I always wondered why the old Rock Shox Indy XC fork on my old KHS bike would completely bottom out when I got onto the bike. Well it looks like I figured it out. Looks like one of the elastomers (is that the right term?) has completely disintegrated into dust.



I found a website with replacement ones, but they didn't have the springs. These springs have a yellow stripe which according to the Rock Shox manual is for riders around 140-180 lbs. I'm more like 190 and would like to get the stiffer springs, but not sure if they're available anywhere.

I think that elastomer caught a virus! I am no help on replacement stuff, but that is one destroyed elastomer. Good luck.

I would guess that one's past its prime...

My sister's department store MTB bottoms out on almost any respectable bump, even under me, which is ridiculous. Can't change the spring setting and I suspect the elastomer is in similar shape. The bike isn't worth putting $ into, but I can't complain.... it's better than having nothing to ride when I'm visiting and can't bring one of mine.

Well I hope these are the right parts, and I hope I don't regret having spent 50 bucks on it. Kinda looks like something I could have made myself.

Are you converting your KHS back to a mountain bike? At any rate, it sucks that you had to spend $50 on something like that!

Well just giving myself the option really of switching back and forth, until I get a 3rd bike later (either dedicated MTB or hybrid). I also bought two new Chris King fork crown race rings, one for each fork, since the original one I transferred to the rigid fork got pretty trashed in the process.

When I ordered there was the option of either medium or firm ride. I chose medium, and the elastomers I got are sort of a translucent yellow pliable polyurethane material. I'm guessing the old ones coming out were the Firm variety. We'll see how it goes. You definitely can't get a suspension fork for $50 that I know of.

Did you get it together yet? How is the ride?

The shock fork is fully reassembled, and definitely feels like it can now bear some weight, unlike before where it would just bottom out as soon as I got on the bike.

Waiting on new Chris King fork crown race ring, and Nashbar fork crown race setter tool before I can get it on the bike to try it out.

Forgot to update this - I got everything together late last week and got the fork back on the bike. Took it out on some trails and through some parks near the house this weekend. WOW! The fork feels brand new! It's like it's breathed new life into this late 1990's hard tail MTB. I was never much for off-road riding before, but now I think I'm hooked!

Definitely wishing for disc brakes, though. The trails were VERY muddy, and man the braking was just awful!

Dude, the bar-ends are in the wrong position. They are supposed to be at the end of the handlebars.

I rode this bike on the road for months before I got a road bike (with road tires and rigid fork), and never got any use out of the bar ends out on the ends of the bars because they were just too wide. The bars are almost 650mm wide. The bar end location is what's comfortable for me and I get much more use out of them. Maybe not so much during trail riding, but I'm not sure yet if this bike will stay set up for trail use, or if I will just get a newer, better dedicated MTB with disc brakes, etc.