Rockshox Indy SL service

[Captain Stupido]

Trying to overhaul a pair of rockshox Indy sl forks... top caps came off easy, springs came with them, but the rest seems fairly well stuck inside. Any tips? Have tried grabbing the plastic with pliers but they don’t really want to go anywhere...and I’m a bit nervous about chewing up the soft plastic if I try too hard...

 

[slomo]

Re:

Used Indy's for years.
They are straightforward to service - if maintained properly.
I've seen similar when i raced/worked for a bike shop - the general theory (i have no idea if it's true) was that if the wrong lubes were used the travel adjusters 'expanded'.
It seems that some lubes can be absorbed by the plastic.
When i say expanded, we are probably talking about very small amounts, but enough to stop you being able to remove them.
We only ever used Judy Butter or Buzzys Slick Honey when servicing suspension because they don't have the unwanted ingredient that makes plastic swell.
On forks with this problem the travel adjusters were always removed eventually, but it wasn't pretty (i won't provide the gory details).....
And the travel adjusters always needed replacing - easier said then done in 2019.
Not sure any of this helps, but that was the school of thought in the 90's.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Re:

Thanks, good info. Basically confirms my thoughts that it’s probably not worthwhile going any further... I have a surplus of forks anyway so will probably eBay them for spares/repairs. May be of use to someone. Hope so!

 

[lensmansteve]

I've had a set of Indy SL's for a few years now- they work well enough now, but they'd been stored for a few years and weren't very compliant when I got them. No oil in them either! I was keen to strip and rebuild them, but had the same problem as you, and reluctantly gave up after making a special 6mm tool, etc.. A refill of 15 or 20 cc's of a good quality SAE 20 fork oil per leg and plenty of use rescued mine anyway, and with careful preload adjustment they give about 30mm travel with minimal topping out, and they ride very nicely as far as I'm concerned!

 

[slomo]

Re:

Yes, lovely little forks.
Lightest i've ever used, dependable and easy to maintain.
Plenty of detractors who will tell you they flex, have no compression or rebound control or the elastomers melt (or freeze).
But i raced with them (summer and winter) for years quite happily without any problems.
And they still look cool.
Worth persevering with if you have the inclination.

 

[Retro Spud]

Re: Re:

Used Indy's for years.
They are straightforward to service - if maintained properly.
I've seen similar when i raced/worked for a bike shop - the general theory (i have no idea if it's true) was that if the wrong lubes were used the travel adjusters 'expanded'.
It seems that some lubes can be absorbed by the plastic.
When i say expanded, we are probably talking about very small amounts, but enough to stop you being able to remove them.
We only ever used Judy Butter or Buzzys Slick Honey when servicing suspension because they don't have the unwanted ingredient that makes plastic swell.
On forks with this problem the travel adjusters were always removed eventually, but it wasn't pretty (i won't provide the gory details).....
And the travel adjusters always needed replacing - easier said then done in 2019.
Not sure any of this helps, but that was the school of thought in the 90's.

I bought these of Tom for a good price - and after two nights of gentle teasing they are fully apart

I can confirm everything Slowmo has written appears to be true the plastic had swollen to a point where by when they came out they did so with a Pop and now won’t go back in - rather like a cork which is a shame as I took my time to get them out in one piece - What I can’t work out is how they did swell as they were pretty much devoid of any grease

I guess it’s better to be too big rather than too small as I can shave or gently sand them down a bit - thankfully The Elastomer in one leg was fine the other was mashed up biscuit crumb but both cleaned up a treat



The Rockshox manual whilst concise wasn’t great however this dude on YouTube filled in the knowledge gaps


[youtube]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=131xrlw99a8[/youtube]

 

[Captain Stupido]

Re:

Glad to hear they are being saved.

 

[twit]

Re: Re:




I bought these of Tom for a good price - and after two nights of gentle teasing they are fully apart

I can confirm everything Slowmo has written appears to be true the plastic had swollen to a point where by when they came out they did so with a Pop and now won’t go back in - rather like a cork which is a shame as I took my time to get them out in one piece - What I can’t work out is how they did swell as they were pretty much devoid of any grease

I guess it’s better to be too big rather than too small as I can shave or gently sand them down a bit - thankfully The Elastomer in one leg was fine the other was mashed up biscuit crumb but both cleaned up a treat



The Rockshox manual whilst concise wasn’t great however this dude on YouTube filled in the knowledge gaps


[youtube]

Im currently trying to restore my dads trek 8000 which has a rockshox indy sl, my spring adjusters were fully swelled and had to be violently pulled out, one came out easier with the mcu fully intact and the other was insainly difficult and then what was left of the mcu sprayed all over my garage floor. anyways I was wondering where you found replacement mcus?

 

[Retro Spud]

Couple of places

Suspension fork parts in the USA
https://www.suspensionforkparts.net/eshop/rock-shox/rock-shox-indy-xc-sl-1997.html
I believe there is a member on here who is into MCU and makes them (no different to above but on a smaller scale)

Put a wanted add up I’m sure someone will respond quickly

 

[Retro Spud]

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/silicone-springs-elastomers-for-manitou-rockshox-proflex.385967/