Hi All,
I've just bought some new dust seals for a set of SR Suntour XCT 28mm forks and they fit on the stanchions fine, but are too big to fit into the holes of the lower.
The seals I bought are advertised as - XCT Front Fork Wiper Dust Seal 28mm-XCT Front Fork Repair8340:

• XCT 28mm stanchion wiper:Compatible with 28mm stanchion fork
• XCT 28mm stanchion wiperart# FAA125-40

The seals that I took out have a bottom size diameter of approx 30mm (to fit in the lower) - a very flexible seal
The new seal have a bottom size diameter of approx 34mm (to fit in the lower) - very rigid seal

The lower seems to have a metal collar inserted (see attached pic) and I'm wondering does this come out to allow the new seals to fit?

If not I'm struggling to find the correct seals and would appreciate any advice.

Thanks all

That fork is generally not worth the time and effort put forth but if you got the parts from SR then I would reach out to them and see what they say. If you got it from a shop I would ask them what they think and if you went third party who knows you are in a cartoonish Wild West situation and the parts probably aren't going to be actual SR parts and who knows who made them and to what standards if any and if you even were sent the right parts.

Yes, you're right - the forks aren't the best and I should get some decent ones.

So based on that - I thought, I got nothing lose and I decided to pop out the metal collar from the lower. I managed to get them both out and then the new seals fitted nicely.

So, I haven't wasted any money, but I think it's time to get some decent forks (or new bike)

Thanks for responding anyhow.

Glad you got it sorted.

Save the money for a bike. If a bike comes brand new from the factory with a coil fork it is a good sign the rest of the bike is less designed for mountain biking and more designed for a look and hitting a price point. Air forks are generally a good sign the rest of the parts were designed for mountain biking and especially these days if it has thru-axles it is a bike that can be upgraded. However I generally tell people get the bike you want from the get-go upgrades minus grips or saddle (and I guess pedals to a degree) because trying to do it on your own is more expensive as you don't get the volume discounts that say Specialized or Santa Cruz would get buying 10000 Deore derailleurs. You can still find stuff for older mountain bikes or older standards but those can usually get more expensive as they are boutique or come used with those risks.