zeroderby

Is this shock leaking too much? Earlier this summer I took my bike in to the LBS that I purchased it from when the shock looked like it does now and they said not to worry about. About 2 weeks later it had oil leaking all over and they replaced the shock. This new one is starting to look like the old one did before they repaced it. What do you guys think is it leaking too much, is it on the verge of blowing up again? Thanks.

dannydesiliva

You take the chance of poor handling...especially during a panic manuver. I have seen an accident where a truck went over some railroad tracks, one of the front shocks was bad, thus causing that side to bounce too much, the driver lost control, and as a result, killed his dad. Replace the shock.

This might be a good time to put on RS9000's....its a great shock.


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Jeriko..

pass a drug test | lookout dog car seat | patio aluminum furniture

joejack951

You do realize we're talking bicycles here, right?

I wouldn't worry about a little leakage. From what I've read, it's normal for shocks to leak a bit especially when new. I would keep an eye on it (clean it up so that you can easily see if more leaks) and watch the performance of the shock. If the shock isn't doing it's job, have them replace it again preferably with a different model. If the performance is fine after some leakage, chalk it up to the seals breaking in and ride the bike.

Severian

Considering the big red S on the side of that shock the OP is limited in what shocks he can install, or have installed, on that bike. That is likely a Specialized custom tuned Fox RP23 or some variant of the F series of shock.

As far as the question; I'd say, from the looks of it, you're neglecting your shock a whole lot. Fox recommends twice-yearly seal replacement. If you shock is leaking then the seals are bad. If your LBS replaced the seals before and shortly thereafter the shock dumped its oil your LBS doesn't know how to replace seals and you need to find a new LBS.

zeroderby

I bought the bike in Jan, they replaced the shock in June, I don't think it has anything to do with me maintaining it. I clean the bike every couple of weeks. That is a couple of weeks worth of dirt in that picture. I have a longer ride, about 2 hours, on Wednesday so I will clean it before that and take a look again. The shock is a custom fox triad with lockout. I am a little worried because the bike creaks like crazy when I am climbing, maybe something is out of alignment which is why it leaks like that. My old Fox float never leaked like that when it was new or when the seals were changed.

Severian

If the bike is creaking you should have your frame bearings looked at.

Since you only bought it in Jan, I gotta say I'm surprised. You must put in some serious miles, hats off to you!

What do you do to clean the bike?

zeroderby

I think the creaking is weird too. I generally ride about an hour a day with one or two days that would be between 2-3 hours.

I just use a garden hose and bucket with dish soap. I use a sponge on the frame, shock and fork and brushes on the wheels, chain and gears.

I hate to take it as I have to be without this particular bike. I have really enjoyed it this year.

zeroderby

I rode it to work today and locked out the front fork and the shock and no creaking. So the creaking must be shock or linkage, right? I wonder if it is possible if the bearings are messed up if that could result in the shock not being aligned properly. Does anyone know of a way to tell if the shock is properly aligned?