They're not even installed yet, I'm still waiting for wheel and brake. I saw some oil on the left hand stanchion, wiped it off, bounced it up and down 10 times with the heels of my hands on the top caps. Now it looks like this:
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Should I send them back before I start cutting the steerer?
Pretty normal to get a little bit of oil to start with. Ride them for a week or so and then see what it's like.
They're fine.
least they got oil in them, heard some folk got some RS without oil last year
Really? I would have thought an oil leak would get worse rather than better?
If that much comes out after 10 bounces, what about a 3 hour ride?
I'm going to take them apart to put a spacer in anyway. Is there anything I can look at/check while I'm in there?
No really, they're fine...perfectly normal. Get riding them 😉
Nah they knackered. I will give you £10 for them and i'm doing you a favour.
its excess oil from the build. like said above, ride it and take a rag out with you on the first few rides.if after a week or so theres oil running down the leg - arrange for the shop you bought it from the post it back to Fisher Outdoor.
That oil is from the foam ring under the wiper seal i believe. The foam ring inside will be soaked in oil as there new, when they are ridden the oil falls to the bottom of the leg hence why places like tft tell you to store the bike upside to lubricate the foam ring.
All my rockshox forks did that from new (and i've had loads of different sets) all were spot on!
Hugh
Without wishing to sound rude, if you don't know why or understand how that oil is being left on your stanchion, I'd let a bike shop take your forks apart and install that spacer.
And as I said, they're fine.
You will lose some oil when you install the spacer - the problem should go away then
they do this if you store your bike upside down / past horizontal however old your forks are.(If they dont youhav eno oil in the leg)As above no cause for concern but keep an eye on it.
Not a leak as such as nothing comes out till you compress the fork and oil from the foam pad goes on to the stanchion =just a bit excessive as there is to much on the foam pad.
My rebas were duds and I didn't know until I took it back tothe shop twice but mine were knocking badly.
Get them checked before sawing them down by the LBS if it's bugging you.
I had to record the knocking using my moble while riding for LBS to send them back lol.
RS warranty are very good but a new fork should be sorted by the shop pronto-refun or exchange no send backs if it is under a month old.
OK thanks all, I'll stop worrying about it!
Kingtut, thanks for telling me they're fine twice, I was after a bit of explanation, that's all. I didn't know, now I do. But that's due to other's explanations, rather than yours.
No need to tell me that I'm mechanically incompetent just because I had to ask a question.
Kingtut, thanks for telling me they're fine twice, I was after a bit of explanation, that's all. I didn't know, now I do. But that's due to other's explanations, rather than yours.No need to tell me that I'm mechanically incompetent just because I had to ask a question.
I'm not telling you are mechanically incompetent, I have no idea what you are capable of, but from asking your original question this would tell me that you have little experience of RS forks and do not understand the internals, not a great recipe for stripping down a £300 pair of forks, although they really are very easy to work on, feel free to ask me any questions, I even know a quick way to change the spacer without stripping the forks down.
See I'm not all bad am I.
All is forgiven, thanks for posting again.
I've heard on here they're easy to work on, downloaded and read the tech. manual from SRAM and watched a couple of videos on Youtube, so I know a bit.
I'd be very interested in a short cut to installing the spacer, though! It's not as if the fork needs a service at the same time.
Hi KINGTUT, slight hijack but I would be interested in your quick spacer change technique if you are happy to share, Cheers
I've used this method and it's easier than the full strip down instructions that RS give you, I can't take the credit for this it's from MTBR;
Let the air out of the positive and negative chambers.
Compress the fork and attach a strap to hold fork compressed.
Unscrew the 10mm nut on the bottom of the left leg until it is flush with the end of the negative air chamber threads.
Tap the nut with a soft hammer to unseat the air chamber (or air piston rod) from the slider.
Some oil will drain out so have a catch pan ready.
Remove the 24mm top cap from the left leg.
Use a thin rod to carefully push the air piston out of the top of the left leg.
Carefully push the thin rod through the hole in the bottom of the slider against the air piston rod until the air piston comes out the top of the leg.
Under the air piston is the spacer if the fork is set up for 80mm, or no spacer =100mm.
If going from 80 to 100 remove the spacer, if 100 to 80 add the spacer.
Carefully push the air piston down past the threads inside the stanchion about an inch.
Add 3-5cc 5wt Rockshox oil on top of air piston.
Install the positive air cap (24mm) and torque to 60 in/lb.
Install the positive chamber valve core.
Turn the fork upside down and with a syringe add 15cc of a 50/50 mix of 5wt and Red Rum through the hole in the slider.
Using a shock pump on the positive chamber add enough air to force the threaded portion of the piston rod out the bottom of the slider.
Install the 10mm nut and torque to 45 in/lb.
Remove the holding strap, inflate the positive chamber to the desired pressure, inflate the neg chamber 10 psi less.
Install both air cap covers, clean the fork and you are just about done.
Under the air piston is the spacer if the fork is set up for 80mm, or no spacer =100mm.
If this is an 09 factory spec Reba Team then
No spacer = 120mm
1 spacer = 100mm
2 spacers = 80mm
why places like tft tell you to store the bike upside to lubricate the foam ring.
which is exactly what Shimano say you shouldn't do with your disc brakes as it lets air from the master cylinder into the hoses. Is this the same for Avids?
I'm unsure as i personally run hopes and as long as you don't pull the lever whilst the bike is upside down then they are fine, never had a problem myself. I should think it's the same principal for all brakes but maybe someone with some avids can give you a definite answer 🙂
Thanks
Hugh
Thanks for that Kingtut, I've stripped mine/others a couple of times and had never thought of the quick method for changing spacers, all sounds pretty straightforward.
Re the brakes, i figured so long as the lever didn't get pulled when the bike was upside down, you'd be fine.
Even if the worst did happen, you can usually rectify it by leaving the bike overnight (upright) with a hair band or something holding the lever against the handlebar.
Thanks KINGTUT, that makes sense. Hope it didn't take you too long to type out for us!
Thanks BB, it is an 09 team, and that's what's in the manual.
I'm not sure which model those intructions were for, so if anyone else is reading, download the manual from SRAM/rockshox site. It has a chart specifying the oil requirements for each fork, and model of fork, and it reckons the Reba needs 10ml of 15wt oil in the spring leg lower, and 5ml of 15wt in the upper.
I'll post back when everything's in. I've got my fingers crossed Winstanleys/Hope can get a wheel built and sent in 5 days!
My set did this at first, but seem to have stopped after a few rides.
I asked TFT while on phone about something else and they also said it's nothing to worry about.
''nedrapier'' and ''KINGTUT'' get a room pleasssse 😛