Damaged Pike Forks !!

Bought my Spesh Enduro 29er from new only 7 months ago and until recently the forks felt sticky so with Ard Rock fast approaching I decided to send them to tftuned to get them serviced and checked over.

The guys there rang me to let me know that there was severe abrasion on one of the sanctions where a small stone or something has got under the seal and worn it down so basically its knackered !

They replaced the seals and bushes and tried to get it working the best they can so excellent communication and assistance from those guys but after 7 months I’ve now got to get new sodding forks ????!!!

Ive rang cycle surgery where I bought the bike from and they said they will have a look at it but no way I can get them replaced under warranty.

The bike is well looked after and cared for and not really been used as much as I wanted to but bad **** luck or what !

TfTuned also told me that Rockshox NEEDS servicing every 30hrs but I was never informed of this when I bought the bike …. Gutted !

Yep, bad luck. The last Spesh FSR I bought came with pretty comprehensive documentation. I bet it mentions service schedules in there somewhere…

I only received my purchase invoice when I bought the bike from Cycle Surgery and I did complain to them and Specailized UK

Found them both to be muppets tbh

So there were no external visible signs of abrasion?

If the abrasion is purely internal, can’t see it being a major issue given the design of the forks…maybe a bit more stiction. Personally, given the new cost of a CSU, I just keep running them and just do more regular lowers service

No way I could see it being warranty. It sucks but it sounds like bad luck.

bad **** luck

Yes.

How much just to replace the CSU?

TfTuned also told me that Rockshox NEEDS servicing every 30hrs but I was never informed of this when I bought the bike …. Gutted !

Gutted indeed. 30hrs sounds way OTT, especially if you work long hours/have a young family etc. What happens when you go on holiday?

You could have a look at the SOGA, they don’t sound fit for purpose tbh.

Consider some Marzocchis; you rarely need to service them.

TfTuned also told me that Rockshox NEEDS servicing every 30hrs but I was never informed of this when I bought the bike …. Gutted !

How long did you think you could ride with it without servicing? Surely anyone who MTB’s understands that ANY moving part requires periodic care and attention?

FWIW I clean the stanchions every ride and pull them apart periodically. Plus also worth re-airing every couple of months or so to make sure they’re working correctly.

You could have a look at the SOGA, they don’t sound fit for purpose tbh

Best SOGA recommendation in ages! Suspension expert says its been caused by a foreign body caught in the fork and that somehow makes the fork not fit for purpose?

The abrasion was just below the bushes so It couldn’t be seen earlier @nuke

Well they did recommend that I do get a regular lower leg service but even that way they think it’ll only last 6 months approx

So time to save up yet again 😥

You ought to have received a manual with the bike stating the service intervals? I’m pretty sure mine says 50 hours lowers service, 100 hours damper service though not 30. Lowers service takes just a few minutes to do, I always say it’s as hard as wiping your bum and pouring a shot, and not even at the same time.

But this doesn’t sound like a routine servicing thing really. Maybe routine servicing would have prevented it or caught it fast, maybe not, if something scratchy gets stuck in teh seal straight after a service it’s still going to do a lot of damage in the next 50 hours. I suppose it’s more about servicing preserving the warranty rather than preventing the damage.

davidtaylforth – Member
TfTuned also told me that Rockshox NEEDS servicing every 30hrs but I was never informed of this when I bought the bike …. Gutted !
Gutted indeed. 30hrs sounds way OTT, especially if you work long hours/have a young family etc. What happens when you go on holiday?

You could have a look at the SOGA, they don’t sound fit for purpose tbh.

Consider some Marzocchis; you rarely need to service them

I really hope this was one of the best sarcastic posts of the day. I fear not though.

Grit below the bushes? Is there a slot in the bush that the grit could get into?

tbh I can’t see it being a huge issue as it’s not going to cause it to lose any air and might just weep a bit of lower leg oil is left upside down. As long as it is smooth and not proud then it’s not going to cause binding and if it’s no longer in contact with any bush then it’s not going to wear.

TFT have to give you the worst case to protect themselves.

Photo of the damage would help, did they send you any?

Unless the damage is really bad, but the description of cause and the damage seem a bit out.

No photos of the damage @andyl but I’ll just get a lower leg service done on a regular basis now and I’ll get some pics taken next time its stripped down.

Lower leg service is a piece of cake.

I can see how a bit of grit can easily get stuck under the lip of the top seal but you should see that on the stanchion as when the fork compresses it will scratch. If the scratches are too low to be seen externally then they are deep down inside the fork.

