Fixing Seized Suntour Fork On Trek MT220 Bike

I bought this Trek MT220 24" kid's moutain bike last summer. It was in good shape, other than a seized fork. The fork had no visible rust, so I was not sure why it was frozen. I lubed it with silicone spray to help free it up. Seems the reason it was stuck, was mostly just a lot of dried grit and old grease. Probably the dirt got in there due to the torn fork boots. I got the fork freed up, and disassembled it, cleaned it, lubed it, and put it all back together.
The fork model is a SR Suntour M2015.
The fork cap tool I mad was very similar to this, except it had 12 teeth, and was a larger diameter:
• How To Make Adjuster C...
How To Install Lizard Skins Fork Boots Replacements:
• How To Install Lizard ...
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/ForkOver...
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[@RJTheBikeGuy]

For more bike repair videos hit the subscribe button 🛑 and click the notification bell ► bit.ly/SubRJTheBikeGuy

[@cannondany]

Sending you some positive energy RJ. You should post more. YT needs authentic content :)

[@CrossFitProject]

RJ, you are helping dads become hero’s in their kids eyes by giving dads the knowledge to fix their kids bikes. Keep it up!

[@Dino_Buk]

R.J. The Bike Guy is the greatest teacher of all the older bikes that most of us still enjoy.

[@kona0197]

Awesome video RJ. It's great to see someone else cares about repairing low end bicycles like I do. Not all of us can afford high end gear with Fox or RockShox forks.

[@WereJoebin]

“Some kid will enjoy this bike so it’s worth it” good mentality

[@badger0888]

You are the go-to channel that I recommend to all of my friends. Clear and concise instructions on how to repair commonly owned bikes.

[@TheLurker]

Man. This is giving me hardcore trombonist flashbacks. Thanks for your videos, RJ!

[@GreenJimll]

Great instructional video. Very handy for those of us that rescue old bikes, do them up and pass them on to people who really need them.

[@GiotheGhreat]

Kudos for making your own tools!! great tip on the Lizard Skins!!!!!!!!

[@eastwood111]

Your bike videos are the best, no bells and whistle’s just good content 😉

[@erikgiggey4783]

good to see you back again.

[@silentscientist2234]

Hey man i just wanted to tell you that i love your videos ☺️

[@chrisscott8362]

Loves me some RJ TBG rehabs in 2022!! Keep ‘em coming.

[@MrMitchellw16]

A little clean and lube goes a long way to keep stuff out of the landfill! Happy new year and happy wrenching RJ

[@charmsly9506]

Thank you reviving an old rusty hardtail :)

[@mahmam3128]

The legend is back

[@crxxpslvyr7887]

Yes! Another fork repair!

[@MrJonas2255]

All cheap forks are pretty much the same, clean and grease. If you've done one, you've done 100

[@badger0888]

I LOVE your improvisation and your home-brewed tools. Specialty tools are often hard to find and can be $$. You need to make a video on ALL of custom creations. E.g. I loved multiple attack with rusted in seat posts.

[@billjohnson3418]

I literally have the same bike with the same issue. Thanks for showing me what to do!

[@valfssantiago]

Hope you are staying healthy RJ! keep making more videos. Can you make a video on how to properly clean/disasssemble 2x or 3x cranksets? as far as i know, no one on youtube has that video. well its pretty self explanatory but i might know of techniques you know of.

[@badger0888]

Search this channel. RJ has over 2-dozen videos on disassmbly of various cranks and BBs.

[@marcocabral4838]

Great to see see you posting again RJ! I’ve learned tons from your videos over the years. I have no need for this video whatsoever but I’m still watching it 🤣

[@davidburgess741]

Done something similar with my Suntour fork. It's scary how much crud gets inside! It's almost as bad as my ancient Silca track pump. Good entertainment and creative use of Lizards Skins.

[@hermawanadhi]

Thanks RJ .. i hope you more fit & healty.

[@evansnyaga9455]

Your videos are always useful 😂 you are literally my bike service messiah 🙏😂

[@gomezgadgetyeharr9248]

Are yes.. good old RJ.... still "going ahead " every sentence after all these years... Well done

[@bob-ny6kn]

Hahhaha. Ha. Yep.

