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Plushing up a Duke SL

799 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  pimpbot 
#1 ·
Since I made the move from 26" to 29" my girlfriend inherited my parts and I got a new bike(s). So last night I did a much needed rebuild on my 2003 Duke SL. The thing had been hemorrhaging oil, though never really lost air (all shock, no dampening).

So new seals, wipers, and oil and it looks like new, but works like crap. It feels sluggish and stiff, even when only setup at 90psi (she is 125lbs). There is also some dampening issue, as once you compress it and it rebounds you can pull it up a little more.

When I had it apart I was a little confused by the guts in it. It has the Negative air spring from the newer Duke SL, but it looks like it has the HC2 rebound damper assembly from an older XC (which is odd, since I am the first and only owner). The knob on the rebound damper does not really turn. You can see that a white plastic peice is designed to cover some holes, does not turn.

So enough junk, how do I plush it up a little bit and how do I get rid of the negative return issue?


I've got a psylo U-turn that I can rob for parts too, to make this thing wicked comfy but keep it light.
 
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#2 ·
Haroldlikesbikes said:
Since I made the move from 26" to 29" my girlfriend inherited my parts and I got a new bike(s). So last night I did a much needed rebuild on my 2003 Duke SL. The thing had been hemorrhaging oil, though never really lost air (all shock, no dampening).

So new seals, wipers, and oil and it looks like new, but works like crap. It feels sluggish and stiff, even when only setup at 90psi (she is 125lbs). There is also some dampening issue, as once you compress it and it rebounds you can pull it up a little more.

When I had it apart I was a little confused by the guts in it. It has the Negative air spring from the newer Duke SL, but it looks like it has the HC2 rebound damper assembly from an older XC (which is odd, since I am the first and only owner). The knob on the rebound damper does not really turn. You can see that a white plastic peice is designed to cover some holes, does not turn.

So enough junk, how do I plush it up a little bit and how do I get rid of the negative return issue?


I've got a psylo U-turn that I can rob for parts too, to make this thing wicked comfy but keep it light.
As far as the issue of the fork extending further when you pull up on it, it could simply be indicative of the fact that the negative spring in the fork is too strong for the rider weight you're setting up the fork for.

As to why the rebound doesn't turn, it could be because when you were assembling the fork, you forced the rebound past it's limit (most likely when you were bolting stuff together, and it is now jammed. You really ought to take it apart and make sure there's no permanent damage (ie, it will turn once disassembled).

And finally, what do you mean by plushing it up? Was it plush before and feels bad now or has it always been pretty crappy?

_MK
 
#3 ·
I first noticed the rebound knob would not turn when the fork WAS disassembled. The knob would turn a little bit, but not enough to cover much of the two holes in the rebound dampener. If that means the shock will only rebound quickly, then that is fine with me, I guess.

The shock felt smoother, more buttery, back when it was new. It even felt fairly soft before the rebuild. Now it feels sort of harsh, not sagging much under me (200 lbs) when setup for a rider at 125lbs. It also feels like the oil and air in the shock is not taking any of the edge off. It essentially feels like a purely spring shock, though the lack of sag suggests otherwise.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Did you replace the o-rings?

Haroldlikesbikes said:
I first noticed the rebound knob would not turn when the fork WAS disassembled. The knob would turn a little bit, but not enough to cover much of the two holes in the rebound dampener. If that means the shock will only rebound quickly, then that is fine with me, I guess.

The shock felt smoother, more buttery, back when it was new. It even felt fairly soft before the rebuild. Now it feels sort of harsh, not sagging much under me (200 lbs) when setup for a rider at 125lbs. It also feels like the oil and air in the shock is not taking any of the edge off. It essentially feels like a purely spring shock, though the lack of sag suggests otherwise.
It kinda sounds like the negative air spring is bleeding through to the positive. This happened to my Reba. The O-ring on the piston between the springs twisted around because it was dry from the factory. Be sure to slather it well in RedRum when you reassemble it.
 
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