I ended up purchasing this 2018 trance 2 for $300. I want to get it rideable this week and I’m not sure what all I should do to it. The current plan is this after I clean it.
1. New tubes
2. Brake bleed + inspect pads
3. Replace chain
4. Ride it gently
5. See if cassette skips
6. service fork lower
7. Decide on rear shock later
8. Diagnose dropper after everything else
Known issues
Dropper post goes up without pressing the button and some times sags when weighted
The rear shocks firm position isn’t all that firm
Tires don’t hold air
Breaks are squishy
I’m wondering what else I need to do to it. What other maintenance or things I need to service are. I think the bike sat outside for a while because the front fork is sun bleached.
P.S. I appreciate those of you who offered advice to me while I was shopping for a used bike. I think I avoided some money pits and learned something’s about bike condition.
by HitmanTurkey
6 Comments
You have a good amount of work to do to it. Forks and rear suspension can end up costing a good amount to get working right. All depends on how much money youre willing to spend.
Get a damper service on the shock before the season starts, the firm switch not working well is a major symptom of the shocks internal ifp pressure being too low. The only time ive seen fox dps damper shafts shear was when the riders ignored service for years and ignore symptoms like what you are describing. Safety aside, the bike will not behave as it was designed to because the shock will always be too soft, causing the bike to ride too deep in its travel during basic pedaling.
You’ll need to spend another $300 to get this bike in good shape.
Bleed brakes and possibly new brake pads. shimano mineral oil
Rebuild kits for fork and rear shock. About $50-$60
New dropper post. The stock droppers on these generations were crap. Just get a new one. $100-$150
New 11 speed chain and cassette. New shifter cable. $100
Probably new frame bearings. Not expensive but labor is expensive or buy the tools and do it yourself. Need to figure out what size bearings you have. Also new bottom bracket bearings and possibly headset bearings if it’s been outside. Then. check rear wheel bearings.
Lastly make sure there are no cracks in the rear triangle or lower rocker arm. I broke my frame 3x. But this should have been checked before buying so may be a mute issue.
Look into a DPX2 with 55mm of stroke. You get 7mm more rear suspension travel.
Do you need to replace tubes? How long do the tires hold air? Does it have tubes, or tubeless? I wouldn’t jump to replacing tubes, if they leak, patch them.
Did you check the air pressure in the rear shock?
I wouldn’t try to fix the dropper, just replace it.
Do you need to replace the chain?
Great bike! I used to have one of these.
Before jumping in and replacing the dropper like other comments suggest, I’d take it apart and give it a good clean and re grease. The plastic keys may need to be flipped if they are worn.
99% of the full suspension service can be done by yourself (and would be all you’d need to do in most cases), but you’ll need some special tools that can be home made. Take a look at the service manual and see if you’re confident doing it, manuals are available online for free.
Shimano brakes are really easy to bleed with a basic kit from Amazon or your local bike shop.
If you put a new chain on and tune your Derailleur (YouTube is your friend) you’ll notice soon enough if the rest of the drivetrain is worn (it will skip under load).
If after a few months of riding the suspension still isn’t to your liking, or they’re are a lot of creaks, you may want to consider replacing your bottom bracket and or swing arm bearings.