Repairing Seized SR Suntour T890 Fork - Disassemble/Clean/Lube

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

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

[@RiderBlitz1.0]

Ok

[@abnerhagelsieb]

you are one of the few left REAL mechanics you dont just change parts , you actually fix them, nice job man

[@eddymerckx5200]

The time has changed a lot since then! In many cases it's cheaper for the costumer to replace the item instead of had it rebuild (labor costs). I agree in so many ways, but as s professional bike mechanic myself I know how the business are. I'm sure that a lot more mechanics would love to rebuild or fix broken parts, but yeah... it's too expensive and in many cases incredibly hard to find spareparts..

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

True. It's often easier and cheaper for a shop to replace parts than to fix them. But for a home mechanic, time is not some much of an object. Broken parts are still an issue. Some are just not available.

[@HHHSOHS]

I am a home bike mechanic RJ and i love your work and videos. I have done what you do many of times bringing bikes back from the dead but have come to the conclusion that unless you are doing this to fix your own bike or one that is a keeper most of the times it is not worth it (timewise or moneywise)to go into the trouble of fixing these parts unless you are going to make a satisfying amount of money selling it on.Now i mostly look for second hand bikes that need little fixes or use second hand replacement parts to fix and sell on. On the other hand bike shops here in UK are so rediculously expensive for repairs that most of the times you can buy a new bike for what they are asking for and that is because they dont really repair,they replace.

[@busterrabbit]

You can buy new budget Suntour forks for less than £50 on ebay, so a useful exercise if you have the time and inclination, but I suspect there's lot's of play between the stanchions and the forklegs (there is when they're new) and with no replaceable bushings they really are poor forks with just spring preload and no damping, I certainly wouldn't use them off road.

[@busterrabbit]

Simple economics; do you pay somebody upwards of £50 an hour for a couple of hours to repair, (keeping potentially worn parts) or half an hour labour and new parts?

[@maxspruit8370]

This is awesome! As a bike guy I bow to the greater bike guy. Till now I was allways scared of opening suspension forks, not anymore.

[@crocodilecrox3758]

This was so satisfying to watch. From a unusable to a good as new fork in a day. I dont believe my local service would go through any of this to clean my fork. And buying all the stuff to do it myself costs too much. Thanks for the video i enjoyed it like a tv series. You do great stuff

[@Agamum]

I remember an old bike mechanic once told me to use brass wool, on rusted chrome parts. Surprisingly it worked extremely well, when I tried it.

[@robertcaffrey6097]

Great job not many people would have the patience or skill to strip and extensively clean up the parts, especially in todays throw away culture. Kudos to you on a great video.

[@mikeh6286]

I admire your patience and attention to detail. On top of it you play around with a camera and sit down and edit everything. The bikes and the work will hopefully inspire many others to do the same. Cheers.

[@billjohnson3418]

I have a GT nomad with the same issue. Your video will help me try to unstick the shock that I have that is seized. Your videos are awesome! Thanks for making them?

[@ketmax2805]

Your videos are super relaxing and satisfying to watch. There's something about starting from broken all the way to working like new.

[@freddyjackson4424]

Hi, i have bought a bike unseen. The fork was completely stuck. You encouraged me to try and fix it. Now with lube it works like New. I did not expect it working so good. Because it Was really seized and rusted. Thank you

[@sjohansen8230]

Hey There , Been dealing mechanicvise all my life and must say that i do like all of your projects . Simplicity is and have always been the key . Thanks for beeing you =) cheers from Norway

[@алексейштанько-ш6ъ]

From Russia with love!!!!! You helped me fix my bike!!!!!!!

[@starkxz]

Thanks man, your videos helps me a lot to understand more about suspension forks including new and old ones.

[@Jayneflakes]

Thanks for this, I have this fork on a woman's bike & the shop it came from told me that there are no user serviceable parts inside. Time to go exploring.

[@cyberraxx9268]

Just found your video and you may saved me some money. Came to use my 2nd bike and found the shocks aren't springing back up, they're trying but only without any weight on them. Going to try your tutorial and see if i can get them working again. Hopefully its just maintenance thats needed and not a repair job.

[@paulc.3122]

you never let me down when it comes to diy fixing bike sfuffs. good jib man keep those videos comming

[@RiderBlitz1.0]

Thats one hell of an old suspension Same as my model

[@theodorosparaskevopoulos6157]

Thanks a lot for this video. I have long been looking for such a video to disassemble and clean my suspension fork. I can start now!

[@andreyef.2067]

Good job!👍 Очевидно, штатным вело мультитулсовым набором тут не обойтись, нужен специальный дополнительный инструмент... Привет из России! Thx from Russia!✌️

[@Grizzly907LA]

Bonus points for using LA's awesome cleaner. I use the general purpose cleaner undiluted and cuts through grease and grime, like a hot knife through butter.

