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I have some new 36 FIT4s and after leaving them standing for a while there is a lot of stiction to overcome to get them to move. If left overnight they seem quite stuck and need a little bit of force to get them going. Once this is overcome they seem to move better, but they still don't seem 'buttery smooth' as is often mentioned in reviews. They only have about 200 miles on them but I thought this would have overcome any initial breaking in period. Any info much appreciated.
Sounds like the foam rings? have dried out Leave em upside down for a while
Or use a zip tie to open the dust seals and drop some Teflon lube in
http://factoryjackson.com/2015/03/06/suspension-fork-seal-refresh/
How do your store the bike? I'd recommend storing a bike by hanging the front wheel off a hook, that way the lowers oil can rest on the foam rings under the seals and still keep your brake levers at the top so they don't have air migrate up to them.
Sounds like it could be this. Especially as every ride has been dry and dusty since I fitted them. I've got some Juice Lube stuff, I'll try that technique on the link above and also store the bike upside down and see if it improves. Thanks guys
Dust is sometimes worse than mud. With mud the viscosity of the water in it can hold it together and stop it getting past the seals.
With the dust it sticks to the stantions and dry's up any oil in the foam rings without you noticing it.
I would pop off the lowers, refresh the oil and pop in new foam rings. Then after each ride wipe the stations clean and spray them with some silicon spray.
Thanks Trimix. I've washed the stantions clean after every ride so far and lubed with Fork Juice. I guess this doesn't help though during a ride as that fine dust is constantly getting dragged up and down. Damn these dry dusty FoD trails 😉
Foam rings are cheap and easy to replace. I do mine often, the seals almost never need changing.
Try just putting the bike upside down for 15 minutes. If its been stood upright for a while, the oil in the lowers may have migrated to the bottom of the fork and the foam lubricating rings underneath the wiper seals have dried out.
Inverting the bike will hopefully allow the oil in the lowers to soak back into the foam rings. Assuming there is enough oil in the lowers to start with.