pace forks

[Gringotheking]

Hi all first post for me on here after a bit of info and help please, just bought a 1999 orange clockwork all original and mint for 50 quid with a spare set of wheels and road tyres! Decided that the forks were dog egg so bought some pace rc36 evo2's ( I think ). only cost 32 quid off flea bay they aren't holding any air at the mo. could someone tell me if they are rc36 evo2 proclass or otherwise and if they would be an easy fix or if I can use them without any air in them. A workshop manual would be greatly appreciated. I haven't seen the forks yet as I'm deployed away in a hot sandy place until next week but the missus sent me some photos. over to you guys.

 

[Sithlord]

Tim (justbackdated) forum member on here is our pace guru fella, he will advise and sort these out for ya..

Send him a PM fella..

 

[Gringotheking]

cheers pal

 

[neilll]

could someone tell me if they are rc36 evo2 proclass or otherwise

Welcome to RetroBike

I think they are RC36 EVO III (2000), more details here: http://www.goatsurfer.com/pace_forks.html

 

[Gringotheking]

cheers for the info the only difference I can see to the picture on goatsurfer is that on mine there is no disc mount. from what I gather the forks were owned by Dave Blyth when he raced for wildside/pace so the flea bay listing stated.

 

[justbackdated]

They are 1999 RC36 Evo2.

They are notorious for leaking air-as were the following years Evo3[Magnesium dropouts/wider crown].

There was 45psi air pressure put in them at the factory and it was usually gone by the time they got to the shop

Seriously though they were an excellent fork but let down by the air seal design which needed frequent maintenance, made worse now due to the airseal grooves being scarred by dirt ingress and lack of maintenance over the years.
Most of the Evo2's I have serviced I have converted to spring only by fitting a Pro class 2 spring conversion. If the airseal groove is in good condition it is possible to restore the airtightness but only until dirt gets in the groove again.

AN IMPORTANT SAFETY CHECK.
Press down on the top plug on the LH leg[non damper side]. If it moves down more than 3 to 4mm DO NOT RIDE IT. Remove the circlip and take out the top cap-it should pop up with a little spring pressure from below. Look down into the crown socket. You should see the circlip groove and the steel[probably rusty] stanchion end. This end of the stanchion should be flared into another groove about 2mm below the circlip groove. If you can see the raw edge of the stanchion PM me and we can sort out a safety upgrade. Early Evo2's didnt have the stanchions flared and they can 'walk' out of the crown.

 

[justbackdated]

BTW your fork has '99 RC150 Monstor decals

 

[Gringotheking]

cheers for the info justbackdated. from the info i got the forks haven't been used since 2004,the person i bought them off took them abroad on an airplane and they haven't held air since, my guess is that he didn't release the pressure out of the forks before putting them in the aircraft hold and the differential pressure has caused the seal to pop. converting them to spring only is probably the best bet what sort of cost would that be if i was to send them to you?

 

[justbackdated]

The pressure differences during a flight should'nt be a problem for the air system in an Evo2 or 3 and the seal can't actually 'pop' as such. It is more likely that there is crap in the groove so any air pressure is bypassing the seal, usually indicated by a gradual air loss. The air also escapes into the damper past the damper rod quad seal and effectively 'charges' the damper forming another air spring and ruining the damping.

If the air loss is rapid then it may be that either the bonding between the dropout or seal housing and the carbon tube has failed, or maybe the brake clamp has been overtightened-cracking the carbon.

Also could be the Schrader housing bond or core having failed-pump 'em up and stick the leg end into a glass of water!

If the forks have had little use it may be that the air system can be restored

Don't forget to do that safety check