[@billtait6457]

very helpfull , i have a suntour XCC that all the videos seemed to be on newer shocks that have screws on the bottom to hold the tubes together . now I see that some have them inside .Any one now approx years the used these on giants . it has 25mm inner tubes ,

[@ivans3806]

I think it might help the stiffness if you'd just removed the elastomers completely, leaving bare springs there.

[@potassiumchloride2542]

finally found a video that teach me how to remove suspensuon with no bolt underneath of the fork.

[@wyattcarey5166]

Potassium Chloride ikr

[@davidwildstallionjohnson4458]

Rj, do you know of a source for parts for these older SR suntour forks? I have a pair that has excessive play in them

[@E-hab]

I'm trying to restore my fork suspension which looks very similar to this one and it's stuck. Now I know how to do it better. Thanks.

[@rubenpalacios8]

Muy buen video saludos desde Argentina 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷

[@gertjanverwindt3727]

Thank you now for not spending more money and I can do it myself now

[@carlosalbertoortegamorales9116]

Un saludo desde colombia muy buenos vídeos aunque no entiendo mucho el ingles aprendi mucho para reparar mi horquilla delantera Dios le bendice y gracias por compartir tus conocimientos

[@TitoJoebs]

I use diesel to remove the gunk. It's easier & quicker. Scrub as usual. Then rinse off the diesel with dishwashing liquid & final rinse with plain water.

[@roncooke2188]

What size of socket did you use to make the special tool.

[@stephensimpson3352]

Cool ...........great to see a RE-CYCLE👍

[@bikdav]

How about that. Springs on both sides. My fork only had one on the left side. Yes, it is stock that way.

[@juliandunn8412]

Could you do a follow up vid on how these turned out after being ridden for a while?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I still have more work to do on that bike.

[@totouy619]

Thank you RJ for the informative video about bicycle

[@danielmariusstanescu]

Hi, what key did you use at minute 5.15? I have an XC60 Suntor fork. I can't undo it! Thanks

[@johnprice1105]

Is there bushings I can replace in my forks as I have some play in the tubes when you apply the front brake and rock back and forth you can see movement between the upper and lower legs

[@FilCanJay]

A lot of people would've given up after the first 10 minutes.. nice work.

[@drengskap]

I can't find the link to your video on making the cap removal tool - can you help me out here?

[@colinbiggs244sniper]

I really enjoy your videos. That was superb,thank you.

[@allanwilliams1325]

I think it would have helped if you had polished the upper legs to a mirror like finish. Other than that great video.

[@jozefsoucik3115]

You are right...because washers are from plastics ...and will brushed by upper legs...but in other hand it doesnt matter so much, because these are not air dumpered....

[@sebastianromeromoreno7443]

Hi Rj amazing video. I have a Suntour XCT V2 and it's frozen, now my question is... can I do the same thing to unfrozen it? Thanks!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Sebastián Romero Moreno The disassembly will probably be different. Sometimes seized forks can be fixed by cleaning and lubing. Sometimes they will work, okay. Sometimes they may be trashed beyond repair. It's at least worth a shot.

[@joem.7705]

Do you do any repair work for others? I have a RockShox 21r that's frozen and I don't think I have time to get the job done correctly.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I don't have an open shop like that. Take it to a local mechanic.

[@ki-ka]

Maintainance of this fork seem to be pain in the neck. Is it far fetched to recommend to replace such a fork with a rigid one? I am happy with my rigid front fork bikes.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

You would want suspension corrected rigid forks. But servicing forks isn't too hard.

[@RobBastien]

What a job! Thanks for posting.

[@LAactor]

That was amazing how well you cleaned that. If I didn't know any better I would have thought you bought all new parts. Did you eventually use the mineral spirits on them? Clearly whatever you do you do the job right. How much for this service should I be paying for. I'd rather not get greasy. And that fork seems so light!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I think I used LA Awesome degreaser from the dollar store. Ok, watching the video again, it sounds like used the LA Totally Awesome degreaser, liquid dish soap and also some mineral spirits to get all the parts clean.

[@MrKatsu93]

How would you disassemble a stuck fork that doesn't have the wibely caps that you are removing with your homemade fancy wrenchthingy?

[@MrKatsu93]

a duotrack sr 7005 to be precise :)

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Kim Ardinge I haven't worked on those.

[@MrKatsu93]

+RJ The Bike Guy Okey! thanks for the quick answer :-D

[@myscreen2urs]

So I noticed that there's 2 sets of springs. The stacks and the shorter springs on the Pistons. Why is that? Is one set for dampening while the other is suspension or what?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

So they don't slam into the bottoms of the uppers when they come back down.

