what does this mean and how is it fixed. – does it need fixing…had my forks serviced about 8 months ago.. just that i bumbed into my brother in the bike shop and he said i had fractionally abit of ‘play’ in the forks…..

presumably in the bushings – it makes no great odds.Until you get a lot of play. New bushes / maybe stanchions to solve it

ok so only 8 months down the line after servicing…i also have a bit of black oil appearing on one of the stanchions.not too bad at the mo but its noticeable will keep my eye on it ..hmmm…how long do bushings last…and do they do this in the service ? i dont know much about the servicing of forks ive only ever had my fox forks service just the once..what procedures do they do..

i’d do a wiper seal service if i was you.

rock your bike back and forth while you grab the bottom of the fork leg and feel for play there instead, as said above you wont notice any problems until the real play kicks in when you feel it and hear it knocking about inside, it will be fine for now, i wait until i actully need to do something about it until i solve my issues lol

Basic fork servicing involves a stripdown and inspection,fitting new seals, and fresh oil, so new bushes won’t be fitted as a matter of course.The bushes are metal-backed plastic sleeves that are pressed into your fork legs, one just below the seal/foam ring, the other about half way down. These fit snugly over your stanchions to stop the legs moving back and forth(how deep they are installed governs how tight they are), and in an ideal world, will be the parts that wear out, however, in the real world, especially if you don’t perform routine “quick service”, your stanchions can also wear, bushing wear leading to a small amount of play, stanchion wear leading to play,oil leaks and eventually expensive stanchion replacement.

right ok thanks for that Coatsey… but you’d think that the bushes were idealy re-placed if you get your forks ‘serviced once a year’. shouldnt that be the norm in theory..i would have thought so anyway.. so who replaces bushes then..

Normally costs around £35, so not many would be willing to pay for something that’s not absolutely necessary. Try speaking to Simon from Locotuning if you want them done.

you’d think that the bushes were idealy re-placed if you get your forks ‘serviced once a year’. shouldnt that be the norm in theory..i would have thought so anyway..

Fork bushings don’t tend to wear out that fast, as they do different job in forks, to where you normally come across them in rear shocks. Its also not easy done so you dont get them replaced/re-sized unless they need doing & only the specialists can make the tools pay for themselves. My m8’s manitou’s needed doing, so Hotlines just replaced the lower chassis, which is apparently quite normal (no extra charge). Obviously the likes of Loco & TF Tuned have the tools to do it the long hand.. 😉

i had my forks serviced by Loco tuning around november last year…
what will happen if i leave it a long time, obviously it will get worse but will it damage the forks if i leave it alone until it becomes more obvious…

Sorry for the delay in replying Elaine, was hoping some-one with more knowledge would reply.
TBH it sound like it’s time for a service, and the sooner the better simply put. IIRC The forks upper stantions are kept rigid within the lower body by the the fork bushing, the longer you leave it the more movement you’ll get and more potential damage you’ll be doing.
What’s more economic, the cost of a service now or maybe the cost of a new set of forks later.. 😕

but i had them serviced in november time -ish… i thort it was once per yoear or longer between services ? it was with Locotuning..

What can you say to that, stuff doesn’t wear out to a regular time table 😉
If you check loco’s pricing chart, the main service doesn’t include the fork bushing as standard, it’s priced below the main chart @ an extra £30, which he’ll do if it’s required. This practice is normal in my experience when using other fork specialists (TF tuned/mojo/windwave/hotlines ). Otherwise your paying extra to replace something that’s fine & good for ages, years rather than months IME

i also have a bit of black oil appearing on one of the stanchions[/u].not too bad at the mo but its noticeable will keep my eye on it ..hmmm…how long do bushings last…and do they do this in the service ? i dont know much about the servicing of forks ive only ever had my fox forks[/u] service just the once

They’re toast.

If Simon at Loco had detected any play I’m sure he would have phoned you and asked what you wanted to do.

If you compare it to your BB or headset, you could take your bike to the shop for a service and a week later the bearings might die.

Get em sorted before they get worse.

Oil on the stanchion definitely means your seals are knackered.

You might get away with cleaning and greasing them, but it’s probably new seal time.

This is a pretty easy job, generally you can take the lowers off without having to empty out all the damping oil or disturb the complicated bits.

I got some forks off here about 5years ago, guy didn’t know the bushs were buggered, but they were VERY buggered.
He dissapeared with my money and I got left with forks that would cost more to repair than I’d just paid, so sucked it up and just rode them to death.

5years later, they are still going, play is slightly worse, but damping is still fine and they have never leaked any air (air fork). Bushs & stanchions are absolute toast, almost no ano left on lowers of the busted leg side, but meh. Cannot afford to replace them :/

though if anyone has some Manitou Sherman Firefly 130/150 they want to shift, hit me!

A small amount of play is normal in many forks – magura and fox for example. This allows for oil to be forced between the stanchion and bushing as the forks move, reducing wear and friction. I’d expect this level of play to be easy to feel rocking the bike back and forth with the front brake on, but not easy to see.