Rockshox Recon SL advice please
Discussion
Just had my first ride on my recently purchased new-old-stock 2009 Orange Evo 8. Rode it a mile and a half to our local woods and rode it up hill and down the newly constructed down-hill trail. When riding home I realised that the 100mm Rockshox Recon SL Air forks had collapsed completely and that the right side seal had popped out. Not best pleased, I rode it home like that.
At home, I pushed the seal carefully back into place and gently the forks came back to life. However, if I bounce on the forks a bit they'll fully collapse and the seal pops out again.
The info sticker on the fork leg suggests an air pressure of 135psi+ for a rider of my weight. My automotive pressure gauge only goes to 60psi and the forks are taking it off the scale. My tyre inflator gauge goes to 160psi but will not fit the air valve on the fork...
Can anyone suggest whether I have a serious fault with these forks, or do I just need a valve extension and to pump 'em up a bit?
I bought the bike mail-order from a dealer at the other end of the country, so thought I'd ask advice here first. Any help appreciated. Thanks.
At home, I pushed the seal carefully back into place and gently the forks came back to life. However, if I bounce on the forks a bit they'll fully collapse and the seal pops out again.
The info sticker on the fork leg suggests an air pressure of 135psi+ for a rider of my weight. My automotive pressure gauge only goes to 60psi and the forks are taking it off the scale. My tyre inflator gauge goes to 160psi but will not fit the air valve on the fork...
Can anyone suggest whether I have a serious fault with these forks, or do I just need a valve extension and to pump 'em up a bit?
I bought the bike mail-order from a dealer at the other end of the country, so thought I'd ask advice here first. Any help appreciated. Thanks.
Try giving this lot a ring www.tftunedshox.com or better still take it back to the shop, it may be old stock but I would imagine that they are still liable for repairs and of course you were just riding along if they accuse you of launching off 10 ft drop offs. Incidentally, you'll need a proper shock pump with a threaded connection to deal with these, and the rear shock too. Available at your lbs.
Sorry, I should have read the whole thread, maybe you could come to an arrangement with the supplier to just send them the forks (easily removable) for repair, although there's a good chance that they will send them to TFT anyway. TFT would also know whether there was a fault with this model........it does happen.
Sorry, I should have read the whole thread, maybe you could come to an arrangement with the supplier to just send them the forks (easily removable) for repair, although there's a good chance that they will send them to TFT anyway. TFT would also know whether there was a fault with this model........it does happen.
Edited by timbo48 on Friday 16th July 23:16
Your first step must be to contact the retailer. It matters not where they are or that they sell online, the bike should still be usable.
I am sure the retailer will go out of their way to get things put right.
As above, buy a shock pump rather than guess what pressure you are running.
I am sure the retailer will go out of their way to get things put right.
As above, buy a shock pump rather than guess what pressure you are running.
The seal popping out and fork losing all its pressure is fairly common on RS forks and should be a warranty job. For any air suspension fork or rear shock you need a specific shock pump, any decent bike shop will have one and the shop oselling you the bike should have told you you'd need one as it's something that needs checking regularly.
The fork should go back to the shop you bought the bike from for them to get it fixed under warranty. Be warned that RS warranty at this time of year can take a while although they promise a 3 day turn around a lot of the time.
The fork should go back to the shop you bought the bike from for them to get it fixed under warranty. Be warned that RS warranty at this time of year can take a while although they promise a 3 day turn around a lot of the time.
Thanks for replies folks. Called the dealer this morning who was apologetic about the situation. We decided that I should purchase a proper pump locally, check the pressure and take it from there: if all was fine, hit the trails. If all was not fine, he'd deal with sorting a warranty repair.
I have now purchased a Scott pump. The forks had around 80psi in them. I pushed them up to 140, which according to the sticker on the forks is about right for my weight. The forks still seem unhappy and very reluctant to 'spring back' after full compression.
I'll contact the dealer on Monday and set the ball rolling for a repair. I suppose I may incur a postage charge, but I can live with that.
I have now purchased a Scott pump. The forks had around 80psi in them. I pushed them up to 140, which according to the sticker on the forks is about right for my weight. The forks still seem unhappy and very reluctant to 'spring back' after full compression.
I'll contact the dealer on Monday and set the ball rolling for a repair. I suppose I may incur a postage charge, but I can live with that.
i have the reba sl s on my bike and you have to keep an eye on them pressure wise,just back from fort bill and did the new red run and they never missed a beat,i run 135psi top and 125 bottom.
you also have the adjustable rebound on the bottom which makes a big difference if not set correctly i have mine set around halfway.
hope that helps
you also have the adjustable rebound on the bottom which makes a big difference if not set correctly i have mine set around halfway.
hope that helps
i have the reba sl s on my bike and you have to keep an eye on them pressure wise,just back from fort bill and did the new red run and they never missed a beat,i run 135psi top and 125 bottom.
you also have the adjustable rebound on the bottom which makes a big difference if not set correctly i have mine set around halfway.
