Help with Pace RC35 service

[totalfusion]

Well, haven't been on here for years - but having my full suss stead stolen by some scumbags I thought I'd dust down my old Orange Elite and ride out with my youngest. Had a few good rides, but the RC35s are definitely in need of attention - they weren't the best to start and I think the wet and mud have finished them off!

Had a peek inside and bought replacement elastomers along with wiper seals too and went to do the deed yesterday after another ride wit the boy - did all my research, downloaded PDFs and looked at other experience, but even with all the detail I found I'm already stuck.

For reference, the RC35s I have are, I think, the second gen ones - legs that step at the bottom and a tube type brake brace - 2 large elastomers per leg. The rods look to be smooth without a flat spot like some do.

I've release my sanctions and slid them off the - the guide rods have remain in the sanctions along with the elastomers.

So, my question is can the rods be removed so I can give them a thorough clean or do I just need to work around them? From what I've read / seen this "may" be possible with a gentle tap with some wood and a hammer to knock them out through the dropouts - but I don't want to trash the fork, as I don't want to have to go back to aluminium forks on the Orange.

I could work with it as is, but want to give them as good a service as possible so they go a while without needing more attention.

Any help would be very much appreciated, and will help stem the constant questions from the boy as to when we will be off out again.

 

[MR OX]

Yes they should tap out, they're probably stuck in the nasty gungy mess that'll be your old elastomers.

 

[totalfusion]

Thank you kindly Mr Ox - we're eating out tonight, quite excited as first time in a while, but will try get back on these tomorrow and let you know how things pan out!

 

[MR OX]

Thank you kindly Mr Ox - we're eating out tonight, quite excited as first time in a while, but will try get back on these tomorrow and let you know how things pan out!

If i could give you one word of advice it'd be once you've got the guide bolts out try & push the old elastomers & washers out from the bottom of the fork rather trying to dig them out from the top, I found it made the job on mine easier

 

[totalfusion]

Interesting to finally get these things stripped and cleaned.

Everything came to bits as planned, thanks again for the advice, and it revealed a few deviations form what was expected - I assume form the previous owner of the forks from 10 or so years ago!

There were no top-out cores, although under the elastomers within each stanchion was some green rubber "bungs" - possibly sourced from another set of forks, or even a chemistry lesson! I assume these had been used to lift the elastomer stack so the height was nearer the correct for them to function. One of each elastomers wasn't in too bad a state, although a little on the hard side - the others were just starting to crumble and fall apart.

Cleaned everything up, fitted new wiper seals, re-greased and rebuilt with the new elastomers in the correct configuration.

Had a 20km ride out with my son yesterday and they are very much improved on how they were, although in the time it's taken me to get to do the service I have put on a bit of timber and with hindsight should have bought the firmer elastomers! Hopefully I'll be back within tolerance over the coming weeks - LOL