90's RST Hi-5 DH Triple Clamp Forks Servicing Overhaul - How To - Retfurb Vintage Refurb

In this video we take a pair of tired looking 1990's RST Hi5 (triple clamp) mountain bike forks, Strip, Repair, Sand, Re-Finish, Service & Put it all back together again. This includes checking condition of the elastomers & making sure they are still in a useable condition.
We show the process involved for servicing maintenance and how to transform them back to top condition.
They have become very tired & dirty over the years, So now it is time to breath new life back in to them.
We will also be replacing the original damaged decals, With freshly made new ones.
Keep posted for how we carry out all of the refurbs on the bike components.
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The RST Hi-5 forks were aimed at the more budget level range of suspension forks.
However, At the higher end of RST suspension forks of the time.
Even though they are a fairly simple fork in the way they operate, They are still a great fork to use.
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About Retfurb.
On the channel we will be looking at all things Retro, Vintage & collectable. Along the way we will be carrying out various tasks including; refurbishments, Restorations, servicing, strip downs and much more. We aim to bring out new videos at least once a week, But will aim to release new videos more regularly.
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Thank you for visiting our channel.
Retfurb
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Warning
All of our videos are intended for entertainment purposes only.
Any tasks we show on our videos, should be carried out by qualified persons only. All of the repairs, refurbs, modifications, etc can be hazardous to health. We ensure all safety precautions are carried out first, Before attempting any repairs.
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Music made using bandlab

[@GIFD]

All my friends had these forks and swapped the elastomers with some speed springs. Add some Magura hydraulic rim brakes and you were ready for some nice DH.

[@retfurb]

Excellent. Sounds like a good upgrade. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@CSIPSD]

Looks great!

[@retfurb]

Thank you. It's appreciated. 👍

[@samblenkharn8099]

Tidy. My 1999 (?) GT Arrowhead came with RST forks. 60mm of travel if I remember rightly, and a snappy-top-out action from hell 😂😂 Nice job on those ones. It's alright to use standard grease on elastomers then? Somewhere along the line I thought I'd heard that elastomers need SRAM butter and that normal grease can actually damage the elastomer material over time. Can't remember where I heard it but...

[@retfurb]

I’m not too sure of model year, to be honest. Got to be later 90s. As far as I know, it is lithium based grease that needs to be avoided. This can also react with the metals on the fork. This is what I found out from research. The grease I used is not lithium based, so hopefully will be fine.