[@edwinpoggio1574]

::iI have subscribed. Excellent video on the Suntour . But where can I find an index on other repairs/maintenance of other parts?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

studio.kzbin.info/door/aAK2FaxQ2xiBbAUVZsvDYQplaylists?o=U

[@dermotgilmartin1818]

Hi RJ, can i ask is cyder vinegar vital or can i use normal vinegar please ? ☘

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Normal vinegar will work.

[@abrahamgomez8362]

Great stuff bro...always helpful!

[@leanardoclementphillip2512]

Excellent sir

[@ronski50]

I have a similar fork except it's a RST Sofi T, single spring with no lockouts. In the long run I'm planning to convert to a rigid fork with shorter atc. Will it cause damage to the fork if I remove the spring and secure the lower half of the fork in the full compression position? No off road riding just roads/sidewalks. The purpose is to reduce the stand over height.

[@john-di1bn]

if you do that youll mess up the bike's geometry which may cause some problems like pedal strike due to lower ground clearance which is dangerous

[@TheFilipeLemos]

Why didnt you used suspension oil like you did on the other shocks? Thanks

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Because those shocks were designed to use oil and this one wasn't.

[@TheFilipeLemos]

RJ The Bike Guy im confused now... how do i know which type are mine?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Look up the specs and instructions for YOUR forks.

[@paul-fk7de]

i really should do mine cos of rusty water coming out of the bottom when i start to loosen them is there any risk of things springing out and loosing them ??

[@shiguygamer]

sinnis biker look at a video on how to clean cheap forks and you should be fine

[@sanjaymokal8437]

Very nice sir...Whenever i do this kinds of work i use gloves...

[@simonchaddock3694]

Mine are suntour 820s are they similar

[@michaellubold6155]

I once knew a guy who poured a little bit of brand new moter oil to help keep it lubricated inside and his still works great, now I don't know if it's smart to do that so don't get any ideas from this

[@johnlindsay3647]

Your tubes are just like gun barrels and if you use that Allen key tool and just electrical tape a small to buy a 2in piece of cloth to it and wrap it around the end and then run it down running bring it back up cuz I clean a rifle barrel

[@a_meitei]

Hi RJ The Bike Guy, Been running around finding answers… Is it possible to change the fork travel from 80mm to 100mm. Mine's a Suntour XCM, by the way.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

If you replace the forks with ones with more travel. It might effect the ride of the bike.

[@a_meitei]

+RJ The Bike Guy Actually I bought the bike from a friend and it's confirmed that the OEM fork was a 100mm... I would buy a new fork but thought what if I could mod the 80mm? Thanks.

[@ravic666]

It depends on the model .Some can have travel changed just by moving circlip or removing inserts. Look up on forums with exact model you got .

[@heahthinhui6892]

So, this is the one which rarely found in the modern bike right? If not mistaken, my mountain bike is using this kind of fork. So, if i want to replace it with a new fork, which fork would you like to suggest? I am going with the lowest budget, and you may show me according to your currency. Thank you very much. I really like your videos!!! All of them are helpful!

[@heahthinhui6892]

And may i know what type of fork is this? Seems like got a lot of fork types in the market. Also, may i know the specification of this fork?? haha >

[@heahthinhui6892]

drive.google.com/file/d/0B00hP1MX3sB7WTE5QkdEcGsyc1E/view?usp=sharing This is the picture of my Bike's Fork.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Heah Thin Hui Looks like a very low end fork. The fork in the video is listed in the title of the video. I don't make recommendations for parts. You have to figure out what you want.

[@heahthinhui6892]

Okay~ Thank you very much ^^

[@wayneschembri3754]

Lmao when you where cleaning the lowers I thought there was a old dead squirrel

[@abchack2]

Where do i get such a long 5mm allen key? I can't seem to find one online but i need one for some sort of cheap forks

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Check the video description.

[@jairofernandezcastillo9857]

Rj How do you know which parts are the right side or the left one?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Some parts are the same. Keep track of the rest.

[@jairofernandezcastillo9857]

RJ The Bike Guy thank you!

[@paule.maurice1521]

Ultrasonic cleaner = perfect for grimy parts

[@jayarberv2772]

what kind of tools is this?.. is that socket wrench ?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I am assuming you are referring to the suntour fork tool. It's a special tool for suntour forks.

[@jayarberv2772]

@@RJTheBikeGuy It's a special tool for suntour forks. so what is name tools

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Google suntour fork wrench.

[@jayarberv2772]

@@RJTheBikeGuy it is a compateable to xcr fork ?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

@@jayarberv2772 kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIbKpWxspsuJbJo

[@holliebretherton2332]

Can't find link to make tool. Could you send it me please

[@lrc3524]

what kind of grease you used for this work?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

It's right in the video!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3rVqpd3nduCpNU

[@carlosamador8085]

Hey ShyFlirt1, Amazing Video! :D I love How you are so Informative. And I've been looking for someone AKA A You-tuber Who actually knows what He Or She Is doing. And I've found your channel, I'm speechless..... Amazing Work And Effort Keep up the Awesome Videos Cause You Earned A Subscriber Keep It Up Buddy!!

