You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Is anyone running the dual compound SKF seals on their forks, installed yourself or paid the extra to upgrade to them on a fork service, not seen or read much about them but interested in giving them a try on my Lyriks.
read a bit on US forums when I was shopping a couple of weeks ago. Apparently not discernibly any better, some reports of increased stanchion wear - some of those were from use on dirt/moto bikes where they've been in use for a little while longer.
I went for standard SKFs instead.
Bump. Same question really, wondering if anyone one else has anything to offer.
Wondering if being lower friction also means faster wearing or not as good at keeping the crap out.
🦗..🦗..🦗..🦗..🦗..🦗..🦗..🦗
I serviced my lad’s 40’s and fitted a set. They did feel plush immediately, initiated travel with hardly any weight on them. Don’t know about longevity yet.
All current higher end forks from Rockshox and Fox are fitted with SKF wipers from new and they're very good. They're also identical to the standard Green aftermarket SKF seals (except I've noticed that the aftermarket Green seals come with very poor quality foam rings).
I've delved into the SKF website to get more info on these new Dual Compound seals and they don't actually give you any facts or figures relating to the performance. I was expecting to read something like "20% less friction compared to our normal seal" but there's no such data or facts. Instead, they just say that they're less friction, and better sealed, but without any measurable/factual figures.
I'm sure people will buy them, mainly because they're Green and they're only about £6 more than the standard Green seals.
I personally will continue to use only the genuine Rockshox and Fox (SKF made) seals on all customers fork services and keep forks at factory specification.
Of course, they'll be good seals, but I'm doubtful they'll be noticeably "better". No doubt people will fit them and claim their fork feels amazing, whilst overlooking the fact that it feels amazing simply because its the first service its had in years and now has fresh lower leg oil inside 😉
Happy trails!
The lack of info or reviews on these is surprising, Jtech have them as a service upgrade yet no testing feedback from them or any of the usual sources.
TBH I think SKF have shot themselves in the foot a little bit with the OEM/green seals, very hard to sell an upgrade when the basic product is so good.
TBH I think SKF have shot themselves in the foot a little bit with the OEM/green seals, very hard to sell an upgrade when the basic product is so good.
A company involved in the cycling industry missed an opportunity to extract more money from riders?!
Seals wear out, so there is ALWAYS a demand
Black SKF seals are NOT the same as Green. The green material is a different compound from the black. Less friction overall.
Just like a Maxxis DHF OEM is not a Maxxis DHF 3C Maxxgrip.
I've not tried the dual compound yet, but I have used 10x sets of Green SKF on just about all of the forks I work on for me or friends. They are great.
It looks like the dual compound has a harder material facing the internals of the fork, with the same green dust lip.
The only advice I would give outside of using these green or potentially dual compound seals over stock black is to not grease the outisde of the seal that contacts the inside of the lower legs, grease the stanchion facing side, use rubbing alcohol to ease installation on the outward facing side. I've used grease before and they have popped back out. Rubbing alcohol helps to reduce friction when pressing it but will help to keep the seal in place better.
NEW Dual compound seals:
Completely redesigned featuring exciting new technology – adding to SKF’s well established fork seal products introduced over 10 years ago – consists of two newly developed rubber compounds and new geometries for both the scraper lip and the sealing lip.
The molded combination of compounds, together with improved sealing lip properties, offers enhanced followability on the fork tube for reduced friction and increased service life. There is an all new metal insert and a self-cleaning open wound spring on the dirt scraper lip, effectively preventing contamination of the seal.