Fork maintenance

nasha48

Thinking of some basic maintenance on my Rockshox Recon forks. Paid £60 a while ago to have seals replaced + fresh oil bath but looks like a pretty straightforward diy job lookin on youtube etc. Currently use Fork Juice on stanchions after each ride (after cleaning) but some people suggest this sort of product doesnt do forks much good in the long term. As the sponges below the seals are there to keep soaked in fork oil and hence keep stanchions lubricated, is it a bad idea to simply rub a bit of proper fork oil on them post ride instead? Guess its not thin enough and just attracts more dirt beneath seals? Also, if taking them apart and replacing the oil bath etc, is it wiser to stick with a 15t oil or would there be any benefit in going for a 10t (thinner?)??

poah

wipe clean the stations and clean round the seals. then pump the fork to relube

rockmonkeysc

A proper lower lube (new seals, clean and lube) takes around 45 minutes including removing/refitting forks. The SRAM service manuals are really good and written for people with no mechanical experience.
I use TF Tuned lower lube mix rather than standard fork oil. It just feels slicker after a service.
Fork Juice is just a dry silicone spray and wont attract dirt and dust like fork oil will. Silicone won't rot seals.

nasha48

Cheers RM. Looking on tft site, the susp oils range from 2.5wt to 20wt - i'm assuming perhaps a pro DH rider may opt for a different viscosity than the likes of me, a casual XC rider?

rockmonkeysc

Nope. The oil in the lowers is just lubrication.
The oil in the dampers needs to be the viscosity recommended in the SRAM manual unless your fork has been tuned and you have been advised to use a thicker or thinner oil.

nasha48

Right ok, cheers RM. Will nip to the SRAM site, buy some oil and some isopropyl alcohol, then give it a go. Ta mucho.