As title - cleaning the foam seals ( which seemed a little brittle on the bit that rubs the stanchions) I made a slight tear ...
I have ordered some more foam seals - but can I re-use the current one, or will I die?
You will definitely die, whether that is before or after your forks, depends what conditions and how long you plan to ride with a compromised ring 😳
One or two dry but not to dusty rides before another lower service with new foam rings and you’ll be fine.
Thanks - I will wait for the new foams to arrive ..
It'll be absolutely fine, the foam rings aren't really seals, they're just wiping and keeping some oil up near the top, a rip won't stop that.
I mean, I probably wouldn't, just because it's kind of an arse and a waste of oil to rebuild the fork just to pull it apart again once parts arrive in a couple of days. But if I had a ride that I really wanted that bike for, then I wouldn't think twice about it.
I might be tempted to cut out the tear, like they do with cartilage repairs, and reuse.