Question about bike suspension fork
I just got a 05 Jamis Dakar XLT 2 from craigslist. It has an Answer Manitou Black Elite 125mm travel fork. It looks great and rides fantastic. But the fork has a broken lock cable. I posted a picture here. I plan to only ride in the trail so I do not care if it can be locked or not. But I still want to know if I can fix it and put a new cable on it. The guy said I should be able to put a new locking cable on the fork. But I do not have any experience on the mountain bike. So I raise this question to you guys.
Another thing I notice is there is a thin layer of oil residue when you push the fork up and down. Is it a critical issue? What should I do to regularly maintain the forks on mountain bike.
Thanks a lot!