Miscelano

hello i have front suspension dart 2 and i made service maybe 1 month ago. I was making pretty big drops and now he is much more softer. is there any problem inside the fork or just the coil spring is the problem?

fietsbob

You probably have an inadequate fork , for the "pretty big drop" riding you are doing.

well biked 

That's a problem.

FBinNY 

For what it's worth, softness is a very subjective concept, and there's no mechanical reason that a fork would get softer over time. The best indicator of a change in the fork is the settle height, or the amount of compression in the fork when you simply sit on the bike. If the spring (or elastomer) inside is fatiguing, it'll let the fork settle lower under normal loads, and as it gets worst will allow the fork to compress to the dead stop (loud clunk, and jolt when it bottoms).

I don't know your fork, but as others have noted, many suspension forks aren't up the rigors of serious technical mountain biking and cannot take the abuse of hard jumps the way "real" forks can.

fietsbob

The forks made for the big drop kind of Riding typically cost more

than many people are willing to pay for a whole Bicycle.

Miscelano

maybe something in the inside rebound happened (maybe rebound), because i made a service on the fork, before when i was lifting the wheel there was a sound and he was softer like now

Miscelano

and after i made the service the fork was making sounds like exhaling but not anymore

demoncyclist

The Dart 2 is NOT the right answer for big drop riding.

cyccommute 

I'd suspect that your oil volume is incorrect. Check the technical manual again. The Dart 2 needs 150ml of oil. If you have too much or too little it can have an effect on the shock performance.

Amesja

Dampening is no longer dampening...

Nearly all bicycle suspension forks are toys not really made for the kinds of abuse that serious riding puts on them. Look high-end moto-x fork legs and compare them to even the more expensive downhill forks...

Mustard, not cutting it.

cyccommute 

You are completely wrong. Some forks are pogo sticks that are useless but there are many bicycle forks that are very capable. The Dart 2 is at the low end of capable but it's still in the range.

Amesja

Some (that are capable)+ Most (that are not) = All bicycle forks.

To be "completely" wrong I would have had to say "all" not most. Saying "many" is a joke. Take a look at a modern stock, out the dealer-door* 125cc moto-x fork and then look at all but the most capable downhill forks. They are not even close. Sure an MX bike is a little heavier, but really not all that much when you add rider weight to bike weight for gross vehicle weight that the shocks see.

Reading comprehension. Think about that the next time you call someone "completely" wrong....

*Let's not even compare pro MX kit. You barely get close comparing pro downhill kit to stuff you can buy out the door at your local Honda dealership.

cyccommute 

You said "nearly all". That is not the case. Many forks on low end bicycles aren't off-road capable but, then, the entire bike isn't off-road capable. But if we are talking about quality mountain bikes which start at the level that have a Rock Shox Dart 2 forks mounted on them, we are talking a whole different ballgame.

You are also very, very wrong on gross vehicle/rider weight. Even when compared to a downhill mountain bike, the motorcycle vastly outweighs the mountain bike. Very long travel downhill mountain bikes weigh in at a portly 50 lbs while a small motorcycle is going to be in the 200 lb range. That hardly a "little" heavier. 4 times the weight isn't what I would call a "little". And you certainly don't need a long travel downhill bike to make some "pretty big" drops. A medium travel (100 to 140mm) fork can handle a lot of big hits on a bicycle that is half the weight of downhill mountain bike (or 8 times less than the motorcycle).

Modern downhill mountain bike forks and even modern cross country mountain bike forks certainly seem capable of handling the rigors of off-road riding. People have been using them and racing on them and I haven't heard a whole lot of clamoring for something like what you would find on a moto-x bike. Sure there are bad forks out there but comparing the kind of fork that you'll find on a $150 Big Box Store BSO mountain bike to a multi-thousand dollar downhill mountain bike is a bit like comparing your "out the door" moto-x motorcycle to a Vespa.

Miscelano

maybe i asked about a solution, not that i need a motocross fork... btw @cycccomute thanks i think i need to pour a little bit more oil and hope it wont be a problem after

Miscelano

about the volume, the oil is from rockshox original

Amesja

Gross vehicle weight = bike + rider.

50bs + 180lbs = 230lbs
200lbs + 180lbs = 380lbs

yeah, that's a lot more, but not EVEN 2x as much. It's only 150lbs more gross weight over 230lbs of the DH bike. That's only 65% more gross weight. If you take into account the gear, MX gear and DH gear is about the same. Say 15lbs of helmet, boots, pads, goggles, jerseys and whatnot and the difference shrinks even more 250lbs versus 400lbs. That's just 60% more for the MX-er over the DH-er.

But then again I'm "totally wrong."

You're right, what was I thinking...

fietsbob

Maybe you Broke something , ask the Dealer If there is a Rebuild Kit sold.

if no rebuild kit, the thing needs replacing..

now you know ask about which fork is supported by spare parts . to rebuild them occasionally.
and get that one

( pick up a couple rebuild kits incase they discontinue selling any in the future,which is Common )