fork tubes-pic heavy

whats the best way to clean the fork tubes..The housung tube I was using brake cleaner and a green scotch brite pad..There is some blemishes in the tubes . I was wondering if I evenneed to worry about them. I was just thinking that is where the seals is at. 8)

 

I polishes mine with a cotton wheel on my drill and some metal polish. Getting them "shiney" again will prolong the seal life instead of riding in the old small groves.

 

Don't sweat fooling around with surfaces that are covered by the casing of the new seal. If their clean ... dress the area up with a really light smear of synthetic waterproof grease ... (Bicycle shop stuff) ... or, a smear of NeverSeize to make getting the News Seals to seat nice without a fight.

Since the Damper Rod is on-the-bench ... you can replace the Nylon Slider.

(You can also do some special tuning ... by "Shimming" that Slider. There's a number of ways. The least amount of fuss is the "PlastiGuage Shim."
Somebody with a back issue of CYCLE ought to Post the technique.)

You are looking good, RIDZ ...

You KNOW we're ALL proud of you!

 

Rick, it the nylon bushing a recommended replacement item? I've never bothered, they seem to be pretty tough. Your experiences please.

 

At 20-years old ... and having the whole works wide-open ... I'd do it for convenience and be satisfied with any benefit in handling.

Front-end and suspension tuners will insert that damping rod upside-down and "Feel" how much play there is and SHIM the excess movement -- out.

I have yet to learn how to do the Shimming of the Damper and the Fork-Tube Sliding Bushings.

There must be a real fine line between how much vibration and play can be shimmed-out and that point where the Tube would have a problem with "STICTION" and mess-up the Front-End Handling.

 

I just finished doing the fork seals on my bike and all I can say is that it was to easy. I really wish my mountain bike forks were this simple but with adjustable compression and rebound,adjustable travel, compression lockout with adjustable blowoff and a truckload of o rings crammed in a five inch travel six pound fork, it's not going to be simple. The grease I use on my forks is Manitou Prep M. It is somewhat thin, synthetic, and really really super slippery. Smear a thin layer on the seals and bushings on assembly and you will have zero stiction until the grease dissolves into the oil. This is made for forks and is available at any bike shop for about ten bucks a tube.