Do my seals need replacing?

oglebylee
oglebylee Posts: 8
in MTB general


Hey I recently purchased a pre owned B-twin rockrider 500s... Its in great condition apart from when I push down on the forks the legs come up with a rusty residue on them... So my question is do I need to replace the seals many thanks in advance 👍🚵

Comments

  • david7m
    david7m Posts: 636
    What forks are they, they may not be serviceable?
  • mattyfez
    mattyfez Posts: 638
    edited November 2019
    The forks are knackered.. What forks are they?

    They might get better with a complete strip down and clean but it's probably wasted time, depending on what fork it is.
  • oglebylee
    oglebylee Posts: 8
    david7m said:

    What forks are they, they may not be serviceable?

    Can't find a name on there mate what you see in the picture is all that's on them👍 they do work but it's just the rusty residue that comes out
  • oglebylee
    oglebylee Posts: 8
    mattyfez said:

    The forks are knackered.. What forks are they?

    They might get better with a complete strip down and clean but it's probably wasted time, depending on what fork it is.

    Doesn't say what forks they are mate... I've been looking on YouTube on how to strip them down so I might give it a go, I have a pair of rock shox but they are too sort and only have 80-100mm travel👍
  • JBA
    JBA Posts: 2,852
    According to the limited info HERE the forks are Rockrider 120. You can do a bit of digging to try and find out who made them and then determine if they can be salvaged.
    “Life has been unfaithful
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  • oglebylee
    oglebylee Posts: 8
    JBA said:

    According to the limited info HERE the forks are Rockrider 120. You can do a bit of digging to try and find out who made them and then determine if they can be salvaged.

    Thanks for that mate but it doesn't really say much.... Think I'll give decathlon a call and see what they say👍
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,453
    They need a lot more than new seals.
  • oglebylee
    oglebylee Posts: 8
    steve_sordy said:

    They need a lot more than new seals.

    Care to elaborate? 👍
  • steve_sordy
    steve_sordy Posts: 2,453
    The stanchions look badly scored. Where is the rust coming from? Probably from the water that got in the legs and has rusted the spring. Why should it rust when it should be covered in oil? - Because there's been no oil in it and it will all be worn and pretty much well knackered by now.

    Not even new seals will stop the water from getting past the scored stanchions. Not even new oil will undo the damage already incurred.

    I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

    If you send the fork to one of the specialist fork service agents, it will cost you £80-£90 plus postage even if there are no replaceable parts required (apart from the usual consumable items like seals, oil, grease etc). That would get you a fork that feels like it was new. But if they have to replace parts it may end up costing you more than the fork is worth.

    You could contact TF Tuned (01373 826800) and ask them what would they charge if when they received your fork they considered it a write off. If you don't want it back, they could just chuck it on the scrap heap. Otherwise it'll be £10-15 p&p to get it returned
  • oglebylee
    oglebylee Posts: 8
    steve_sordy said:

    The stanchions look badly scored. Where is the rust coming from? Probably from the water that got in the legs and has rusted the spring. Why should it rust when it should be covered in oil? - Because there's been no oil in it and it will all be worn and pretty much well knackered by now.

    Not even new seals will stop the water from getting past the scored stanchions. Not even new oil will undo the damage already incurred.

    I sincerely hope I'm wrong.

    If you send the fork to one of the specialist fork service agents, it will cost you £80-£90 plus postage even if there are no replaceable parts required (apart from the usual consumable items like seals, oil, grease etc). That would get you a fork that feels like it was new. But if they have to replace parts it may end up costing you more than the fork is worth.

    You could contact TF Tuned (01373 826800) and ask them what would they charge if when they received your fork they considered it a write off. If you don't want it back, they could just chuck it on the scrap heap. Otherwise it'll be £10-15 p&p to get it returned

    Thank you for that.. I think I'll strip them down myself to see what the damage is and if they ain't no good I'll get some new forks as I don't do hardcore off reading so I shouldn't need to spend a fortune on forks👍
  • The Rookie
    The Rookie Posts: 27,812
    steve_sordy said:

    Probably from the water that got in the legs and has rusted the spring.

    As the spring(s) aren't in the lower leg but up inside the stanchions, that's pretty unlikely.

    More likely from the stanchions themselves.

    Can't be that bad a fork as the seals at least have a spring for preload, the cheapest forks don't even have that.

    I'd strip off the lower legs and see what is what. Even if they are beyond permanent repair some cleaning out and fresh oil may see them continue to function for a month or so while some replacements are sourced.
    Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.
  • oglebylee
    oglebylee Posts: 8
    @steve_sordy thanks for the info and advice mate I'll do that and fingers crossed they're not that bad👍

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