hey guys.
I haven't owned a bike for close to 12 years and since we moved to a nicer area with less traffic open roads and nicer scenary I went ahead and bought a new bike. there isn't much cyclists here so my options were limited with my budget.
I got a scott aspect 2016 for 690$ equivalent of us dollars, overpriced due to high taxation on imports etc. anyway the bike is less than a month old, been enjoying it and burning alot of calories, did 300km already on it.

problem is that when I tried commuting with it, the roundabouts aren't very well asphalted and so I go in with moderate speed to keep up with the traffic and neglect looking at the bumby road ahead, putting alot of strain on the suspension. I was cleaning the bike today and I noticed that there was some scratches on the stanchion, the left one from the rider view, I can only see them under lighting at an above angle, and I cannot feel them with my fingertips, however I'm worried that they would get worst and cause a leak in the seal. so should I be worried that it might get worst ? here are some pics the fork seems like a modified version of HL zoom 565

drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-JExZNZ3GUa3lvUjNUSEhKM1U/view?usp=sharing

drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-JExZNZ3GUeC0zS0NTR0tURnM/view?usp=sharing

drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-JExZNZ3GUUnJHVXIyNmRXM1E/view?usp=sharing

drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-JExZNZ3GUelhKdlJ3bDlTMVk/view?usp=sharing

the last pic is of the right and not scratched stanchion

just copy link into new tab and the pic will open. thank you all in advance

can someone help me? or move the thread to the right place if I posted in the wrong sub******.
thanks.

Hi!

Can you:

1. Attach the files as an image here using the "Go Advanced" button as most of us aren't going to cut and paste the URL from a Google Drive

2. Can you let us know where you're commuting?

Does that left stanchion rub against anything when you park the bike? Or when you store the bike? Hitting bumps in the road seems unlikely to cause scratches like those in the photos.

Can you feel the scratches if you run the edge of a fingernail over them? If not, I would get some metal polish and smooth it as much as possible.

I can't cuz it says I need at least 10 posts to be able to share links.

I commune in a new suburb near Cairo egypt. alot of roads aren't well asphalted and so they are more of dirt, holes and unfinished layers of road work around.

the bike came with a stand when I bought it, your question is interesting because I was asking myself the same question, I did have a small accident last week and fell of the bike, no damage happened except for ascratch on the brake lever. the left one so it's the same side of the scratched stanchion, it's a possibility but the stanchion is recessed and if so the fork body would sustain the scrub instead of the stanchion!? I'm not sure. it's really hard to see the scratches under normal lights, I don't think I would even have noticed them if I wasn't shining my headlamp on it.

ok I just went and did that and the feeling on the my finger nail seems consistent and the same between the 2 stanchions fingertips and fingernails.

I have another question, will the aspect 960 last, I ride 4-5 times a week 20km each, and I maintain the chain and lube once a week. is it a good bike overall for a beginner?
thanks

Thanks man. Sorry, I forgot about that. I'd like to see the pics, but I'll wait for 10 posts.

I've been to Cairo a few times, so I know what you mean about the road surfaces.

Good luck with the bike. It sounds like it should be more than enough for those type of distances even under the conditions in Cairo.

After looking at the photos, I wouldn't sweat it. I had a similar fork on my German MTB.

In Cairo, you're going to be getting a lot of sand/dust onto the exposed stanchion and those kind of effects will happen with less expensive suspension forks (my Rock Shox Dart 3 did the same). You may want to look at the point where the stanchion meets the seal and ensure that there's no grime/dirt/sand/dust in there in order to prevent constant rubbing.

Other than that, just ride and use them up, that's about all you can do. When they're worn out replace them with a better quality fork. But, it will take quite a while to wear them out.

Get a crochet stanchion cozy wrapped around the stanchion.. see 'Yarn bombing '

The Fine Art of Yarn Bombing - Photo Essays - TIME


Love the Pink battle tank cozy..


....

I used to live right next to that "I am NOT a church" in Copenhagen.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%2..._LfgDA#imgrc=_

Welcome to bike forums. I don't know about suspension forks...but I do know about the wear and tear on a bike from commuting. Be prepared for scratches on the paint and small dings and dents. The first few are heartbreakers. On my older bikes I consider them badges of honor. On my 2-year old bike, they still make me sad.

thanks for the reply , where did you go in Cairo when you visited? if you ever visit again let me know and we shall ride together, yeah the side roads are mostly dirt, but there are plenty of road bumps as well I'll post pics of the roads I usually ride on, since the minor accident I had I've been just riding for fitness and leisure, but I discovered a safer route today to my college and I'll try it out friday or Saturday

I think that tank need it's chain lubed

thank you for the warm welcome , I already experienced that heart break, got a dent on the frame when I was wrapping the lock around a light post and the bike slipped and hit it right on the upper tube, and since then they has been many small scratches on the rims and pedals etc from small rocks hitting the bike while riding.
I also had a small accident where the brake lever got scrapped and the metal exposed.
I kinda came at peace with it, I just sat down with myself and explained that this is an outdoor item and no matter how much care I took it will always get cosmetic damage. which it be honest is good for telling stories if I handed down the bike to someone else down the line .

I posted a reply yesterday but got a message saying a mod need to approve it before it becomes visible.
edit: ok thankfully it got approval and is now show

ok so after doing some reading about the types of forks and suspensions I found out that the HL zoom 565 on my bike is a coil fork not an air fork, the kind of damage on the stanchion that I was worried about only effects air forks since they make an opening in the seal and the pressured air starts to escape from the seal.

this doesn't seem the case with coil forks, since they have a spring inside, even if the scratch or dent is big, it really doesn't matter since the seals are only made to keep dirt out and not to keep the air inside.
I also discovered that although coil suspensions are less adjustable and don't give the same nice ride as air suspension, they require way less maintenance and even when their oil or grease dries up they will still function as long as the spring inside is functioning. this is good to know since if I ever upgrade my fork I'll go with a high end coil suspension since spare parts and seals are rare here.

anyway today I had some free time where I cleaned and lubed the bike and I opened the seals around the fork to add oil and grease to it. suprsingly even though it's a coil suspension, it seam to have double seal, not a O sponge filled with oil, but instead there is grease entrapped between the outer dust seal and the inner one.
I will post pics of how it looks from inside later.

Even with an air fork, those are not the seals that hold in the air. Those seals keep sand and dirt out of the bath oil and away from the bushings. The air seals are inside the stanchions and aren't visible from the outside.

yes the outer seals seems to looks similar on both air and coil forks which only indicates they are used to keep dust from getting inside. interestingly though, the hl zoom 565 has another seal under the duster where grease is located acting as a chamber. for a low end fork I didn't expect that much protection. it seem well made to.