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Cool! I love taking things apart and hopefully putting them back together again!

[@ilanmagen]

What kind of bike stand do you use ?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

In the video I am using a stand made by Minoura. I bought it used on craigslist and it needed cleaned up. My good stand is a Park Tool PCS-10 which stays inside.

[@ilanmagen]

shyflirt1 Hi shyflir1, may bee you can do bike stands video ?

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Not sure what I would say about them. I do have a video how how to make a bike stand. I used that stand for years.

[@ilanmagen]

shyflirt1 I love you stuff

[@cheooo07]

Good work

[@andreabmxilrottamaiobizzar4430]

rs suntour t890 years 2000, 16 years fork.

[@Ad-wv8zt]

Tnx for the effort

[@ShivaniSharma-gi1ur]

My shocker is working less not more and releasing a black oil from the front suspension

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

No idea what you did. It might be damaged.

[@MrRussiandan1]

seems like too much work for sr tour forks.... especially since bikes dropped in value

[@DorkyThorpy]

Well you're also saving the planet by fixing stuff, so that is cool.

[@Паша-б6д]

👍👍👍👍

[@juliandunn8412]

EvapoRust is a fantastic product for projects like this and others bike related. Check it out!

[@SZ-ZAKUSO]

A lot of work

[@CuiZinieR7]

2:30 It seems that showing the "MADE IN CHINA" off just below the front badge was a marketing gimmick for this company...

[@dennisduran8500]

Interesting BUT! Those forks are brand new for less than $100

[@GTI1dasOriginal]

And then what.. Throw it away so "we, the people" put more strain on the environment plus: only know how to replace things and in the end: loose the ability to repair things? Interesting indeed...

[@Tony07UK]

.. compressed air to clear siezed rust?? Why not just blow down the tube with a straw? > much more efficient!

[@tanello2]

wait, arent u the same guy who makes the funny videos about "do it your self machines and stuff" and every tool u hold has a silver ducktape on it. u sound just like him thou....

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

+Tanel Murd Nope, that's not me. I don't think I have duct tape on any of my tools.

[@tanello2]

i will look in to it, i chall have my answer in the end of this week, im sure gestapo database will find the answer im looking for, im not that often mistaken.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Dude, I don't even know the guy you are talking about.

[@tanello2]

i will sort this out soon, i just have to visit my datenerhebung to find out where i left my notes about the dude who sounds just like u.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Whatever.

[@gearhead2017]

This is what happens if you don't take care of your shocks lol! They were gross

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I don't know how many times I washed my hands in the process of working on these. They still aren't clean.

[@gearhead2017]

Wow! The rst shocks on my trek are the original shocks and I keep up w the maintenance regularly and they perform like they were new,I've had the bike since 04

[@aleksandarbukva3952]

Hi, what is the name of the part inside of the spring, I could not quite understand what you've said. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6THgGl4j5t9rtE

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Aleksandar Bukva Elastomer.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

Sort of a rubber like part that acts like a cushion.

[@aleksandarbukva3952]

RJ The Bike Guy Thank you very much! :D

[@lestart5091]

и смешно и грустно

[@Teknakill]

You are quite the DIY kinda guy....BUT...do yourself a favor and anyone who is reading - buy a micro sonic cleaner, use soap and water and throw away your harsh chemicals and let the micro sonic action amaze you and clean the parts for you.

[@RJTheBikeGuy]

I have an ultra sonic cleaner. It does okay cleaning some stuff. Not heavy grease,

[@Teknakill]

@@RJTheBikeGuy Put the setting at 140° or higher if it can, and the heat will "eat" the grease off it and use alot of soap. Always pre-wash anything that has a huge build up of grime. The micro sonic cleaner is more for areas where brushes will not reach.

[@n.v.7980]

Es ist ein so interessantes Thema, aber 90% der Video quality ist unscharf und schlecht gefilmt. Warum achtet man nicht darauf, wenn man schon ein Video postet? Nicht jeder schaut es auf dem Smartphone sondern streamt es auf ein TV mit großen Bildschirm. 😢

[@Ideal1980]

you shold wear gloves so you don't absorb so much poison through your skin.

[@CalvinCai_Frisbee]

gloves will make your skin much happier

[@JohannaMueller57]

lol, what a waste of time. you needed a lever just to fully extend the fork and your full body weight just to get it to move. how is this going to provide any comfort? this is just a very heavy rigid fork.

[@hookerjl1]

Thanks a lot for the detailed video. It Helpdesk me out to understand the problem, that I‘ve got with my supsension fork! Once again: Thanks a looooooooot😊😎

[@gus_ornitologov]

Good work