On the basis that the rubber seals change consistency/harden?

A friend had a shock blow this weekend (oil spraying out) and I wonder if the cold had anything to do with it.

It was also set up a little soft I thought (but within manufactuer’s guidelines)

Where was the oil spraying from? And what model is the shock?

Oil would suggest it’s the damper unit, coming out the adjusters by any chance? Triad or RPL maybe?

Agree with Loco, if its spewing oil out then its not usual seals.
I’ve had the stuck down syndrome on a Float RL with its original seals in cold weather. A change of seals and bushings to the current type sorted this out.
IIRC the rubber stiffens in the cold and doesnt keep the seal airtight. Most new shocks and seal kits use different rubber seals to avoid this happening.

I had this problem at the weekend – 6 month-old RP23 with fluid pishing out of the air valve.

I’m hoping a new seal kit is all thats required.

If it’s green/blue it’s just float fluid, if not or if the damping is behaeving strangely the damper shaft seal may have blown.

went away a christmas a couple of years ago, when it was as cold as it is now. by the end of the week i think 2/5 bikes were dead. both air forks.

coil pikes win.

frosty

wife changed her CX tyres yesterday, in cold garage (was -7 overnight) and both tubes exploded as she inflated the new tyres.

proper catastrophic failure too, split all the way round the seam

I started a thread a few days back about my Shimano disc brakes not working properly sub-zero temperatures (lost of travel in the levers, biting too soon). Apparently the rubber seals harden in the cold so it wouldn’t suprise me if the rubber bits in forks played up too.

Fluid was dirty transparent with a hint of blue, and the damping is definitely gone, sounds like the shaft seal might be the problem.

It was a Fox Triad

Fluid was clear-ish

My 2009 RP23 seemed to be fine (touch wood)

So in short there is a possibility that the failure could have been caused by the cold?

If so – Specialized/Fox – this is very poor. You do not see car brakes and suspension seizing up in the cold. Can you please start building your kit to proper tolerances and not toy tolerances? I thought we stopped having bits of rubber in our suspension in about 1996.

No, we never had ‘rubber’ we had elastometers which are polyisocycanates IIRC. what would you suggest is used for the seals if not ‘rubber’? Metal? Ceramics?

Car damers are very basic in comparison to most MTB stuff, for example BOSS (probably the ‘best’ MTB stuff) is miniturized rally car stuff (mitsubishi and citoren buy their stuff IIRC). Road car stuff is usual orifice plate at the cheep end of the spectrum and any air suspension is usualy topped up from a compressor in the engine, and the seals can be much tighter, and pressures much lower as weight isnt an issue in the same way.

JHW, where did the fluid come from? if it was out of the adjuster, it’s likely it’s another part that has failed which then damages a seal which cause the leak.

I have had the same problem. Bought a Spec Camber a few weeks ago. Yesterday I was on my third ride, around Loughrigg in the Lakes. Suddenly the shock (Triad) ‘blew’ and started leaking clear red oil from the propedal / rebound adjust knob and I could feel a difference in the rear suspension. Took it straight back to Biketreks in Ambleside who were very helpful. It is going straight back to Fox. The guy in the shop says this happens sometimes in the cold – the seal goes in the rebound adjust knob. I see it is not an uncommon problem judging by stuff on the forums.