Cane Creek AD-x Service
| Time | 1 hour |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | 5 / 10 |
| Tools | nothing unusual |
| Parts list |
O-Ring 1,5mm 1,5"ID (or slightly less) O-Ring 1/8" 1,5"ID (or slightly less) Silicone based grease |
WIP
The following applies to all Cane Creek AD-5, AD-8, AD-10, AD-12, & Cloud Nine shocks.
Cane Creek rear shocks are among the lightest, most tuneable, and most reliable rear MTB shocks available. Like anything mechanical however, they are subject to wear and tear and will fail (leak) at some point. Fortunately, unlike the majority of rear shocks on the market, all ‘Creek shocks are easily rebuilt it the home workshop by someone with average mechanical ability and just a couple common, everyday hand tools.
The internals of Creek shocks contain a variety of O-ring seals, but 99.999% of all ‘Creek failures can be pinpointed to one of 2 seals; the main and secondary O-rings. Here are three of the most common problems (which are rather rare to occur with proper care of the shock):
- You inflate shock to your preferred operating pressure, but the pressure gradually drops. Duh! You’ve got a leak. 99% of the time, this is caused by a worn main seal. (put the inflated shock under water to see where the leaks are coming from just to make sure).
- Shock holds it’s pressure just fine when not riding, but gradually loses pressure when riding. This is also caused by a worn main seal, however it may not be worn enough to leak all the time. In this case, each time the shock extends after compression, a small amount of air is lost. The best way to check for this condition is to inflate the shock (removed from the bike) with just enough pressure to enable compressing it by hand (usually under 10 psi). Place the shock under water and check for leaks (there usually won’t be any in this condition). Compress the shock by hand under water and release. Look carefully for escaping air as the shock extends.
- Shock holds pressure just fine in all conditions, but tops out harshly and excessively, and may also seem to stick or “catch” at the beginning of its travel, sacrificing plushness (may need a bigger bump or hit than normal to get suspension working). In this case, you’ve got a worn SECONDARY seal. The purpose of this O-ring is to separate and seal off the positive air chamber (this is what supports the bike & rider, & provides the “spring”) from the negative air chamber (counteracts the positive chamber at the beginning of the stroke for more plushness, and also effectively creates a “top out bumber” or cushion). When this seal is worn, it can’t do its job essentially eliminating the negative chamber. Those of you who have used RockShox or Marzocchi products with a “Dual Air” or Negative Air” feature will understand what the purpose of a negative air chamber is. Nearly every air shock design uses this, but only a few of them are advertised with this feature, and only a few are designed so that the negative & positive pressures are independently adjustable. Cane Creek shocks (also Fox Float) are designed so that a predetermined ratio of air pressure (about 30% neg./70% pos.) is automatically distributed within the shock upon inflation.
In either of these three cases, the obvious fix is to replace the affected (worn) O-rings, which is very simple.
- Remove the shock from the bike, and please be sure to deflate it! Otherwise you might have a miniature Scud Missile in your hands.
- Remove the damping adjustment screws, knobs (where applicable), and other hardware from the small end of the shock body.
- Unscrew the knurled ring that connects the small end to the big end of the shock (should be only hand tight). Slide this off the small end.
- Grasp both ends of the shock and pull it apart.
- Slide the white nylon bushing sleeve off the small end. This is where the O-rings in question reside. There are 2 thin (1.5mm) O-rings on one end of this sleeve, 1 internal and one external. They are the same thickness and diameter, although the inner one is usually a higher durometer (harder material). This is the secondary seal. Although important, the external O-ring isn’t usually a cause for leakage so therefore isn’t as critical. On the other inside end of the bushing is a thick “Quad-Ring” (O-ring with a ribbed or square profile). This is the main seal.
Cane Creek will rebuild the shock in house if you send it back to them (often at no charge at their discretion….they are really good about this). But who wants to experience down time from riding for 1 or 2 weeks or possibly longer due to a simple little O-ring? They also sell a seal replacement kit for Do it Yourselfer’s. All their shocks (AD-5 right up through the Cloud Nine) use exactly the same main and secondary O-rings. Their seal kit includes a replacement for every O-ring that goes in the shock. Thing is, these seals are never needed except for the main & secondary rings. I’ve rebuilt many of their shocks when working in a shop and not once have I ever had a need for these other seals. I used to pay about $10 for their seal kit, but have heard of other people paying as high as $30 for the very same thing.
Now here’s the interesting part, and my main reason for writing this. You can get the O-Rings you need to rebuild a ‘Creek shock to like new for less than seventy –five cents from your local hardware store or any place that carries a wide selection of O-rings. And since they are rubber (neoprene actually) (which stretches and conforms), the replacements don’t need to be EXACT original replacements. For the secondary seal, look for a 1.5mm O-ring that’s 1.5” ID or slightly smaller. (Don’t go larger than 1.5” ID or it will not fit into the groove in the nylon sleeve properly). For the main seal, you can use a more standard round O-ring instead of a Quad-ring (these are hard to find). Just make sure it’s 1/8” thick, and again, 1.5” ID (or slightly smaller). I’ve been running a round 1/8”th x 1.25” ID main seal in my own ‘Creek shock for some time now with NO leakage or anything weird going on. I even did a 12 hour solo race last weekend on it and it worked beautifully.
Install the new O-rings and be sure to use plenty of grease on all surfaces. Silicone grease is best because it is the most neoprene friendly. Re-assemble the shock in the reverse order of disassembly.
Hope this info is helpful and saves you some time & money!
This text was written by User "TeamTwentyFour" on mtbr.com: http://forums.mtbr.com/shocks-suspension/service-tip-all-cane-creek-rear-shock-owners-8824.html
