No worries.. it could have been an expensive mistake..!!
Regarding the oil bath... it's not critical what weight you use here just as long as its a good quality suspension oil and not engine oil or cooking oil..!
Its in the damper side that the oil weight is important.. depending on your weight, riding style or just your own personal preference... the weight of the oil will affect the rebound and compression damping..
Regarding the oil bath... it's not critical what weight you use here just as long as its a good quality suspension oil and not engine oil or cooking oil..!
ooops.....
I've been using engine oil in the Lyrics and Magura for some time now, I knew the damper oil type was critical so I bought the 5wt for the damper from a motorbike shop up past the Superstore, but thought engine oil would be fine for the bath.....
so - what really would the difference be in the oils Gerry? would it actually affect performance or reliability etc....?
Don't know too much about the ins and outs of it except for the obvious... engine oil is less refined, has a much higher viscosity (thicker) and will have a higher working temperature than suspension oil, does not have the anti-foaming characteristics that suspension oil will have..
I just don't see the point in compromising when it comes to a your â¬xxx expensive suspension fork while a bottle of oil will cost you only a couple of quid...
In theory, any oil or fluid will work, it is just simple hydraulics after all... it just won't work very well or as well as the proper stuff.. and it may eventually damage seals, o-rings etc... resulting in expensive & unnecessary repairs..
I try to strip down & clean / service my forks at least twice a year... (that doesn't include bushings or O-rings - I only do them when necessary) you'd be surprised how much gunk can build up in there over time if you leave it.. if you look after the fork, clean & service regularly it will last forever...
Just for your own benefit and to see why you should change it regularly.. pour the oil into a clear glass jar just so you can see the crap and gunk for yourself... it will usually be cloudy and once you let it settle you should be able to see if any water is getting in... and surprisingly I've noticed there is some kind of weird fungus bacteria type lifeform that actually quite happily lives in the oil.. I sh!t you not...!
I recently serviced a fork for a guy who obviously never cleaned or took care of it in any way... when I emptied out the damper oil it plopped out like porridge and it stank to high heaven.. I mean really bad... how it got to such a state internally I do not know but it was one of the worst I've ever seen..
No worries.. it could have been an expensive mistake..!!
Regarding the oil bath... it's not critical what weight you use here just as long as its a good quality suspension oil and not engine oil or cooking oil..!
Its in the damper side that the oil weight is important.. depending on your weight, riding style or just your own personal preference... the weight of the oil will affect the rebound and compression damping..
Regarding the oil bath... it's not critical what weight you use here just as long as its a good quality suspension oil and not engine oil or cooking oil..!
ooops.....
I've been using engine oil in the Lyrics and Magura for some time now, I knew the damper oil type was critical so I bought the 5wt for the damper from a motorbike shop up past the Superstore, but thought engine oil would be fine for the bath.....
so - what really would the difference be in the oils Gerry? would it actually affect performance or reliability etc....?
Don't know too much about the ins and outs of it except for the obvious... engine oil is less refined, has a much higher viscosity (thicker) and will have a higher working temperature than suspension oil, does not have the anti-foaming characteristics that suspension oil will have..
I just don't see the point in compromising when it comes to a your â¬xxx expensive suspension fork while a bottle of oil will cost you only a couple of quid...
In theory, any oil or fluid will work, it is just simple hydraulics after all... it just won't work very well or as well as the proper stuff.. and it may eventually damage seals, o-rings etc... resulting in expensive & unnecessary repairs..
I try to strip down & clean / service my forks at least twice a year... (that doesn't include bushings or O-rings - I only do them when necessary) you'd be surprised how much gunk can build up in there over time if you leave it.. if you look after the fork, clean & service regularly it will last forever...
Just for your own benefit and to see why you should change it regularly.. pour the oil into a clear glass jar just so you can see the crap and gunk for yourself... it will usually be cloudy and once you let it settle you should be able to see if any water is getting in... and surprisingly I've noticed there is some kind of weird fungus bacteria type lifeform that actually quite happily lives in the oil.. I sh!t you not...!
I recently serviced a fork for a guy who obviously never cleaned or took care of it in any way... when I emptied out the damper oil it plopped out like porridge and it stank to high heaven.. I mean really bad... how it got to such a state internally I do not know but it was one of the worst I've ever seen..