[@freds4703]

Good lesson on cheap bikes too. Only has a mechanism is one side! Also dropouts are just the fork tubes pinched at the end. Thanks RJ.

[@rossmcvinnie6903]

Yeah, I was surprised to see that. Handy to know though.

[@BoogieKnight1976]

Sheldon Brown was amazing yet RJ teaches in a practical ‘live’ style with is just brilliant.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I still refer to Sheldon's work. He was awesome!

[@MisterSal9895]

This video came in a good time. I ride rigid fork bikes but recently purchase hardtail and was wondering about the fork maintenance.

[@PaulioMaldinio]

I randomly stumbled on your Treadmill lubing video from years ago, theirs people arguing in the comments to this day

[@sovawls]

Great to see You again after loooooooong brake

[@petecurran3995]

Well resurrected, RJ! 👌🏻

[@doghouse010]

glad you're back!

[@deopersad2915]

Awesome thanks was good, as the forks I have are just cheap and are probably like this but will do more investigations before I start on them, thanks for helping me on my projects 😀👍🏻

[@ryanjohnson4193]

Always enjoy your videos. Be safe.👍

[@Maik1968]

Just found your channel and this is exactly what I found on a bike I just bought ob eBay 💪👍🌞🍀

[@sisterfixit4017]

Anyone else get excited when they hear "Hey Viewers!"? I need that on a shirt with the logo.

[@BRICEN18]

Thanks for another great video

[@Ronin_Texas]

Great Video R.J 👍👍

[@al1843]

Great video!

[@rotarythread]

Great job on the tool! Looks good :)

[@thesmf1210]

sometimes you just have to love simplicity

[@Tobywan83]

I love the way you teach in your videos. Any chance of you doing more high end parts in the near future?

[@ajmckay2]

Awesome video - in a similar situation. I've rebuilt my MTB forks several times over the years but never thought of doing the same for the kids bikes. Guess I assumed they're not serviceable. It's funny though how similar the internals (at their most basic level) are between a legit MTB fork and a kids bike. I'd bet that the simple service you did will make the fork work better and last a LOT longer.

[@duflyingdutchssswest-fries4941]

Happy new Bike year ⚠️ And you Will be hApPy 🥸

[@anjkovo2138]

👍👍

[@StoneAgeProductionsAdventure]

Brilliant video RJ.. But I had a problem. After completing a full fork stripdown and clean and re-grease I put the fork all back together but they are still sticking/stiff some what though they are much better than they were before. Do you have any tips on how to make the fork compress/decompress more smoothly or is it just one of those things that kind of happens with these cheap spring forks?

[@yunussuleman9690]

Happy New Year RJ, good you are care about bikes kid or adult Bike is bike Keep video up load and like me learn more Thanks.

[@tedoyle61]

This does help me out, kid bike or not. THANKS.

[@ODPTV1]

I used lithium grease on old SR Suntour M6300s.

[@blakenewton2781]

Use a shotgun barrel swab to clean it. Probably work for most forks

[@sleepyrasta420]

Unfortunately i hit a big rock and the suspension went down but didn't come all the way back up and now is jammed and won't budge.

[@thealvaco]

Thank you for the video! How do you feel about these types of suspension? I always think I want no suspension or modern oil dempened cartridge suspension. I hate the feel of the spring and friction dampening.

[@SteveGrandjambe3]

I have some bike just has a Rusty chain other places

[@bob-ny6kn]

200 lbs? You don't look a day over 155.5 lbs. :) Life is good for you and family, I hope.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

OMG, 155.5 would be WAY too low for me. Anorexic. I was 170lbs when I was training for Ironman.

[@gustavolecompte4144]

Hi RJ. My son has a trek bike with a similar fork but this one does not have a cap that can be unscrewed. Any suggestions to service it?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Then it's not a similar fork. If you have a different brand model fork, check out some of my other fork overhaul videos here bit.ly/ForkOverhauls

[@chrisheacox8951]

I have a Zoom fork like this on my son’s 24” Trek that is seized up. Looks exactly the same. Do you think it can be serviced just like this one. Would prefer to clean up than replace.

