Best way to get rid of stiction in suspension forks

[Polly]

Hey there

I was wondering if.. any body knew of a good cheap way or product to make forks feel a bit smoother
especially cheapo forks.

I do have this lube I picked up from one distributor which works not bad on taking some of the
stiction out. But the fact remains that alot of higher end forks have been broken in @ the factory.

Any tips, advices, etc..

Thanks in advance Polly Owner Polly's reCycle www.cyclescanada.com

 

[Matt O'Toole]

"Polly" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...

> Hey there
>
> I was wondering if.. any body knew of a good cheap way or
product to make
> forks feel a bit smoother especially cheapo forks.
>
> I do have this lube I picked up from one distributor which
works not bad on
> taking some of the stiction out. But the fact remains that
alot of higher
> end forks have been broken in @ the factory.
>
> Any tips, advices, etc..

Grease! And oil...

Take the thing apart and regrease it. You can keep it working smoothly by adding some oil in with
the grease, or putting a couple of teaspoons of oil in the bottom of the fork legs. Usually you can
just pour it into the bolt hole as you reinstall the lower legs. This will help replenish the
grease, by loosening it so it flows back to where it has been scraped dry. I use Phil Wood grease
and oil, but any normal automotive/bike grease will do, as will motor oil or gear oil.

Matt O.

 

[S. Anderson]

"Matt O'Toole" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Grease! And oil...
>
> Take the thing apart and regrease it. You can keep it working smoothly by adding some oil in with
> the grease, or putting a couple of teaspoons of oil in the bottom of the fork legs. Usually you
> can just pour it into the bolt hole as you reinstall the lower legs. This will help replenish the
> grease, by loosening it so it flows back to where it has been scraped dry. I use Phil Wood grease
> and oil, but any normal automotive/bike grease will do, as will motor oil or gear oil.
>
> Matt O.
>
>

I've found that you have to be careful with what you lube with. It's not just a case of slathering
all kinds of grease in there. If you use too thick a grease it will stick horribly and effectively
over-damp the suspension. I like the dilution idea you have to thin the grease a bit with oil. I
once used a liberal amount of fairly thick grease and the fork was a disaster. I had to diassemble,
clean out most of the grease and re-assemble with some thinner grease and less of it. Also,
depending on the fork, they may require much less lube. An oil-bath fork such as a Marzocchi will
require less user lube since the oil bath lubes much of the fork. Only the tops of the sliders
require any real lube by the user.

Cheers,

Scott..