What are we all using on our stanchions?

Now the crap weather is starting up again and getting out on a particularly filthy (fun) ride recently, I’ve been reminded of more regular servicing / cleaning routine that I normally adopt during the rubbish months

it dawned on me I never do anything with my fork and dropper stanchions past a wipe over with  a micro fibre cloth so looking to start really looking after them

what are people using to “properly” clean / lubricate their fork and dropper stanchions? How is the best way to do / use whatever is necessary?

advice / recommendations / pointers and links most welcome

Soapy water.

A (very occasional) spray with some fork/shock stanchion lubricant (I think my current one is Fenwicks).

I don’t

Reason being that the wiper seals wipe the stanchion, the lubrication is done inside.

Suspension Tech: Should you lube your fork’s stanchions?

I might drop some suspension oil or in an emergency some wet lube on, cycle it a few times then wipe off. But really, if I am doing that then the fork needs a lowers service or the dropper needs a service.

Wipe with rag and then Muc-off silicone shine… smells lovely too

Rinse with a hose after a muddy ride, quick wipe with a microfibre then a spray with some Juice Lubes Fork Juice. I’ve done that with every bike of mine for about the past 10 years and never had any trouble with forks or droppers.

Any of the suspension specific silicon sprays. Quick squirt and a few pumps. You can see it lift loads of crap out of the seals and it keeps them moist in the areas where the leg oil can’t reach.

I’m cautious, I used to us Silicon sprays and lubes etc, but I think it’s going to have a detrimental effect on the grease in the seals.

I can complete a lower service quicker than I can remove the forks from the frame, so I do that a couple of times over winter and I’ve never any issues.

My routine.

I wash the bike, and clean with a carbon fibre cloth, Spray some fork lube onto the seals, compress the fork once to lift most of the accumulated debris away from the seal and up the stanchion, wipe away, apply a second light coat. It’s not a replacement for a lower leg service, but I’ve not encountered any issues doing mine over several years, and dropping the lowers hasn’t ever reveled a problem.

I once put a couple of drops of fork oil on the wiper seals of my wife’s Fox before a 100 miler. (The corrrect stuff, whatever is was)

When she returned the stanchions both had worn through the surface.  Although I was sparing and wiped any excess off, the dust obviously stuck to them and at the end of the day they were knackered!

So I never put anything on them, except soapy water!!!

A couple of drops of oil based chain lube, applied using an old tooth brush. Function is to lift out accumulated debris and provide a bit of lubrication, which it does well enough to extend lowers service interval.

I’m cautious, I used to us Silicon sprays and lubes etc, but I think it’s going to have a detrimental effect on the grease in the seals.

All the suspension specific oils and grease in the legs is silicon based anyway, that’s why the spray lube is silicon.

Lick them. Be a man.

Halfords silicone spray, I’ve not found dirt inside my forks for over 10 years and I’ve had some seals last 5yrs without leaking, so it must work.

Oil supplied by EXT specifically for the job of keeping the seals lubricated between services. On a really mucky ride, will wipe them periodically to keep the muck at bay.

Just keep them and the dust seals clean and dry, but use a small syringe to inject suspension oil directly onto the upper bush, while burping and air from the lowers at the same time.

+1 for soapy water and also for

 I’ve not found dirt inside my forks for over 10 years

I just try to do my lowers servicing vaguely on time.

I use a muckynutz mudguard permanently and that keeps so much muck away from the stanchions that there is little concern. Will occasionally then apply from fork juice or finish line wet lube, but having a Fox fork service last year after about 8 years of use, other than dirty foam rings, they were absolutely fine.

Anyhing you put on the outside is either going to get scraped off by the wiper seals or end up inside contamination the oil.

If the seals are working properly, they should be leaving a nice thin film of oil on the stanchions which is all the lubrication they need. Keeping the foam rings clean and keeping on top of the oil in the lowers is all that’s needed really.

Ha ha ha winning reply so far goes to  @relapsed_mandalorian

Lick them. Be a man.

thanks so far, all, my ham fisted ways are not quite ready (prepared) to tackle fork servicing just yet but plenty to chew on for now regarding generally upkeep(?!)

