Fixing RockShox Quadra 21R Fork - Elastomers Replaced With Wood Dowels
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- Опубликовано: 26 окт 2016
- I bought this Klein Pulse-Comp mountain bike at a garage sale and got a great deal. The Rock Shox 21R Shocks weren't frozen, but barely moved. When I went to overhaul them, I found that someone had replaced the elastomers inside with wooden dowels. What the heck? The forks seemed to be in good shape otherwise. Maybe this was there attempt at locking them out. I bought another pair RockShox Quadra 21R shocks on eBay that were listed for parts. I used those as donors and used the elastomer stacks from those and fixed the forks that were on the Klein.
* Use grease made for forks. I use Slickoleum which is also sold under the name Slick Honey. You can also use SRAM Butter or Judy Butter. If the fork uses oil, use the proper fork oil. Use of a grease/oil not made specifically for forks can damage the plastic/polyurethane parts, or otherwise leave the fork not working properly.
If you have a different brand model fork, check out some of my other fork overhaul videos here bit.ly/ForkOverhauls
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Your videos are a great tutorial on fixing these old forks... Thank You.
After watching this, I've managed to repair a set of Rock Shox Indy-C forks on my steel GT Hardtail, that had perished elastomers.
I took the Indy-Cs apart and found the elastomers had turned into a mushy powder. I cleared out the muck, and made the decision to ditch the elastomers all together.
I had a spare Indy-C laying around, and took the spring sections out of them and doubled up the springs inside my repaired Indy-Cs. It's worked out great as the spring rate can now better cope with my 220lbs.
I now have about 2 inches of firm and smooth spring travel on my repaired Indy-Cs. The only downside to not having elastomers inside, is that at the end of the 2 inches of travel.. it bottoms-out rather harshly.
Again, cheers for spreading the know-how.👍
What did u use to get out all the gunk down in there. I’ve got the same issue
at 12:46 every Klein lover gasped!
Peg Leg Lives!
Someone has had one of these for sale on the local CR for months at $40.
Must of been a MC guy. Old timers use PVC pipe to stiffen up for racing. Like you said, the old stuff probably was just worn out, and someone had the right idea to keep them going. Funny as it may be.
I am guessing they wanted to lock them out.
What a bike! Personally I ride the pulse comp running a brand new rockshocks recon fork along with a bunch of other new MTV parts it was my dad's bike in the ninetys I have rode Pisca and tsali on that bike, I love it and would ride it forever if I could only mount disc brake rotors on it
I too, replace components with wood regularly. Just last week I replaced my front inner tube with bark shavings and swapped out my rusted bottom bracket with carved oak cup&cones.
Got a bent frame section. NO PROBLEM: Just swap out damaged section with a piece of bamboo.
First time I've seen that he did not cut the brake cables.
that's because he isn't dismantling this bike like in other vids, he intends to make use of those cables yet.
No sense in cutting them :)
I've actually thought about using dowels or pvc to replace the elastomers. Lots of people are just commuting on old bikes with these crap forks. They don't need the "suspension". Usually the old elastomers are dust and the fork has compressed all the way, and they are riding around on it. Just saw a tip online that says these elastomers are just polyeurathane rods. I'm trying them next time.
What an insult to iconic vintage mtbs....so glad these bikes are finally starting to get the respect they deserve in the role they played to where we are now in the modern era....
Just replace them with speed springs...aka SRP....do you home work to preserve mtb history or just go buy a wallmart special
RJ you're the man another great job 👍
Good stuff, as usual sir. Thanks
Glad to know how fork works
lol wood inside the fork, seems a fix made by the flintstones, nice video rj
I got a really good deal on my 1997 klein adroit. It has a judy sl, and i just realized the reason the shock is flat is because its missing an elastomer.
On my rock shox Judy sl forks I replaced the elastomers with Kronos springs. Now it's nice smooth suspension. Putting wood in there is very interesting
Also nice bike! I'm thinking about getting a Klein attitude for my next bike
that's WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CARPENTER ATTEMPTS BICYCLE MAINTENANCE
you mean when a practical idea offends a bike nerd?
now I've seen it all,wooden dowels lol!
Nice detailed video, thanks for sharing
Wow - never seen wooden dowels used that way before. :-O
Hey RJ! I'm trying to replace the seals on my old Mag21 shocks.
Taking them apart seems to be different from the Quadra21 and I never managed to separate the stanchions from the lower legs so I could take seals out.
I'm guessing there is a screw somewhere that should allow me to remove the lower legs like the one you show in this video when you used the long 5MM ellen but couldn't find it.
I was wondering if you happen to have a video about that or can point me to a place with information, because I couldn't find anything.
I did read the original manual from Rockshox but it only explains how to do it with very special tools that cannot be found anymore.
You've helped me out a lot already and this would really help me too because my shocks are leaking oil everywhere and I'm not sure what else I can do.
Thanks!
Itay
Hi RJ
About replacement elastomers...