hope that helps
you also have the adjustable rebound on the bottom which makes a big difference if not set correctly i have mine set around halfway.
hope that helps
subsea99 said:
i have the reba sl s on my bike and you have to keep an eye on them pressure wise,just back from fort bill and did the new red run and they never missed a beat,i run 135psi top and 125 bottom.
you also have the adjustable rebound on the bottom which makes a big difference if not set correctly i have mine set around halfway.
hope that helps
Sorry, what do you mean by 135psi 'top' and 125 psi 'bottom'? I've only found one valve so far. Is there another?you also have the adjustable rebound on the bottom which makes a big difference if not set correctly i have mine set around halfway.
hope that helps
I have adjusted the red rebound adjuster to 'halfway' for the time being but the blue adjuster on the top right only indicates 'lock out'. Is this also compression damping, and if so do I assume that the closer the datum is to 'locked' the slower the compression?
Sorry for the questions. Pukka forks are a new deal for me...
the blue is the lockout, it's either on or off.
There is only a single air chamber on your fork, don't worry about the top and bottom pressure thing, that's on the higher level RS forks.
the rebound is the red knob, that's correct, about half way is right although it sounds like you've got it set up right it may be worth a fiddle if you're not happy with the rebound as it is. You want it fairly quick, but it's hard to explain in words!
There is only a single air chamber on your fork, don't worry about the top and bottom pressure thing, that's on the higher level RS forks.
the rebound is the red knob, that's correct, about half way is right although it sounds like you've got it set up right it may be worth a fiddle if you're not happy with the rebound as it is. You want it fairly quick, but it's hard to explain in words!
sorry blackburn my mistake with the model of forks mines are reba sl with dual air on them,but yeah have play about as op said with rebound but halfway should be fine and your lockout is for fire road climbs and road work although ive been down a few trails where i have forgotten to unlock them haha...bit sore on arms after that.
enjoy the new bike
enjoy the new bike
Its quite important to make sure they are unlocked before really punishing them. A big whack when locked out could burst the seals.
There is an inflation guide [URL=http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/service/air_inflation.pdf]HERE[/URL] and a guide to maintaining Rock Shock units [URL=http://www.sram.com/en/service/rockshox/tuning_tips.php]HERE[/URL]. Some people say that the pressures given in the guide are too high and I would try 10% either side to see what you prefer. I run lower on screaming forest trails and higher on good surface XC trails.
Don't expect air units to fully lock out, there will always be a tiny bit of movement as air is compressible.
Its worth playing around with you rebound settings too. Ride the same section of down hill trail with the rebound full fast and with it full slow and see how different it feels. Full slow should feel like the suspension firms up quickly and whilst absorbing less gives excellent bike control. Full fast will give a much plusher ride but your cornering speeds won't be quite so high. Most people have a spot somewhere between the two for their favourite trail sections but the beauty of these systems is that you can change the shocks for different trail surfaces in an instant.
There is an inflation guide [URL=http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/service/air_inflation.pdf]HERE[/URL] and a guide to maintaining Rock Shock units [URL=http://www.sram.com/en/service/rockshox/tuning_tips.php]HERE[/URL]. Some people say that the pressures given in the guide are too high and I would try 10% either side to see what you prefer. I run lower on screaming forest trails and higher on good surface XC trails.
Don't expect air units to fully lock out, there will always be a tiny bit of movement as air is compressible.
Its worth playing around with you rebound settings too. Ride the same section of down hill trail with the rebound full fast and with it full slow and see how different it feels. Full slow should feel like the suspension firms up quickly and whilst absorbing less gives excellent bike control. Full fast will give a much plusher ride but your cornering speeds won't be quite so high. Most people have a spot somewhere between the two for their favourite trail sections but the beauty of these systems is that you can change the shocks for different trail surfaces in an instant.
Edited by Raven Flyer on Wednesday 21st July 13:18
Edited by Raven Flyer on Wednesday 21st July 13:19
Thanks for all the info and feedback. I'm thinking that my forks are actually ok, just needed pumping up, rebound adjusting etc. I'm off on holiday soon and won't have an opportunity to test the forks beforehand (stuck in work) - the moment I'm back I'll get busy with the bike and see how the forks perform.
cjs said:
I have RS SID Race forks and I found the recommended PSI way out, I'm running around 90/100 PSI rather than the recommended 135, can't see the point in having suspension if it's rock solid!
Shock makers say that you should be between 15% and 30% sag when sat on the stationary bike.The real point to look for is making sure that you never get to full compression with an air shock. The lower your starting pressure, the less travel you will have before bottoming out.
Raven Flyer said:
cjs said:
I have RS SID Race forks and I found the recommended PSI way out, I'm running around 90/100 PSI rather than the recommended 135, can't see the point in having suspension if it's rock solid!
Shock makers say that you should be between 15% and 30% sag when sat on the stationary bike.The real point to look for is making sure that you never get to full compression with an air shock. The lower your starting pressure, the less travel you will have before bottoming out.
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