RTS noleen Shock mod! now with added guide.. :)

spacehopper

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Inspired by RC300's thread...
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=54021&highlight=

ive modded my own NR-1 with an air valve :D

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Dismantled shock...

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Fully rebuilt shock with 600lb rockshox spring..

how to do it...

first a disclaimer... if you F*ck your shock up doing this... its not my fault!

1: remove the shock from the bike...
2: remove the spring from the shock..
3: remove the philips screw from the end of the reservoir..

Now comes the point of no return... (dont do this unless you plan to complete the whole mod..!!!)

4: under the screw is a small black rubber bung.. this stops the nitrogen from escaping from the shock... to dismantle the shock the high pressure nitrogen needs to be removed...

5: slide a small screwdriver or similar down the hole the screw left and push down on the bung.. (you can see the dismantled reservoir end cap in the pic below..) this is also the bit of the shock we need to mod! you will hear a hiss as the nitrogen escapes... 200 PSI originally!

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6: now push down on the reservoir end cap to reveal the split ring the holds the end cap in place.. this can be removed by wiggling a small flat bladed screw driver behind it and then pulling it out with some needle nose pliers or another screwdriver as a lever. (the split ring is the circular thing next to the reservoir screw in the very top picture..)

7: next repeat this process for the damping shaft... push down on the end cap the damper shaft slides in and out of.. (being careful not to scratch it!) and remove this split ring too... its a good idea clamp the shock in a vice to do this so oil doesnt spill everywhere as you try and remove it!

8: hold the shock over a container to catch the old oil and remove the damping shaft... you will need to pull quite firmly and carefully so as not to damage any of the bushings or rubber o-rings...

9: drain all the oil out of the shock...

10: to remove the floating piston.. from the reservoir (green seal) (and possibly the reservoir end cap if you cant get that out...) what i did was to refill the shock with oil and slide the damping rod back into the shock and push down... (helps if you set the damping to the softest setting) you will see the piston sliding towards the end of the reservoir as you do this. might take a couple of goes to get it... but eventually it will come out! (along with some oil :LOL: )

11: et voila... one dismantled shock...

12: you can also remove the damping adjuster if you like... but be VERY careful as the brass coloured adjuster has a spring through it with two TEENY ball bearings... (they provide the clicks)

Modding the Reservoir end cap for the air valve..

for the valves i used these from ebay...

4x alloy bolt in tyre valves 11.5mm tubeless car bike
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150347258788

ive still got 3 left.. £2 each posted to your door! :)

and to fit the valve...

1: remove the O-ring and rubber bung... and clamp the reservoir end cap firmly between a couple of bits of wood or similar (to protect it) in a vice and drill a hole big enough for the valve to fit through!

Warning: the end cap gets VERY hot when drilling through it... so take plenty of breaks to allow it to cool and have some water handy!

2: i started with a small drill bit and gradually worked my way up the drill bit sizes so as not to take too much off at once... finished off with a 10mm bit (biggest i had) and then used my dremel with a tungsten carbide cutter to widen the hole until the valve fitted through..

3: slide the valve through the hole... do up the nut... Sorted. :)
though next time i service the shock i intend to add a little bit of silicon sealant between the valve and the end cap just to completley seal it.

the shock is now modded with its air valve!

reassembly points...

1: its pretty much a reversal of the dismantling instructions!

2: i used 7.5wt shock oil... but next time i am going to try 5wt as im currently running the shock on the minimum damping setting.. (i couldnt find any info on the net as to what noleen use)

3: when refilling with oil... make sure the floating piston is back in the reservoir first...

4: be careful when sliding the damping rod (and floating piston..) back into the shock so you dont damage the bushings or O-rings.. and be aware oil will leak out! (to make room for the damper assembly as you slide it back in..) its a good idea to mount the shock vertically in a vice as you do this..

5: from what ive read the nitrogen pressure noleen use in the reservoir is 200 PSI... i used the same with Air.. the reason Noleen use nitrogenis that it doesnt contain any moisture like air will.. and reduces the risk of the damping oil being contaminated with water.

6: I couldnt find any info as to how much shock oil to use.. so i used just enough to push the floating piston up into the reservoir a few mm
(what the damping adjuster does is change the rate at which oil can flow from the shock body into the reservoir making it harder or easier to compress..)

ive done a couple of rides on the shock now and all seems well :)

any questions or if you have anymore info about Noleen or other shocks in general let me know! (or if ive made any glaring errors!!
:LOL:)
 
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Great mod!

Hi, any chance of some info on how you did this and where you got the air valve from? I may have a go myself but want to be sure I have all the right info, tools and parts before I begin. Any info will be greatly received!

Thanks

Ian
 
guide now added..

will bung some more pics up when i next service the shock and change the oil to 5wt...

and if anyone wants their shock rebuiding like this im happy to do it for a small fee ;)
 
Thanks for posting up this info, very useful. I may well give this a go (though my shocks are fine at the moment - hopefully I can pick up a 'spare' online and try it on that one so I don't ruin a good shock just for the sake of fettling in the shed!
 
possibly...

im guessing that you might have just broken the half moon shaped key between the knob and and the brass damping adjuster.. so it may just need glueing on (or something less permanant) with some metal epoxy or similar.

or it could be something else...! hard to say without actually seeing it.
 
Very detailed process.

Can I ask why you didn't just get a hypodermic needle attachment for your shock pump to pressurize the reservoir?
 
Is there any where you could use this hypodermic needle attachment anyway? On another topic, rather than using some form of silicon to make a better seal, have you thought about using the tape gas fitters use to seal gas pipe conections i.e. pipe to cooker? If it works for them.......
 
the hypodermic needle would be inserted through the rubber bung under the screw in the reservoir..

though im not sure how well it would reseal as the one in my shock was quite brittle

I thought the tape was more for sealing threads? i have the sealant already too thats why i was going to use it..!

though it is a little academic anyway as the RTS is being retired to wall art for the time being! ;)
 
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