Forks

[mk one]

A thread for keeping a record of the progress of my '23 mission to go through my small pile of forks, cleaning, fixing and deciding on what to do with them after.

Some have frames waiting, some I would like to display (easier than bikes) but need to devise/make a display for them. Others I may move on.

The thread is going to take a while, I am in no rush, the motivation being a recent injury leaving me stuck around the house much of the time, and now the cold spell has lifted I can venture out into the greenhouse to start the long process. Usually I do bike work indoors, but this time of year the greenhouse has a convenient shelf/worktop stood empty, so to get me out the house at least, i have decided to work on the forks in there.

And these wont be full on showpiece restorations, just a clean and service to make them usable if possible.

 

[mk one]

I am starting with a set of Manitou 4's, simply because they were next to my chair in the back room.

A few pictures of the forks as is.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

A thread for keeping a record of the progress of my '23 mission to go through my small pile of forks, cleaning, fixing and deciding on what to do with them after.

Some have frames waiting, some I would like to display (easier than bikes) but need to devise/make a display for them. Others I may move on.

The thread is going to take a while, I am in no rush, the motivation being a recent injury leaving me stuck around the house much of the time, and now the cold spell has lifted I can venture out into the greenhouse to start the long process. Usually I do bike work indoors, but this time of year the greenhouse has a convenient shelf/worktop stood empty, so to get me out the house at least, i have decided to work on the forks in there.

And these wont be full on showpiece restorations, just a clean and service to make them usable if possible.

Hope you're not too fubar mate.

 

[Imlach]

Hope you're on the mend. Excited to see some restorations. As I only really run rigid I've never actually restored a sus fork.

 

[mk one]

Hope you're not too fubar mate.

Thank you.

Hopefully not, time will tell, don't just bounce up from things these days.

 

[mk one]

Hope you're on the mend. Excited to see some restorations. As I only really run rigid I've never actually restored a sus fork.

Thank you.

Just basic work planned, but sometimes I can get carried away. And a few rigid forks in there too.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Thank you.

Hopefully not, time will tell, don't just bounce up from things these days.

Age is a b*tch.

 

[mk one]

One of the benefits of using the greenhouse as a workshop, is how nice it is on a sunny winters day.

Today was the first look inside the forks. Hoping that it all came apart easily and that it was not too much of a mess inside.

Well, they came apart pleasingly easy, with only the odd small hurdle now and again. The elastomer stacks were the first out, and the first insight into how much of a task the clean-up will be. They were I am glad to say, complete and covered in mostly wet grease. Legs next, one of the retaining clips was behind the arch so once that had been removed I could get to it easier. The legs then came off easy, one a bit stubborn as the bushing had wedged a bit. Once out I discovered one had slight rubbing at the bottom, I suspect from a worn lower bushing, not bad though and should not make any difference to them. The bottom out bumpers were holding on, just, quite sticky as in the process of destruction but someone had been keeping on top of lubing the forks so not too bad, the top out bumpers were in better condition but still in need of replacing. All threads good, nothing broken, just in need of a good clean out and a refresh.

Overall they turned out better than I had imagined but worse than I had hoped

 

[sparkybhp]

Nice work so far, I think the early Manitou’s are some of the best looking retro mtb forks. They have a solid ‘engineered’ appearance which really appeals to me. I’ve just recently refurbed a similar set of Manitou comp forks for my Killer V. I can recommend RB’er @fguki for parts if you need them. Mine needed new elastomers and a replacement compression rod (original had snapped).
Hope your recovery goes well, nice little project until you can back on two wheels.

I also have a set of Manitou 2’s tucked away waiting for the right build.

 

[fguki]

Awesome projects. If you need parts or fresh elastomers, let me know! Heres an example of an order that left the house 2 days ago:

- Manitou EFC

- STM Upside down

- 4x extra rebound elastomers (orange) for Manitou 3 / 4 / EFC / COMP etc ...