2 with front suspension.

I am not sure of the best approach to keeping the stanchions in the best condition possible, hence this post.

When I had a motorbike, I would wipe the stanchions regularly with a light oil. They had guards on them which kept most muck off the stanchions so this worked well.

The Roam 2's stanchions are exposed and when I ride on dusty trails they accumulate a lot of dust. This dust is mainly stone dust as the trails are crushed stone so will be highly abrasive.

Am I better off wiping the stanchions dry before riding (so there is no oil to pick up and hold any dust) and giving the another wipe clean when I get back, or should I keep them oiled and not worry about the dust that sticks as long as I wipe them clean at the end of the ride.

I'd like to prevent any damage, so any advice is welcome.

nicklouse

the manual for the fork will tell you what to do. and the forks are?

a little wet chain lube is fine in most cases.

NOT SPRAY.

subwoofer

According to the Giant Roam 2 specification the forks are the:

SR Suntour NEX 4610 Lock-out

I read the manual provided by Giant, but this didn't mention how to best care for the stanchions.

supersonic

You should be able to download the manual from Suntour.

subwoofer

I've just downloaded the SR Suntour NEX 4610 manual and it is not much help for getting the best results.

Basically it simply tells you to:

Clean stanchion tubes and dust seals after every ride
Inspect upper tubes for scratches

That is about it, so my original question still stands:

Is it better to have the stanchions with a light coat of oil (I actually use an inert silicon oil) or to wipe them dry before riding to minimise any stickiness that might pick up and hold dust?

Is it possible to keep the stanchions scratch free?

supersonic

Best thing to do is use a teflonchain oil or fork oil on the stanchions, compress the fork to get it in the seals, wipe off the excess.

cooldad

I smear a tiny bit of Fox Float Fluid on mine.

The Rookie

On low end forks I've found a big improvement in lubing the bushes with "red rubber grease" as it sticks like the proverbial to a blanket and is water resistant, it also leaves a thin film on the stanchions so no need to lube them!

Chunkers1980

cooldad wrote:

I smear a tiny bit of Fox Float Fluid on mine.

That's obviously a life style choice.

felix.london

I wipe em down and put some Brunox Fork Lube (which has the most useless/infuriating nozzle on it) on them every few rides.

cooldad

Chunkers1980 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I smear a tiny bit of Fox Float Fluid on mine.

That's obviously a life style choice.

Dirty boy. I have a BIG bottle of olive oil for that. Extra Virgin naturally.

felix.london

cooldad wrote:

Chunkers1980 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I smear a tiny bit of Fox Float Fluid on mine.

That's obviously a life style choice.

Dirty boy. I have a BIG bottle of olive oil for that. Extra Virgin naturally.

Spanish or Italian?

cooldad

felix.london wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Chunkers1980 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

I smear a tiny bit of Fox Float Fluid on mine.

That's obviously a life style choice.

Dirty boy. I have a BIG bottle of olive oil for that. Extra Virgin naturally.

Spanish or Italian?

That is a very serious question, and required some very serious thought. I would have to say Spanish, a bit rough and fiery does it for me.


Who am I kidding - breathing's enough for me, I ain't picky.

al2098

I will put some quality chain oil on the stanchions and let it settle. Then I cycle the fork a couple of times and you see a small ring of dirt/grit appear about halfway up the fork where you cycled it. I clean that off, wipe the fork dry and ride.
This gets the crap off the fork seals and makes them really smooth, just don't overdo it.
I wouldn't look into manuals too much, after all, wear and tear gets people buying new stuff eh?

subwoofer

al2098 wrote:

I will put some quality chain oil on the stanchions and let it settle. Then I cycle the fork a couple of times and you see a small ring of dirt/grit appear about halfway up the fork where you cycled it. I clean that off, wipe the fork dry and ride.
This gets the crap off the fork seals and makes them really smooth, just don't overdo it.
I wouldn't look into manuals too much, after all, wear and tear gets people buying new stuff eh?

Thanks, the part about pumping the forks to move the dirt up from the seals is very helpful.

What you have said is that you wipe the stanchions dry before riding. Is this to prevent the oil picking up dirt?


The post mentioning red rubber grease - isn't there a danger with a grease that is can get loaded with dust and become an abrasive paste?

The Rookie

The grease I put in the bushings BELOW the seal, it still lubes the seal and puts a small amount on the stanchions (the seals, err don't), it's also useful on the cheaper Suntours (XC family) to prevent water and mud getting into the bottom of the fork as it acts as a barrier below the 'seal'.

jimothy78

This is an interesting thread. I've noticed that the vast majority of modern forks don't have boots fitted like older ones used to. Is this because the seals are better at excluding dirt rendering them unnecessary; because people realised that boots actually make the stanchions harder to keep clean; or simply a fashion thing?

The Rookie

Boots trapped the muck and made it worse, also the seals and surface finishes have generally got better (although most booted forks were chromed steel).

Unless the boots can guarentee a seal they just make it worse, especially if they seal at the bottom (stuff can't get out) and not the top, which generally was the case the way they were made!

ThePriory1978

I use Juice Lubes Fork Juice on my shocks and seatpost. Available form Stif cycles.

Works well enough, just as well as Float Fluid or Finish Line Wet Lube which i used to smear on them before. But Fork Juice has the added benefit of drying and leaving a slippery residue so does not attract dirt and grime.

Word of warning. Its a spray, so you Must wrap your brakes and discs in an old towel or something before applying or your brakes will be slippery as an eel and wont stop you again. Ever.

Stu Coops

ThePriory1978 wrote:

I use Juice Lubes Fork Juice on my shocks and seatpost. Available form Stif cycles.

Works well enough, just as well as Float Fluid or Finish Line Wet Lube which i used to smear on them before. But Fork Juice has the added benefit of drying and leaving a slippery residue so does not attract dirt and grime.

Word of warning. Its a spray, so you Must wrap your brakes and discs in an old towel or something before applying or your brakes will be slippery as an eel and wont stop you again. Ever.

This