Hi all,
I've just looked at the bike having used it on the turbo last night and found a crusty layer of something around the seal and first cm of the shaft. I wasn't sure if something might have dropped something on the shock (e.g. a gel- inlikely I know!) but cycling the shock a few time reveals some suspension fluid being left on the shaft. I haven't had this before so am guessing the seals have gone???
What options do I have for servicing? Loco don't work on DT Swiss and TF are likely to take while to fix and not be the cheapest. Anyone else worth getting in touch with?
Pretty annoying as I am hoping to do the Wentwood 50 at the weekend which will be my event/ non-local ride of 2014.
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!
DanW
Or, long shot, does anyone have a shock I could borrow for the weekend to fit a 26er 80mm travel Cannondale Scalpel?
165mm eye to eye
38mm stroke
21.8mm bush and 25.2mm bush widths
Takes 8mm diameter shock bolt
tbh, if it's just a small amount I'd ride it. Maybe go out and ride off a few kerbs etc and see how it feels?
The "crust" left over from the turbo session last night was pretty thick- I'm not sure how I missed the oil residue which must have been there last night. Probably because I was knackered afterwards 😀
There seems to be quite a large amount of fluid left on the shaft of the shock with only three or four compressions. It also feels a lot more "plush" than usual which makes me nervous about just getting on and riding the 5000ft climbing/ 50km Wentwood route at the weekend. Even the 25km route has 3000ft climbing/ descending so I'm not sure it is super wise to ride on the shock as it is???
For a flat bimble I might consider ignoring it and riding but I'm not sure if I'd do any more damage to the shock or frame with a longer ride 😕 TF advised against riding to be on the safe side
having used it on the turbo last night and found a crusty layer of something
My money's on sweat. Beading off you, onto the top tube, then down onto the shock - where the seal gets it stuck.
There's only oil and nitrogen, and air in a shock, so it's unlikely to be much else.
Residue on the shaft... giggle.
(Cannot believe I am the first to mention this).
Residue on the shaft... giggle.(Cannot believe I am the first to mention this).
Likewise disappointed it took so long! To be honest I'm just glad the shaft doesn't look to worn as seems to happen to most DT's. A completely busted shaft wouldn't be funny, crust building up around the end or not!
My money's on sweat. Beading off you, onto the top tube, then down onto the shock - where the seal gets it stuck.There's only oil and nitrogen, and air in a shock, so it's unlikely to be much else.
Plausible but as above, there seems to be a fair amount of oil escaping with just a few compressions of the shock and the shock feels "plusher" than usual.
There doesn't seem to be a quick fix and it's due a service so I've booked it in to TF. Just have to write off Wentwood which is a shame as it's the first year I've actually managed to secure a space 👿
I'd be interested on the view on running an FS frame on a turbo - you're putting a lot of forces through the frame from directions they wouldn't normally come from. I wonder if this has caused shock issues?
Fair point, however you'd expect a full sus frame to be designed to handle exactly the same forces as a hardtail frame. Whether that is the case in reality I'm not sure. If it is bad for a full sus frame then surely those same forces are bad for a hardtail frame. To be honest I think the forces generated on a turbo are bad for all frames to some degree!
Hi, I think Pace cycles at Dalby are the main distributor/service shop for DT Swiss suspension.
If the turbo supports the bike by clamping the hub then its bound to put bigger forces through the pivot.
Re the shock issue, id ride it and see if it works before panicking.