[@philippomozokpia]

Is wd-40 really damaging on plastic parts, even if i wipe it off right away? Looking to rebuild my seized suspension fork but I don't have any silicone spray. Thank you!

[@techguy9023]

The bolt from below screws into the white plastic piece on the spring?

[@advancetriochile]

Hi nice to miis you. From Santiago de Chile. A questiin? What number is the keys Allen?

[@lostone260]

Cost efficient

[@SFCRambo60]

Questions, at 8:03, you are putting the front-end back together, did you forget something or don't you need the dust covers? Or rubber boots.

[@brian_jake]

You didn't finish the video

[@SFCRambo60]

@@brian_jake your right but I did finish it. So I guess the skins work very good, but would you recommend them on the Trek 1001 ( Graphite or Composite Frame )?

[@livinb450]

The dust boots cracked usually are left off, and not available now new. They are superficial and don’t matter on cheap forks like this. The seals got reinstalled in the lower legs but he didn’t show us. He put the front wheel on with the the tread backwards. :-)

[@bob-ny6kn]

@@livinb450 some people want the tread "backwards" for their theory of braking surfaces.

[@livinb450]

@@bob-ny6kn touché

[@craigengelman4534]

im building a bike for a motor . i have bmx 3 piece mongoose crank and want to use them on frame but frame has uruo threads what do i need to get to use the crank ? frame is a specilized mtb

[@bob-ny6kn]

Start by updating your will and saying goodbye to everyone. Second, give the BMX away. Third, get a disc brake bike. Last, search Grin Technology.

[@BigTree412]

Do Bmx please

[@DefaultAPI]

Heya RJ We’re can I buy the grease from in the UK

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

You need to ask someone who is in the UK. Or start googling.

[@TheTwistedStone]

That special fork grease looks exactly like Petroleum Jelly, is it the same stuff ?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

No. Vegetable oil looks like motor oil. Same stuff?

[@TheTwistedStone]

@@RJTheBikeGuy Vaseline. I used to load trailers full of the stuff. Extremely light grease.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Okay, prove it. Show me authoritative documentation that they are made of the same exact ingredients.

[@TheTwistedStone]

@@RJTheBikeGuy That's what I was asking, is it the same... ?

[@martinschroppel3954]

@@TheTwistedStone Slickoleum is an anhydrous Calcium Grease, so no, its not the same stuff

[@cup_and_cone]

Did you ever rebuild that auction Cannondale/Headshok?

[@martinschroppel3954]

It´s really simple: don´t do it, send it in to a professional. I am a trained Bike Mechanic with lots of Fork Maintenance under my Belt, but the amount of Special Tools required for Headshok and Lefty forks is not worth the effort, let alone the knowledge, the needlebearings and their races are matched sets, if they are worn you need new matching sets, which you would have to messure to your specific Forks parts. old rock shox or similar: do them at home if you get a hold of the shop manual, but newer models with more complex internals or completely different unicorns like heaadshok forks? give them to a professional that knows what they are doing

[@SteveGrandjambe3]

It’s gray

[@sdy0108]

These mid to late 2000's suntour forks are terrible, I have had three pass by my shop seized that didn't appear to have any rust

[@habbahan]

That grease worth more than the fork lol

[@justineauman7182]

Sir... Give me standard stem sir please

[@andyjame9687]

Nice looking bike but poor quality control or poor transport.Rear wheel has major issues right out of the box. kzbin.infoUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Rear axle is bent! Derailleur is misaligned.Since the rear wheel comes assembled I would have expected better.Assembly instructions poorly written, but that was not unexpected...just annoying.I just had the bike checked at a shop and was told that I should contact the seller about getting a whole rear wheel assembly with cartridge. (The bike shop could not do anything to help me).Not a good experience with this bike, so lesson learned.Added 3 stars for excellent customer serviceUpdate Sept 8 2020Just received a complete replacement wheel for free. Great service and an otherwise fine bike.

[@Commander_ZiN]

Are you always chewing gum in these vids? Because it sure sounds like it.

[@rcs2003]

Everything is done... and your whole bodyweight still not enough to move it properly :D Thats funny.