[Closed] Faulty Fork Opinion?

No idea on rhe fault but when i sent forks back to CRC they gave me the option of repair or alternative fork, i opted for repair.

It's a shame because she's got quite a few XC races booked. Just hope the turnaround isn't too long.

Get a 2nd hand Sid or Reba from the likes of Pinkbike of eBay as a backup in case you dont get them sorted in time. If you don't need it you can just sell it on for the same money

I had some failed brakes on a CRC bike that they wouldn’t have been able to replace economically. They offered to pay my LBS for a repair. I’d be hoping for that as a resolution personally. They’d probably only send them to a contractor anyway and it’s a busy time of year for fork repairs.

I've just stuck a cable tie down the fork leg and it hissed a bit, now they feel a lot better and plush again.

I think I'll get a spare if I have to send these off. Might be a pain to get a boost 100mm 650b fork?

Just got my Pikes back from CRC...They took a month to turn them around although they did go back to SRAM for repair.

Christ... that's a long wait 🙁

Guess I'll see how it goes.

Escaping pressure when easing a zip tie past the wiper is a good sign, I’ve heard this before (negative pressure incorrect/pull down?). I gather it’s not uncommon but it’s a bit shit really having to deal with it on a new fork.

I guess that’s part of the price difference between CRC and TF Tuned et al...

Thinking about it, isn’t this fault usually caused by too much grease on the airshaft, effectively plugging the equalisation port?

I thought that was more of a myth though? I can't imagine a bit of soft grease could hold back 60+ psi of air pressure?

I did drop the lowers when I got them to check they weren't dry. Oh and the price difference would have been about £600 lol (these were a decent bargain when I bought them).

If there's air in the lowers then it's leaking out of the bottom of the airshaft seal somewhere. If you're in a rush then it should be fairly easy to fix yourself, just pop the lowers off and pull the airshaft out and check for damage to the lower o-ring. Try replacing it or turning it inside out and see if that sorts it. Also check for any scratches or damage to the inside of the stanchion just incase that is letting air seep out.

You shouldn't have to do it but maybe see if CRC will send you a new debonair airshaft as a fix, should sort it and give you a little upgrade at the same time.

Doesn't sound faulty, just in need of an airspring service as above. Get some new seals and it should be good for a while.

I'll have a look at that thanks, might save me having to send it off. I wonder why the seals would have gone though within a few weeks? Unless they were dodgy to start with.

Stranger things have happened, it’s never good assuming new parts to be spot on simply because new if you have a problem. QC should pick these things up but obviously doesn’t, which along with variable oil levels is probably where the approach of rebuilding before sale comes from with the suspension specialists. Clearly general retail are never going to do that. Know what you mean about the savings though, I’ve had Pikes better than half price from CRC before.

Dunno about the urban myth side, it’s a story that keeps cropping up and Airshaft service seems to resolve so maybe it’s misidentification that’s getting solved by the process of getting to it anyway? Only time I’ve had this (On Revs) ziptie and cycling the fork was enough to re-equalise.

Oh, only a few weeks old? I wouldn't expect it to go wrong then. But it's a relatively quick job to do the airshaft service yourself v the lengthy warranty return time. I know the shop should take responsibility here and sort you out, but I would take the quickest option and do it myself.

Yeah, I'm leaning towards the quickest option. The fork was cheap enough not to stress out over a few seals 🙂