Got a rock shox on this trek 7000. Believe from 96’. Don’t know the exact model of this fork..My question is..okay let me say first that I’m not against getting a rigid fork. That being said this fork was pretty seized up. I sprayed a shit load of wd-40 and went for a 4+ mile ride. Now the fork is no longer seized but is it worth rebuilding? Definitely gunked up. Maybe just strip and clean would be sufficient? Also should I consider going to a rigid fork? No problem with that.
by Orzal
3 Comments
I believe those are RS Quadra forks going off the top cap, these use an elastomer stack which is likely degraded and could collapse, not a dangerous situation, your shocks will just compress and not come back up.
You can probably source some new elastomers and lubricate the forks, they’re pretty simple. They are a pretty flexible fork, laterally and torsionally, but back in the day we used to ride them hard.
That generation of fork had elastimers (rubber springs) basically giant pencil erasers. Over time they harden up and become less springy. You can rebuild them but it is not worth the labor as you will get little improvement. You cant get elastimers any more. There are some companies that sell springs, but it is not worth the expense and it just makes sense to get a new fork if you really want suspension. Ultimately, if you like the bike , just ride it and have fun. If you fall in love with cycling, save your money and invest in a more modern bike that is designed to fit the style of riding that you are doing. Bikes have come a long way since the late 90’s.
If I’m not mistaken, that suspension fork has elastomer rods in it that act as shock absorbers. You can buy replacements online for cheap and all you need to do is grease it with some elastomer-friendly grease (I think Sram butter would work but you’d have to double check that).