Fork service. DIY or send it in?

raldat
raldat Posts: 242
edited January 2015 in MTB workshop & tech
I have a hardtail with 2013 model single air Reba RL 29er forks. They are 18 months old and mostly working fine but the lockout is sticky.

Question is, send them in or do the service myself? I am very confident with the tools and my bikes never go to a shop. I have serviced coil forks but never air forks. I have read the service manual and other than access to the right grease here in Denmark where I live, it seems easy enough. But I am still a little nervous...

Thoughts, pointers on pitfalls etc. appreciated.

Comments

  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    They are a fairly simple fork. Just follow the manual, be very methodical and keep everything spotlessly clean. Don't be in a rush to finish and be organised with parts on the strip down.
  • warpcow
    warpcow Posts: 1,448
    What RockmnkeySC said. Really easy fork to work on if you take your time. Sticky lockout could even be something as simple as dirt under the topcap. Decent grease is available from quite a few of the German webshops (bike-components had a good selection last time I was looking).
  • jimothy78
    jimothy78 Posts: 1,407
    Is it a remote lockout? If so, a new cable (and a good clean under the dial, as suggested by warpcow) may be all that's needed. However, the return springs in Rockshox dampers are notoriously weak and prone to getting stuck - the best fix is to actually remove the spring entirely and turn it into a crown-operated lockout instead. There's a thread on this in the workshop FAQs section.

    Bear in mind that to work on the damper circuits, you don't have to take the forks apart, just remove the circlip and dial/lever above the drive-side leg, then unscrew the damper with a 24mm socket wrench.