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So trying to put the Rebas back together. How do you fit the foam ring without replacing the seal?
A right bleeding fiddle faff.
Why not just take the seal out, clean it, and put it back in again once you've replaced the foam?
I just fiddled them in.
Buy a pick set, can be had for a few £. The curved one gets them out nicely.
And gets them in, you usually get a fold but work it round by gently pulling with the pick and it will fully seat
Can be a bit of a faff. Once you've soaked them in oil they grow a bit which doesn't help. They will go in, you've just got to be patient & make sure they're seated correctly and that none of the edges are turned in or inverted. Once its sat in the groove massage it round a wee bit to make sure it's properly in place. If the foam gets displaced when you replace the uppers it will cause issues that will require disassembly again. Take your time.
you usually get a fold but work it round by gently pulling with the pick and it will fully seat
^^^thats my method after a good soak in oil. No need to remove seals
Ok cheers I'll try again when I have more time. I have some pics to hand.
Why not just take the seal out, clean it, and put it back in again once you’ve replaced the foam?
Can you do that....? first time working on a set of forks for me...
I use a finger and a 90* seal pick. Its fiddly at first, but once you get a technique they just pop in and use the seal pick to seat.
Can you do that….? first time working on a set of forks for me…
Always used to pop out the seals on my old rebas. Someone will be along in a minute to say you need a special tool these days.
Pick + Finger + Hope (that the oil soaked into the foam will 'stick' it to the recess once in place).
I have folded and ripped a foam ring before and it is so frustrating, service all done to the letter then one stupid little bit screws it up....
I’ve not done this on 32mm forks but on the Pike and Lyrik I’ve got the foam ring goes in really easily.....normally just use my fingers to put it in and get it seated ok. Perhaps they’re less tight fitting in the 35mm forks?
Use fingers, tyre lever (gently!) or at a push a small ball headed Allen key to tease it into the right place
As above, make sure it’s not twisted or you’ll get loads of stiction.
I find getting seals out damages them. I only remove when I replace them.
Foam rings - I use short end of small hex key as a pick. Easy out and a bit faffier back in when soaked in oil...
always end up squeezing out all the nice fresh juice trying to get the friggers back in!
i lost my temper once and got some new rings, put them in dry and added the lube afterwards with a syringe..
I refit them dry, then use a small syringe of oil to soak them insitu. Cleaner, easier.
Can you do that….? first time working on a set of forks for me…
Taking out either seals or foam rings risks damaging them.
If you clean the foam rings then try and put them back they are 10x more fiddly than new ones. Just cleaning leads to them stretching.
I just use new foam rings ... if you replace seals its a no brainer anyway (but they drop in really easy) but using old ones can be a right faff...
Personally I wouldn't remove the seals/wipers unless you are going to replace them.
If you have removed the seals, they go in the bin, they will have been damaged removed them.
Always new foam rings, they swell if you try and clean them and IMO they are then going to migrate into the bushing or into the seal, which would likely cause damage. Bag of 20 is 15quid from memory, half go in the rockshox oil pickling jar and half go in the Fox oil pickling jar.
Putting the foam rings in is easy, yes you need to shuffle them round, not tricky at all!
the way to clean foam rings and avoiding stretching is to compress them vertically between two pieces of blue roll.
half go in the rockshox oil pickling jar and half go in the Fox oil pickling jar.
Unless its for an open bath damper they all go in the Fox Gold pickling...
^^^^
Great advice up there.
Deffo don't remove seals unless replacing, the act of levering them out damages them more often than not.
Also, being super-careful not to stretch the foam ring whilst cleaning. I try to dab directly down onto them with kitchen roll whilst they are sat on a second piece.
Thanks folks, I ordered a seal kit but the one that arrived is different to whats fitted so that's why I'm refitting the foam rings. Might have not have seen advice in time about cleaning the foam rings!
Only seen bags of 35mm foam rings on Amazon not 32.