Mountain Biking - Rock Shox Judy - advice needed

I have a '95 GT Zaskar with the original RS Judy. I love the bike in general & have had GTs in some form or fashion for the last 22 years...well, the bikes that were before the company was sold, etc. etc.....anyway, I went out with my son today to put the Zaskar & his hand-me-down Specialized Hotrock (circa 2000) through their paces. I found out the following:

1. He's got natural skills

2. I've been on a road bike & not on trails/dirt/rocks/roots for too long (sigh...)

3. If i'm going to be doing this again I'll need to overhaul the Judy. It was was bottoming out a lot.

So, my question is this; I've found a site that offers new elastomer kits for about $50. What kind of "XC" type performance should I expect from the Judy if I rebuild it with new elastomers (and ones properly rated for my 185lbs)?

I would prefer to keep the bike stock (ie, if I want to spend serious $$ on a new fork, I'd probably match it to another frame I have, go ahead & use disc brakes, etc...+ I like the 'old school' style of it) and basically light (it weighs in at 24lbs on my so-so accurate luggage scale).

Oh, and if anyone has any recommendations for sources for elastomer kits and/or their own Judy rebuild/renew experiences they want to share, I'd appreciate hearing from you.

thanks in advance,


Oh...and, subscribing to the 'all good threads should have pics' theory, here's the bike with the needy Judy up front..

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh164/cgfiat/utf-8BSU1HMDAyNjEuanBn.jpg

My LBS sends his out to a specialist, he's otherwise a VG mechanic. All I can give you.

There is a guy on E-Bay who specializes in a remedy for your situation. I looked and could not find him. He sells rebuilt forks with 63mm travel. He has NOS rebuild kits, also. Mostly for Rockshox. Judging from your pic, you need new seals, not new elastomers. (Unless the elastomers are wrong for your weight).
I'll keep an eye out for this dude and will repost in this thread if I happen by him. (Unless this thread ends on page 52 or something, ha,ha).

Is it the 'wings' dampener setup on Ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Damper-Kit-with-Steel-Springs-for-Rock-Shox-Judy-97_W0QQitemZ140361575805QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?hash=item20ae33ad7d) that you're talking about? I'm obviously waaaaaayyy behind in terms of technology, but it seemed like reading about these forks that people liked them even though they've moved on to more travel, newer tech, & of course more $$. Reading the service manual for the shocks, it doesn't look like rocket science to rebuild if you have the right tools & parts.

That Wings kit seems pretty sweet, and it appears to be the best solution to 'flat' MCU springs and leaky plastic dampers.

The biggest problem with the micro cellular urethane (MCU) springs was that the small nitrogen bubbles would rupture during use. Rock Shox provided a service limit for the minimum length, but I can't seem to find it in the service manual. http://www.mtb-kataloge.de/Bikekataloge/PDF/Manuals/judyxc.pdf

I wouldn't be completely opposed to that solution....curious if anyone here has done one & how it compares to the properly functioning original in performance + weight.

In my earlier post, I wasn't talking about the Wings kits. Just some E-bay seller who I occasionally see who wheels and deals in old suspension forks and parts.
Considering what Svr said about MCU springs getting flattened over time, it doesn't really make sense to just get new elastomers. Those Wings kits look like the best way to fix your fork for the long haul. Weight-wise I'm sure it's a little heavier because of the metal springs. Big deal. The seller also says that suspension travel increases to 80mm. Anyway, good luck.

I managed to vastly improve a similar vintage Judy with springs I had in stock. I had to add a length of the old elastomer to make the ride height correct.
Recharged the damper with new oil and it worked great.

http://www.suspensionforkparts.net/eStore.php?view=productListPage&category=5

Though eventually you'll need the same. IMO, that Mr. Wings coil/damper kit will only improve upon the original bits, for a touch more money.

with new elastomers & refreshing the dampener, mine could be fine. The hassle of that vs. about twice the $ for the Wings kit may mean it's about the same 'cost' either way. I guess it's fair to say that either way (done correctly) would net a perfectly functional XC setup...at least for mid-1990s standards.