I have a Giant Roam 2 with 700 CC wheels and a Suntour Fork...which squeak every time I hit a bump. I'd like to replace them to make the squeek go away, and I'll probably buy something on eBay since I have a $25 eBay gift card plus another $25 eBay gift card on the way soon. I don't need anything fancy - I just hate the Suntour squeak. Any recommendations?
One question on the rigid forks: do you still get the same kind of numbness in the palms of your hands as you do with suspension forks? What are the main benefits of rigid forks? I like suspension forks because they do very well with going up and down curbs. I wonder if there is any way I can just clean my current forks out to make the squeak go away - they perform fine, but that squeak is annoying!
Numbness? You might want to try a different set of grips or maybe a different handle bar bend.
Check out your local bike shop to see if the noise issue can be repaired.
One question on the rigid forks: do you still get the same kind of numbness in the palms of your hands as you do with suspension forks? What are the main benefits of rigid forks? I like suspension forks because they do very well with going up and down curbs. I wonder if there is any way I can just clean my current forks out to make the squeak go away - they perform fine, but that squeak is annoying!
I don't get numbness on any of my bikes. IME, that's usually a fit problem - you're putting too much weight on your hands. Try moving your handlebars closer, or higher.
For me, the benefits of rigid forks are that they're cheap, light, don't bob when I get out of the saddle to sprint or climb, and are stiffer than cheap suspension forks. So for my road-going bikes, they're a no-brainer. I have a cyclocross bike that I ride off-road in pretty close to its stock (rigid) setup, and I have a little saddle time on rigid mountain bikes. There are certainly situations that make me want a suspension fork, and I do have one my my mountain bike, but IMHO, they're total overkill for all pavement applications, including dropping curbs and even small stair sets.
You can try dripping some tri-flow into your fork seals for the squeak. I can't help doubting that your current fork performs fine, but I went from an RST to a fairly nice suspension fork, and have no personal experience with Suntour forks.
..snip... I wonder if there is any way I can just clean my current forks out to make the squeak go away - they perform fine, but that squeak is annoying!
Pull them apart. Clean and regrease everything. Or spray some 'lube" on the fork legs (uppers) and bounce them up and down.
Squeaks can be loose wheel clamps.
Is it possible to do this without taking the fork off of the bike? I know nothing about repairing forks, but I think that might be the issue. They perform fine...its just that squeak that drives me crazy!
so i visited the LBS and they recommended the Salsa Grande Chromoloy fork for disc brakes. I should get them by this week before the weekend and I'll report how they work out.
I figured out how to fix the problem. Previously, when I tried lubbing the forks, it wouldn't work because I couldn't get enough lube past the rubber boots on top of the forks. So, what I did was pry the rubber boots open with four toothpicks that I placed on different sides of each fork tube, which created a big enough opening for me to get enough lube in there to make a difference. I probably put a little too much lube on, but it totally made the squeak go away, at least for the moment. So, I'm quite happy - its nice to ride my bike without hearing the forks squeak every couple of minutes! :thumbsup:
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