I have been working to refurbish a 1997 RS Judy SL(bought on ebay) that has two 4 inch elastomers which were disintegrating so i searched far and wide for elastomer replacements. On one website this guy suggested Polyurethane rods of shore hardness 60A from Amazon which turned out to be as hard as steel so I wasted about 30 dollars. Then I bought neoprene cords(shore hardness 40A) from Mcmaster which were a little too soft. The fork compressed real smooth but would not quite rebound to the full up position. Mcmaster also sells silicone foam rods which the seller says is about 50A hardness which is equal to about pencil eraser hardness but they sell by 10 ft increment and I don't need so much.
Another option that I am contemplating is a drop stop bumper(~$11 for a 6 inch piece) for a 2010 Rockshox Boxxer which is an elastomer but the SRAM tech guy says this cannot replace the old elastomer but the dude was rude and cold so I don't completely believe him. So I am debating how to proceed from here.
This place sells elastomers. www.suspensionforkparts.net
I haven't tried that other stuff.
you could also convert to a type 2 style spring that was in second generation judy forks. It was half elastomer and half spring.
I've always wanted a retro bike
Do you know where you can buy new elastomers? I am overhauling a Gary Fisher hoo Koo e Koo.
Thank you!
Hi, I've fixed an old Kona AA mountain with a broken bottom bracket that I bought 30$ a year ago. The bike had a neglected Rockshox with elastomer similar to this posted video. When cleaning all the parts I found out the elastomers were very degraded. In order to do a correct restoration I would have to replace the elastomers but I don't think this system worth fixing except to keep the original look. Now the shocking part: If this elastomer issue become a real issue I would really consider replacing the worst one with wood dowels.
You can buy replacement elastomers. You can also find springs on ebay that will replace the elastomers.
Kronos makes great springs for suspension
Clarinet and flute players use a rag with a string on it to clean the inside of the instrument. You can use that method so you don't have to push that rag with the allen wrench. In goes the string then you just pull it through.
WOODEN DOWELS - Because suspension lock-out wasn't available yet back then
RJ how can I determine the date of Manufacture on Gary Fisher Montare? Thought you may know how 😀Thank you
Is there a way to remove the upper legs of the shock?
Hey guy! You could make a video of how to center a rear wheel? You are a very good bicycle mechanic, greetings from Argentina.
ruclips.net/video/0MHBHFu4CrA/видео.html
Bicycles revamped in yours hands !
The dowel trick was to make it stiff as heck for climbing for a cross country race. not 100% certain yet have seen it done at races.
Hi RJ, Thanks for the demo, I'm rebuilding some rock shox now.
Any chance you've still got parts from the scrap fork?
Thanks. I keep parts. Around for my own use.
What about the 5mm not grabbing on one fork? It is unlikely stripped, rather the elastomers had disintigrated. I suspect that the elastomer dust has plugged up the 5mm hole and I have jammed/packed it even tighter trying to unscrew it. The other fork unscrewed fine and had less distintigration. It looks like they got wet over the years. I would love to revive them. Any thoughts? How do unscrew one side of the fork?
I can't tell you without working on them.
Any idea what to do if the top cap (and elastomer) keeps popping out? The threads look fine but it's almost as if the cap is fractionally too small on one side. Successfully rebuilt the forks but now that one side shoots the cap and elastomer out when you put weight on the forks. Awesome channel by the way. I really appreciate you sharing all your bike knowledge!!
Maybe someone replaced it with the wrong one. Don't know. Probably replace the fork.
RJ The Bike Guy Thanks for the reply. Sounds like I have a new project on my hands, haha. Looking at new forks now. Thanks again!
GingerbeardMan "but now". You stripped it , get a new one .
nice bike
Any advice for a stripped (rounded out) hex bolt. It's the bolt down in the tube. I'm out of ideas.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07Z4R1ZR6/ref=nosim/youtube25-20
RJ. do you (or anybody)? have any idea how long the elastomer stack should be for the quadra 21r, circa 1995-96? the old stack disintegrataed, I have no idea how long the new ones should be...
Sorry, I don't know the specs.
Hey RJ. I've seen you use a grease gun with blue grease in a few of your videos to grease bearings. What grease do you use, because the most commonly recommended one for bikes is the Park Poly lube 1000 which is pretty expensive.
I use marine grease. I buy it in small tubs are the auto parts store.
Any non-lithium grease will work if it's made for bikes. I use polylube just because I have a tube of it but many types of grease will work
Thanks for the fast responses!
How do you fix a threaded headset with the top lock nut not locking into place. it just keeps turning and not locking into place. I also see metal shavings. Do you think the headset is cross threaded? any way to fix that?
Sounds like the fork and/or the lock nut are stripped. Replace one or both.
thank you for replying. what measurements are needed to find a new fork. i will probably keep the headset on there, do i need to change the whole thing or most likely the top locknut?
ruclips.net/video/Ytnk7pXEeY8/видео.html
I had that on an old tourer
Got a threaded fork with busted blades from a crappy cheap bike, asked a local LBS/workshop to cut the top of the rod with the stripped threads from mine and weld a piece with the good threads to it
The crmo franken-fork has been serving me since then and even survived a pretty bad crash, and came out cheaper than a whole new fork
I have the same forks, the elastomers are toast but otherwise they look ok (apart from the plastic caps / nuts are a little rounded). I started reading online about possibly replacing the elastomers with springs. What do you think?
