RP2 Rebuild

Yesterday I went to tune the rear suspension sag on my mtn bike but when filling it with air I saw a bunch of oil leak out of the air valve. I quickly thought this meant that the shock was screwed and started looking into getting it repaired.

As it turns out, Fox has quite a bit of service information on their website including pdfs and videos on servicing their shocks. The RP2 service looked pretty straight forward so I thought I’d give it a try.

Removing the shock from the frame was simple. The next step required me to remove some reducer bushings with a 3/8" bolt remover. Luckily I had one so I was well on my way.

After unscrewing the shock body by hand, I had a good look inside the shock. It then became obvious that oil leaking out of the air valve would be completely normal. The valve leads directly into the shock which has oil for lubrication. Now with everything disassembled all I had to do was get my hands on one of Fox’s Air Service Kits - a collection of replacement seals and pil. One phone call later and a 30min commute I was home with the kit. Different Bikes on Broadway stocked them with a price of $12.

Today I bought a $3 dental pick from Shoppers DrugMart to help remove the old seals. It only took a couple of minutes to replace the seals and a few more to re-assemble the shock on the bike. As I went to pump new air into the shock it became obvious what the real cause was for my initial problem: my Fox shock air pump was broken. The shock itself was probably ok. However, Fox recommends servicing the shock every 30 hours, so it was well overdo for some new seals. I could tell by feel that the seals were getting worn, as they were getting slightly brittle.

So far, so good. Now what to do about the Talus front shock…