Topic starter
New bike day three weeks ago and been a pain, ain't been out on it yet. Hoping some of you can reassure me...
It's a Cube Stereo Hybrid SLT, 170mm lyrik ult up front. Replaces my old similar cube with 170 Fox 36s and sits alongside my non-e which has a lyrik 170 too.
Bike was built badly out if the suppling shop, most bolts not torqued one MT7 not bled, etc. Went literally to the bars. anyway, I noticed it doesn't look as "tall" as the other two in the garage and sure enough on measuring, there's exactly 160mm of stanchion only. This is in the bike stand, not resting on anything, and nil load.
What's going on? Surely I havent been sent an incorrect fork on a brand new bike? Are there bump stops that come out that haven't been taken out. Or is likely I have the wrong air shaft altogether and need to pay to get the right part in the fork? Behind £100 on £6k already and not even ridden it yet 
Am I being thick? Please help!
Posted : 09/08/2020 11:13 pm
Will it extend to 170mm if you turn the bike upside down and pull the wheel away from the frame? With big negative springs forks don’t tend to sit at zero travel, even more so on ebikes.
Posted : 10/08/2020 12:01 am
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there isn't a Stereo Hybrid 170.
There's a Stereo Hybrid 160 however.
Are you sure you're not mixing it up with the non-ebike Stereo which has a 140 and 170 option?
Posted : 10/08/2020 12:07 am
“There’s a Stereo Hybrid 160 however.”
It’s 160 on the back but it’s meant to come with a 170mm fork.
Posted : 10/08/2020 12:18 am
Lol. Schoolboy research error!
My first thought was the same - pull the arch and crown apart. If it feels like it's fully extending - it should feel like a firm stop. Then it could be a 160. If it extends more than what you measured, then it's just sitting low in the travel as CG says.
If it is a 160, it's like a 15 minute job to swap air shafts, but I'd be getting the shop to get me a replacement fork instead.
Posted : 10/08/2020 12:25 am
Have you tried putting the serial number on the back of the crown into the Trailhead site. This should at least tell you what RS think the fork spec should be.
Posted : 10/08/2020 12:29 am
Do the serial number thing on Trailhead and also try to forcibly extend the fork to see if it shows the 170mm stanchions that way. Debonair forks are famous for doing that
Posted : 10/08/2020 6:38 am
Where does the sag gradient line on the stanchion show the fork is resting? Depending on which debonair air spring is in there, some are known to sit into their travel a little even when unloaded.
There's an upgrade kit if it really bothers you but there are some folk why feel the kit is just a bit if a fundge to make things line up but actually diminishes the quality of the air spring.
Posted : 10/08/2020 9:37 am
Couple of things that you may have tried already
- Cycle the forks when pumping them up to set them at the correct travel.
- Try "burping" the lower legs by putting a small zip tie past the seals to allow air in. The lower legs can act as a large negative spring if the forks are fully compressed when you start to pump them up. (you can also get the opposite where they act as a large positive spring)
fyi i have 170 lyriks and they only lose 3mm ish due to the negative spring, and they have the B1 airshaft (1 before the latest one)
Posted : 10/08/2020 9:52 am
Topic starter
These are all really helpful points. Will take a snap of the two beside each other later. thanks for all the tips so far!
Posted : 10/08/2020 2:19 pm
Had the same thing and it really drove me mad for a while - as above pull the forks to full extension then measure. The 2021 upgrade is supposed to make them sit higher in their travel at rest. I have bought the upgrade but not yet fitted it. Deffo let the air out then add it in increments cycling the fork each time. The main reason I have yet to fit the upgrade is having ridden it a few times it’s still a bloody good fork, even if it doesn’t show full travel....
Posted : 10/08/2020 6:35 pm
It’ll be a 2020 fork and not 2021. The 2020 fork sits 10mm into the travel and the new 2021 air spring fixes it. There’s been a similar thread on here every week for about a month. You can buy a new spring for about £40 if it annoys you.
Posted : 10/08/2020 9:54 pm
If you hold the lowers and pull the fork up, does it extend to 170mm?
If not then it's not the airspring sucking down a little. In that case it may well be set to 160mm or there's another issue within the fork preventing full extension.
Posted : 11/08/2020 11:38 am
