What are we all using on our stanchions?

It’s the seals harbouring grit that’s the issue

Chris Porters method – Clean out seals with a motorcycle seal cleaner tool. (thin, shaped piece of rigid plastic sheet that pushes down past the seal)  Get some EXT oil in a mini bottle with tool from Mojo.

The seal cleaning tool

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153188464423?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=Bxmwwng5TAe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=k4xnnXE3QzK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

the ext seal lube

https://www.mojo.co.uk/ev68s-1716-p.asp

LOL at the amount of EXT tax on that tiny bottle of oil!

Seriously, just use a tiny cable tie and any regular fork spray.

Personally, I’m unconvinced that the stanchions need any lube. I get that people who know much more than me lube their stanchions. But Personally, I never have. And I’ve never had a fork need replaced because the stanchions were worn. If anything, I would be fearful that the lube would attract more dirt to the stanchions, which I believe, would cause more harm then any promised benefit.

The lube is supposed to go inside the seals not all over the stanchions. That’s why you apply it, compress the forks and then clean the stanchions.

Wet seals just work better. They’re more slippery and keep more dirt out. Just because you’ve never destroyed a fork doesn’t mean they’re working as well as they can be.

I’ve just done mine 5 minutes ago and the amount of grit that came out was eye opening. Now it’s on a rag in the bin not sliding up and down in my fork.

adding some oil to the wiper sponges without stripping them down sounds like a good idea as a ‘I know my forks really need a lowers service but I can’t be arsed at the moment’ solution.  But I’d be a bit worried about either scraping the fork ano with a syringe, introducing dirt past the seal when I’d wedged something in it, or nicking/damaging the wiper with whatever I was using

Storing the bike inverted ensures the foam rings/upper bushing are always lubricated.

Few drops of wet chain lube on the stanchions. Compress forks a few times, then wipe clean. No need for anything else and never attempt to put oil into the forks from about the seals. You’ll just stretch the seals and encourage dirt to get in.

Putting the bike upside-down for a few hours if not ridden in a while is a good idea.

Storing the bike inverted ensures the foam rings/upper bushing are always lubricated.

post above suggests maybe not – oil  doesn’t necessarily end up in the right place between the two tubes.  Also, stoping upside down much more likely to give issues with brakes if there’s any air in them,  and simple isn’t practical for a lot of us.

@mjsmke what evidence do have to support, because it’s bs, they are rubber seals and will not permanently deform by gently sliding in a very small round ended needle.

The outer seals keep large particles out, the foam rings protect against dust and water, but neither effect the sliding of the sanctions, that is done by the bushes and relies on an oil film between the bushes and the outside of the inner stations turning a bike upside down the oil just runs inside of the hollow in stanchion, putting oil directly on top of the bush keeps it lubricated and any excess soaks into the foam rings.

Putting anything other than fork oil on them is not a great idea, put a bit of fork oil in a small container and spray some of the silicone spray or whatever else people are using and look what it does to the oil, it will cause it to separate and become less slippery.

At the end of the day, a lowers service can be done in about 30 minutes without any special tools, so do it often, keep the seals clean, the foam rings wet and oil in the lowers and your forks will work fine, if you don’t they will feel crap no matter the damper or settings.

RSP Hyper Wiper. After washing/drying.

Chris Porters method – Clean out seals with a motorcycle seal cleaner tool. (thin, shaped piece of rigid plastic sheet that pushes down past the seal)

A friend of mine runs a motorbike suspension service/tuning company. He reckons he all those tools do is get more dirt into your forks.