Service or replace - Pace R36

[zaskartom]

I've started using my bike again after a little "rest" and something I was meaning to sort out a while ago and never got round to was a service of my Pace R36 forks.

The main reason is I'm using the bike on road a lot at the moment and I can't stiffen them using the adjuster on the top of the right leg, making hill climbing rather annoying bouncing up and down (they seem stuck on "soft").

I can get them serviced for £85 but was wondering if it's worth it? Could I replace them with a better fork for the same money be it new or second hand.

I do like them, especially the brake on the back and they look good on the bike, what do people think?

A picture of them can be found here:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=214257

 

[gerryattrick]

I've got exactly the same fork and, while I'm very happy with them I agree that they're a bit on the soft side. Once the summer is over I'm going to get them serviced, probably by Justbackdated on this site (Tim at Fork English) who specialises in Pace forks. He rebuilt my RC35s recently and did a good job.

Not sure of the cost, but I'm fairly sure a service that doesn't need many new parts will be a lot cheaper than £85 - pm him to ask his opinion.

 

[Anthony]

Your Pace is a 1998 RC36 EVO Pro Class. It is potentially a very good 90mm fork, the top of the Pace range at that time. It would be worth well in excess of £100 once it had been serviced, provided the titanium nitrided stanchions are in good condition.

You don't say whether your quote is from Tim AKA justbackdated, but I can't see that it makes any sense to use anybody else. Tim used to work at the Pace factory, and bought up all their spares when they closed down. His standard of work is excellent, and really nobody else can compete with him for Pace work.

I was facing the same dilemma as you, wondering whether to pay that much for an old fork to be fixed. In the end, I went ahead with it just because I'd be interested to see how much difference it made - and without a service, my fork couldn't really be sold anyway. In the event, I was very surprised by how much difference it did make. The action became far stiffer, having been over-soft beforehand. Tim said this was because the damper was basically empty - although they rarely blow, and it just need to be refilled. I knew it was under-damped, but I hadn't appreciated just how much the damping resistance contributes to the stiffness of the spring, as well as damping the rebound.

Having had the work done, I would say the 98 RC36 is a far superior fork to the Z2 Bomber, the only drawback being that it needs more maintenance.

 

[zaskartom]

Thanks for the comments, very useful. I was aware that they were good folks so had a look for servicing options and came across this place http://www.pacecycles.com/?page_id=817 and the £85 cost mentioned.

I’ll look that guy up and see what he can do. Out of interest has anyone used this company for a service?

 

[Mark T]

I've got a pair of those. Forks sitting st the front of my 90's Marin Palisades Trail. Really nice fork but I upgraded to a pair of RC36 Proclass 2's on mr Parkpre ProImage as I wanted a front disc without the bracket that was needed on the other ones.

Both sets of mine are probably in need of a service as well so I'll probably be seeking out Tim at some point as well

 

[JeRkY]

Thanks for the comments, very useful. I was aware that they were good folks so had a look for servicing options and came across this place http://www.pacecycles.com/?page_id=817 and the £85 cost mentioned.

I’ll look that guy up and see what he can do. Out of interest has anyone used this company for a service?

That company IS Pace.

When Anthony mentioned Pace closed down he was referring to their manufacturing capabilities. Pace as a company are still alive and well and do indeed offer a good service for forks.

That said for the retro models especially (pre-hollowtech), I would always recommend Tim (Justbackdated).

Drop him a message on here.

 

[Anthony]

When Anthony mentioned Pace closed down he was referring to their manufacturing capabilities. Pace as a company are still alive and well and do indeed offer a good service for forks. That said for the retro models especially (pre-hollowtech), I would always recommend Tim (Justbackdated).

My understanding is that Pace are the people to service your DT Swiss forks, but if you send them a retro Pace fork, they will subcontract the work to Tim. For a long time, their website used to recommend sending retro work to Tim anyway. I don't know if it still does, but if they haven't got the spares, they couldn't do the work themselves, no matter good they are.

 

[Anthony]

Having had the work done, I would say the 98 RC36 is a far superior fork to the Z2 Bomber, the only drawback being that it needs more maintenance.

Looking at this assertion again, I think I should really have qualified it by saying that I weigh ten stones. Some people find the RC36 under-sprung, and perhaps it's not surprising that I don't agree. Tim says that even he has no extra-stiff springs, although I think he said he was trying to source some from another manufacturer.

Also the heavier you are, the more you would find advantage in the Z2's 30mm stanchions over the RC36's 28mm. If you are 15 stones, I imagine you might prefer the Z2. Somewhere in between those two weights, there must be a tipping point, but I don't know where it is.

 

[unkleGsif]

12.5stone?


G

 

[sylus]

Tim