Soapy water has always been my go-to so little unsure if I’m just complicating things for the sake of it

EXT supply a little squeeze bottle of suspension oil with their forks, with a thin nozzle on the end, they recommend doing exactly as @jimmy748 is doing above

@jimmy748 please explain

while burping and air from the lowers at the same time

for a mtce puppet

A vacuum can build up in the lowers, many new forks have air release buttons, otherwise you can slide a cable tie in to release it.

Oil in the lowers lubricants the surface between the bushes and the stanctions, the lowers the oil gets there quite easily under compression, but the uppers are more difficult, turning a bike upwards can do it, but often the oil can just run inside the upper tubes instead of between the stanction and bush.

By using the syringe as above you burp lowers and place fork oil directly onto the upper bushing as the same time.

I was put onto it by Sam at Geometron after talking to him about bushing park.

Usual bike wash and a cloth.

Plus keep on top of servicing, fresh oil and seals when needed. I’ve not had any issues of fork sealing or stickyness in many many years.

Properly? Lower service.

Typically, wash with warm soapy water, dry, one drip of finish line stanchion lube.

Bare minimum, wipe with alcohol wipe and finish line stanchion lube.

I wash the mud off (no high pressure stuff), dry it and then a squirt of silicon spray.

Then, as above, ONE COMPRESSION ONLY and wipe off the muck that comes out.

Been doing the same on a number of forks including a set of Pikes from around 2010, so it seems to work.

For prevention,  one of those flexi thin mudguard thingies – keeps loads of crap off the seals.

What’s with the ONE COMPRESSION ONLY business? How do you cope with the multitude of compressions when out riding the bike, doesn’t it send your anxiety rocketing?

Mostly silt.

I have some brunox deo spray

@jimmy748

Cheers for clarifying

I wash off gently – try not to rub any grit on the stamchions.

Then a bit of a clean of the seals – maybe a cloth, maybe cotton bud.

Then WPL fork boost lube at the seals – use on shock and droppers too.

Compress, see if it brings anything up from the seals – pat off.

Spray with silicone – Fenwick currently, have used Vikings too. Both good.

The silicone isn’t really to lube the fork, it’s more to stop crud sticking, helps with the clean up next time.

I don’t do this every ride, depends on the conditions. Mucky nutz on all forks – why would you take off!

the silicon  spray lubes  will be exactly the same as whatever Screwfix sell. Definitely makes a difference- I’ve had sticky seat posts and a regular spray with silicon reduces friction enough that they work again until can strip and add grease.

I’ve used GT85 in the past but I got a bit concerned about it possibly stripping lubricant from inside the seals. I dunno if it’s psychosomatic Snake Oil but I find Fenwicks to make a real difference for a couple of rides at least before it benefits from another squirt.

I think the biggest difference is if you have any cack under the seal lip. Easy to deal with but not everyone does it.

I scoot on a little silicon spray then do the “bump”, it’s just good for the soul to see that little ring of dirt and get rid of it. In practice I doubt it makes the slightest bit of difference on a maintained fork, which mine are because lowers services are such an easy thing to do.

I wouldn’t use GT85 as it’s a penetrant and it surely gets in everywhere and washes out the grease and oil leaving not much in the way of lubricant behind.

I’m not a chemical engineer so correct me if I’m wrong.

I’ve used a few different silicon sprays. They all feel the same and smell the same. It’s probably the same stuff in different coloured tins. I think mine is currently Fenwick’s.

They all feel the same and smell the same

I can’t feel any difference either but some definitely smell different. Have you yet to experience Peaty’s minty fresh of Muc-Off cherry?

I did notice Peaty’s seems to fizz slightly on contact and lift dirt away from the seals. Not sure what’s different about it to do that?

The only real difference in silicon sprays is the silicon content and the thickness, most silicon sprays are pretty thin. Glazier’s silicone is ideal as it’s thick- in fact that’s exactly what Fork Juice is, you used to be able to buy the exact same product from Screwfix with a different label on.

A quick squirt and wipe of dodo fork juice after the bikes been washed. Also works really well if you’ve got stiff rear van doors!