So I’ve just put my knackered old Rockshox Recon Gold RL forks back together and appear to have gained an additional 20mm travel despite adding the spacer into the correct place.

I followed the official guide here: here

I’ve placed the spacer as shown under the O P T I O N A L – A L L T R A V E L C O N F I G U R AT I O N section, for 100mm (yes I have the 100mm fork).

Any ideas what’s gone wrong!?

Ok, so the dirty secret is that all three travels are actually the same chassis and CSU but with a different number of spacers and a different sticker.

On that diagram it’s the grey spacer blocks that you’re interested in:
4= 80mm, 2= 100mm, 0= 120mm…

(edited for gratuitous use of ‘so’)

Yeah I get that, trouble is, I’ve put the spacer in, but they’re behaving as if it’s not there. I double-checked too.

I bought the forks in July 2014 from Merlin for £229 but not sure exactly what year they are. The internals look exactly like that diagram in the guide for 100mm.

I’ve put them on the bike and took them out on the street round the block, compressing them a lot, down a few steps, a few bunny hops and they feel ok.

Edit: I didn’t do anything with the other leg.

The spacer is in the wrong place. the spacer limits the travel. If its in the right place it will work. If the travel is now 120 mm the spacer is in the wrong place

If the travel is now 120 mm the spacer is in the wrong place

You may have a point, but it’s installed in accordance with The All Travel spacers are located between the air piston and top out bumper the diagram for Recon Gold Solo Air Anatomy.

When I was looking at the objects themselves I was expecting the spacer to go on the metal sleeve of the negative piston as the hole/sleeve diameters matched. But that would mean situating the spacer between two fixed points which I can’t see would achieve anything so I ignored that instinct and followed the instructions.

If only I had taken note/photographed the position of things before I pulled it apart!

And I’m guessing I’ve probably not got 120mm travel, just an axel-to-crown distance of 120mm travel with 100mm travel as the spacer is in there. Hopefully it won’t murder me to death as I can’t be bothered to keep pulling it apart looking at it dumbly and re-assembling.

Serial number starts 09T4286… which means manufacture was 9th week of 2014. So they’re either 2014 model in which case I got the right manual, or 2015 model, in which case spacer position is identical.

Still no idea. Going for ride this evening on them.

If your spacer is in the right place, and you’re seeing 120mm travel, it’s possible that the circlip has popped out of the bottom of the air spring leg so there is nothing for the travel stop to hit (the fork will top-out on the damper leg). You should lose air from the negative spring if this has happened, but might not. Worth dropping the lowers to check before riding, IMHO.