Another good ritual is to make sure you clean out your upper seals by spraying some silicone lube around the base of the stanchion and cycling the fork a few times. If you suspect there is dirt in there then use the end of the small cable tie to carefully lift the lip but by far the best way to ensure it’s all gone is to do a quick lower leg service so you can get right inside the seal and clean it out. Cycling the fork with plenty of lube around the stanchion gets most normal dirt out as it should be microscopic stuff. Make sure you wipe with a clean tissue between each compression.

Another thing… My rebas have a massive worn patch (wasn’t me, I got them for buttons as already trashed). Didn’t spend a penny, just polished out the rough patches, cleaned and relubed. They’re not as smooth as new but they’re smoother than most folks overdue-for-a-service forks. If you’ve decided the forks are dead there’s not much to be lost by pushing them til they’re fully dead.

(the internals could have some value though, people wanted charger dampers for upgrades in older forks and the airshaft is useful for changing lengths, if they’re single length forks.)

A wear patch worries me more than a scratch on the outside of stanchions as it can give play which can lead to binding. I too am in the “keep them well lubed and run them into the ground” camp. Just make sure the foreign body is gone and any proud bits are polished off.

beano68 – Member

No photos of the damage @andyl but I’ll just get a lower leg service done on a regular basis now and I’ll get some pics taken next time its stripped down.

Lower leg service is dead easy to do with some simple tools and some correct weight fork oil.
The RockShox service manuals are pretty good at explaining what you need to do but basically you take the lowers off (a couple of nuts/screws, clean the old lubricating oil from the stanchion surfaces, the lowers, the wiper seals & the foam rings and then replace it. The service manual tells you how much you need in each leg (it’s not a lot just to keep things lubed).

I have a bottle of Fox Float Fluid for my 140 TALAS forks on my FSR, so I use some of that to re-lubricate the foam rings on my Reba’s too. It is very viscous and seems to work well.

A lower leg service probably takes no more than 30mins and gives you the chance to find dirt/grit and remove it before it becomes more of an issue.

I’d see how your forks behave once you get them back, before deciding that they need replacing.
They might work fine for years – from the sounds of it, the abrasion isn’t on the visible part of the stanchion that the wiper seals glide over, so it’s unlikely to cause the fork to weep oil. You might find that the lower leg bushes wear more quickly, but these are replaceable components anyway.

Seems strange to me, I’ve never encountered this despite owning five sets of forks. It would have to have been ridden in very poor conditions for dirt to migrate past the seals and lodge somewhere long enough to damage the stanchions.

Best advice is to ride them and service the lowers every few weeks, which is a PITA but I can’t see the abrasion being terminal for the fork. If it retains air and doesn’t leak then it should be fine.

There is a company who specialise in replacing stanchions by pressing new ones into the fork crown. Last time I looked their prices seemed very reasonable, but I cannot for the life of me remember who they were.

Anyone?

Thanks guys for all your advice and tips,

I’ll learn how to service them myself as its something I should have done a long time ago.

Thanks again.

Not that it helps at all but the user manual for the Pikes states the maintenance intervals below. They’d no doubt argue that stuff like this should picked up before a full service through checking the seals and stanchions after each ride.

MAINTENANCE Interval (hours)
Clean dirt and debris from upper tubes: Every ride
Check air pressure (air forks only): Every ride
Inspect upper tubes for scratches: Every ride
Lubricate dust seals and upper tubes: Every ride
Check front suspension fasteners for proper torque: 25
Remove lowers, clean/inspect bushings and change oil bath: 50
Clean and lubricate air spring assembly: 100
Change oil in damping system (including hydraulic lockout): 100

Rockshox Pike User Manual p10

Get the stanchion replaced. My mate just had two replaced here. About £35 IIRC

http://Www.regensuspension.Co.uk

The foam rings do seem to do a great job of keeping grit in contact with the stanchions. (IME)

I once got some grit stuck in the bushes after a routine service (god knows how) and with only about 10 compressions (the forks felt HORRIBLE) I took them apart, but it was enough to damage the stanchions internally. So I’m not surprised a bit of grit unnoticed in the wrong place would cause significant damage.

It depends what it’s like though. Hopefully you can file the area flat +/- fill with nail polish. If it’s internal it shouldn’t compromise the sealing and if it’s smooth then it shouldn’t compromise the smoothness of the forks, either. Worst case scenario = new uppers which isn’t the end of the world.

Thanks @I Ache

I was struggling to remember the name of the outfit who replace the stanchions.

Cheers @l_Ache I’ll look into that 😀