Rock Shox Quadra 21R refresh

[pingu_turbo]

Maybe I was a little hot out of the blocks? I just want to repair them and be on my way. I having been out of the hobby for well over 15 years and never had to touch the innerds of any forks, the information was not forth coming and results on google weren’t there. I have no knowledge of what is cross compatible with what or if that was even possible, and I don’t want to buy what might fit and waste time that way.

I know import tax is going to be an issue and I’m ready for the hit when they come. :?

The Mag 21s are something I want to look out for, where are they available? I see none in the fs section or anywhere else.

At least with with the new elastomers coming I know I can at least get back riding rather than ‘bucket chemist’ something that may or may not work.

 

[Thias]

Just post a wanted ad here and wait:

viewforum.php?f=3

No need to rush things in our age

 

[pingu_turbo]

Haha, I know but I’ve got that Christmas morning feeling about getting back out there... :xmas-wink: :facepalm:

 

[Thias]

I know that feeling. But you should really take your time and read your way through the forums and the interwebs. Plenty of interesting info out there. Very easy to find stuff.
Then you will know what you want or need. There will be so much stuff you want but don't need ....
But the most important thing is to learn your stuff. E.g. with your fork, what kind of Mag you are looking for, when to buy and when not to (what is repairable...)

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

Search & Ask, especially on this forum.
It may take a few days to answer but pretty much everything has been asked/answered/theories/bodged and people don't mind answering questions normally.

I may have one or two or three MAG i'm refurbing internally, just takinging me a year to get around to it. lol.
After teh third bike you buy, things slow down as you have to start repairing the others as you keep riding them. By the 10 frame you have willing and no time, lol.
Then the garage has just been to cold, cramped with winter stuff so it doesn't rust get wet...

Have fun.

What area are you, there may be some riders near you.

 

[pingu_turbo]

I am learning very quickly that this forum is the place to be. As for more bikes, one is enough for me! The shed only has so much space for my wife’s and daughters bikes as well as my own, and the ‘workshop’ is the spare bedroom floor. Probably a blessing in disguise! Lol.

I’ve found a pair of Mag 21’s for sale on here and have bought them. They are believed to be in good mechanical condition with some flaky paint on legs. I’m not too bothered about that tbh as I’d probably repaint them yellow anyway (to match the rest of the bike), or just leave them as is for patina. The rest of my bike is faded, scratched and has a story to tell so freshly painted forks would probably stand out. I just need an air pump for them now.

Looking forward to getting my Quadra s back up and running though all the same.

Oh, my location is Devon - near Exeter, I need to update my avatar.

 

[90sCro-MoFan]

I bought a Gary Fisher recently with Quadra 21s fitted. They're similar in many ways to 21Rs, but I was lucky, the elastomer were pristine when I stripped 'em down. I still toyed with the idea of replacing them with springs though. I soon discovered that MTB specific (I.e Rockshox) springs are very expensive. There are many manufacturers online who'll sell you springs for literally a fraction of the price. The difficulty is getting the spring rating correct when you haven't got an existing one to use as a guide. There are numerous dimensions which will affect a spring's rating and to make matters even more complicated, not all manufacturers use the pounds per inch rating and rate by Nm instead. I lost the will to live in the end. I may try again, should my elastomers ever end up like yours! Good luck with your rebuild anyway. Get some pics uploaded when she's done.

 

[pingu_turbo]

I know nothing about the q21’s, as far as I know they have a one piece elastomer? Either way I cannot imagine hat they would perform much different tbh. I’ve found some polyeurathane based 3d printing filament in my stocks and have decided to have a go at printing some elastomers. I have no idea how well they will last, but for sh1ts and giggles I’ll have a play. Hardness of the rod is 70A, so I’ll print some solid and some less dense and see how things go.

Anyway, as we have another snow day here in Devon, I was granted special permission to play with the bike. I had a go at trying to get the forks apart, but even after soaking the forks inside with penetrating oil, the bottom 5mm Allen headed bolts are stuck fast and staying put. I managed to slosh around some light oil, then white spirit, then a thorough slosh with hot soapy water. After running paper towels and harsh floor cloth ( clean), I managed to satisfy myself that it was the clean it was going to get given what I had in front of me. The legs move freely and without binding. I’ll have to get some grease down there somehow to lube them up a bit before reinstalling the bottom piston and elastomers. Maybe gently warm some up and syringe it down? Anyone with some idea?

One thing I was able to do was strip off the front v brakes as part of the work, clean up the mounting studs, repaint and re grease. I ordered some replacement stainless steel bolts to replace all of the chromed mild steel ones on the bike, that had gone rusty.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

If not already, try mounting the legs back on the bike and with a wrench and 5mm Allen key, you should get good purchase against the handlebars for extra leverage.
Watch you hands on the frame as it goes.

Also might be worth penatrating oil and then pump the forks and then give the bolt some good hard wacks down.

 

[pingu_turbo]

Re:

Thanks for the advice FluffyChicken, I did soak the forks for about a week with some penetrating oil and impact the bolts on the head. I even tried warming the leg in the oven, but I managed to strip the head on one of the retaining bolts. I didn't even try the other tbh.

I've made my elastomers, so I shall see how things go.

The next thing I have managed to confuse myself with is what type of grease to lube the fork bits with. Reading the archived service manual, it suggests to use Judy Butter and not Lithium grease. Having looked at the technical data sheet for Judy Butter, it contains lithium. Confused?

Any recommendations on what grease (or based grease) to use?