Originally Posted by
maddog34
that wrench is about $10 , delivered, and found easily on Ebayt or Amazone.. i've messed around trying to avoid buying one, in the distant past... just buy one.
search: RST fork cap wrench tool.... visually match an option to your fork's caps.
or get a new fork... that one might be beyond salvage/repair, eh?
good used air forks of a higher level, and Substantially Lighter weigh, are around for about $100-$150... FB marketplace and CL Bicycle parts section... and sometimes on Ebayt too.
install quite a few RockShox Rebas and Recons, and occasionally old SIDs too.
i found a nearly spotless Marzocchi Bomber Superfly once, for $25... perfect for my Cannondale M600 resto-mod.
patience and diligence is the key to finding bargains.
steerer tube length MUST be at least as long, or longer than, the fork now in the bike.
that bike uses a 1 1/8" dia. straight steerer tube.
Yes,I did find the tool, but it’ll be a while arriving and was curious about other options.
As to buying a new fork, I agree with what you typed. But I do enjoy bringing things back to life and it’s not like this bike will be used on technical trails - this is a community bike shop where we refurbish old bikes, with a low budget and I have to balance cost of the work or part. Besides, the place is an environmental and art learning centre and they are very heavily bent in reducing and reusing, so I try, as best I can, to align myself with their goals. The bike shop is a small part of the centre - they grow flax to make clothes, have a solar kiln, grow vegetables to supply to low income homes, a stained glass workshop, a wood working shop, a smith forge, they are a place of refuge for emergencies, etc. The lady who runs the place lives in a sod house, that is how dedicated she is.
She’s a great lady and pretty much gives me free run to decide on how to address each bike.
Anyway, I just want to see how well I could refurbish it..I’m retired now….keeps me out of trouble,