If you can find them. You might be able to find replacement elastomers too.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Cool, thanks. Is one system better than the other?
I'm astounded as to how the bumps going through the wooden dowels didn't completely strip out the plastic threads on the top caps, or am I missing something?
There was still some elastomer there. They may have done all road riding. Dunno.
RJ The Bike Guy It'd be nice if you did a sort of a ''cobble cruncher'' build with this frame. Put a rigid steel fork on it, drop bars, clean it up all around. It's a really fancy frame.
I want to do something like that, but not this bike.
Maybe Pinocchio driven before ;)
I have a pair of Judy xc that I think are from 1994 and they have an elastomer in them that looks alot like the elastomer in those Indy in the video.
Do you think I can put replacement springs for Judy's such as those you show in your Judy rebuild videos?
Dunno. I haven't done it.
Does having elastomer in the judy suggest the age of the fork?
I have access to springs for Judy's but am hesitant to buy them because my fork currently doesn't have springs.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
@@jamessullivan1648 Shrug.
Nice work RJ. Maybe previous guy wanted a cheap way to lock em out??
That is my guess.
S Word
Maybe he was trying to make a budget road bike? Previous owner has some street slick looking tires on it too.
That was interesting
una pregunta dónde podría comprar los elastómeros nuevos para esta suspensión.
www.suspensionforkparts.net/eshop/
muchas gracias,por su rápida respuesta.....OK..
R.J.i am new to the channel,question do you do rebuilds on shoxs? I have the same one you are working on,but the brake is caliber i think that is what they are called.I haven!t found here in California to rebuild shoxs.Sad everyone wants to throw out instead of fixing.Thanks for any help/tips.:}
I have multiple videos on different suspension forks.
R.J.Hi i guess i need to explain better.Do you do other folks shoxs? I don!t know where you live but if you do,maybe i could send it to you and you could fix.Depending on cost.Thank you.:}
No. I don't have an open shop. I don't do repair work like that.
Hi! I can't find proper original/substitute elastomers for these shocks in my country. Mine are totally destroyed. Do you know guys what kind of Shore (Sha) hardness should this elastomer have? I found elastomers starting from 55 Sha.
www.suspensionforkparts.net/eshop/rock-shox.html?page=all
@@RJTheBikeGuy Thank you, I saw this product. Unfortunately, the price + delivery cost exceed the value of the bike :)) So I wanted to know what is the elastomer hardness to buy something cheaper nearby :)
I guess you better start researching. Good luck with that.
cool
I bought a bike from a guy online and it had an old Easton Manitou answer fork that was ruined because someone had put 2 bolts through it so it was a rigid fork🤦
so this shock does not have an actual spring?
No springs, but actually they were good shocks for the time. Springs alone are too bouncy. Cheap Walmart bikes have springs. Elastomers would compress, and bounce back more slowly than a spring.
Depends on the timeframe - the Marz Z2 came out around 1997 as I recall - that's coil over oil, and was essentially a mini-motocross fork. Was an absolute revolution at the time, and they still run amazingly well.
Elastomer forks/shocks were not really suitable for any kind of serious application, but worked fine on road/gravel.
Chemist here. We pronounce elastomer with the accent on las, not on tom. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary agrees with me.
Meh!
RJ The Bike Guy Just thought you might like to know the accepted pronunciation.
I enjoy RJ's videos and I thumbed-up this one, but I appreciate your clarification on the pronunciation of eLAStomers. Frankly, as I watched the presentation, I was wondering, hmm, have I been wrong all these years, not calling them elasTOMers, but no.
Wooden dowels?!? Maybe Pinocchio owned it before.
Dowels + road tires = commuter bike
Polyurethane at least would helped.
Why didn't you just put the other fork in 😂
From what I remember, the steerer was too short. I would have overhauled them anyway.
You wouldn't happen to have the right lower tube of a quadra 21r you would be willing to part with. Need one for a rebuild of a bike I just picked up for my son.
I don't sell parts.
@@RJTheBikeGuy thanks for the reply. I will keep searching.
Is that ratchet a Popular Mechanics ratchet?
Craftsman.
Did you pick this up at an amish church sale? elastomers suck, but wood? sweet jesus!
Garage sale. Apparently they wanted rigid forks.
Lol pause at 00:15 wtf who drinks all that pop!!! I haven't touched a pop can in years.
My wife and I. We buy a bunch when it's on sale.
@@RJTheBikeGuy lol same up here in Canada, people buy it mostly on sale 😉. Enjoy these no nonsense videos right to the points.
#GCNHack
like why not just change the forks completely and not go through the trouble
The forks were in good shape other than the missing elastomers. I didn't want to dump a bunch of money into a bike I was going to resell.
Who puts solid dowels into their forks? kinda defeats the object no?
Cheap lockout
It called failed elastomers as they break down and go flat . replacements are hard to find, wood insets bring back the height or maybe they like a lockout ride
This guy's breathing gave me anxiety. Like it's a bike bro. On that good dope. Lmao. Slow down buddy. Slow down.
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