Tool Time

[XXX-er]

yeah but with Shimano you can bleed just half the hydralic system !

altho if you got all the stuff out mineral oil everywhere and your brakes are shit

why you wouldn't bleed the whole hydraulic system ?

Sram shimano, either or makes no difference, get the air out

[El Chupacabra]

You're pretty lonely on that hill. I've owned Shimano, Magura, SRAM, and Hayes brakes, and SRAM's bleed is by far the easiest and least messy. Right tools help all of them of course.

Nope, I'm on that hill too. I've bled all those also, and Shimano are the easiest. And easiest clean up.

[XXX-er]

I think one is suposed to pick a system and be a dick about it

[El Chupacabra]

I think one is suposed to pick a system and be a dick about it

Somebody out there probably loves Elixirs.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Somebody out there probably loves Elixirs.

Satan?

[jm2e]

Somebody out there probably loves Elixirs.

I went from Elixers to Shimano. Why the fuck would I try something else?

[jackstraw]

You're pretty lonely on that hill. I've owned Shimano, Magura, SRAM, and Hayes brakes, and SRAM's bleed is by far the easiest and least messy. Right tools help all of them of course.

Funny as I feel the opposite. Maybe it's just a comfort thing having done the Shimanos many times and then had to do a Sram and struggled. And to X'ers point, I dig the half bleed aspect of Shimano. Typically that's all it needs.

[rideit]

Somebody out there probably loves Elixirs.

hAyEs mAg 9 4 LifE, yO

[Roxtar]

I keep a pair of these for grabbing screws and shit when they fall somewhere inaccessible. They're also great for keeping cable ends in place when I need another hand.

Yup, picking up screws and holding cables, THAT'S what they're used for.

[Roxtar]

SRAM's bleed is by far the easiest.

Said no one, ever. (At least before this post)

[bamboocoreONLY]

Said no one, ever. (At least before this post)

Honestly if you use the same technique they show in their new mineral bleed video, it's super fast and simple. Way better than what the older dot fluid videos tech. It's actually the same technique they showed us at a STU class. Just push fluid to the caliper then vacuum it back to the lever and then pull some air bubbles out the lever, done.

[jm2e]

This is how I read your post.

Honestly if you use the same technique every time, and you use just the right technique, it can become very easy. You might need to take a class though.

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[XXX-er]

I looked on-line and so there were 10 pages of youtubes averaging 7 vids per page, assuming Shimano is the same that would be 140 vids all saying almost the same thing about bleeding brakes and thats only 2 brands so which method ?

I watched a bunch of them and came up with my own method ... get the bubbles out

[bamboocoreONLY]

This is how I read your post.





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you need help, buddy.

[Gunder]

Curious which tool did you guys chose or are looking at?

Rmsuspension option to be easily obtainable and at a price the home mechanic can probably justify.
Does the blue liquid lab guy make a whole tool or just the heads?
Laba7 looks nice but perhaps a bit spendy for me to justify cost.
Haven’t even looked but sounds like oem options are pricey

I haven’t posted on here in a while. Been busy as hell with the suspension service business I started in bellingham.


The RM version works well but I’m quickly learning switch the heads out is a time suck when you are doing lots of forks a day. The .07 version is the ticket. I’ve done a few forks that the .05 would have made it easier to work my way up to the .07 on.

I may order the laba option. Andrenali also haves a power version as well.

Next on my list is a shock dyno. And probably the Laba shaft clamp set. I got a very full set of shaft clamps but being able to change them out quicker will speed up lots of jobs

I thought I had a pretty full set of suspension tools but the more stuff I see get brought in the more I realize there is always going to be more to buy or machine myself. I need to reorganize my tool drawers yet again.

[rideit]

Are you open to having suspension sent to you for tuning? I might be interested. Strangely, there are no true pro tuning shops here in the Jackson area.

[Gunder]

Are you open to having suspension sent to you for tuning? I might be interested. Strangely, there are no true pro tuning shops here in the Jackson area.

Yes. Shoot me a DM with what you’re looking for and the serial number (and or 4 digit tune code if it’s Fox)

https://pnwsuspensionservice.com

If it’s a shim stack swap to another known tune then probably. I’m mostly doing damper rebuilds. Will be doing more custom tuning once I get a dyno, but I need to be sure there is demand for that first as the dyno is a big investment.

[jackstraw]

Could be a tool [emoji12]

[VTskibum]

Well done SRAM, this thing works great. Wasn’t a hard task before but doubles to push pistons in a bit and bleed block.



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[Vt-Freeheel]

Changed my Sram pads last week and used a couple of wood shims.

[Spencer123]

I finally invested in a set of Abby fork seal presses after hacking around with low-quality ones for years. What a difference the right tool makes! They are amazing.

The only place I wasn't prepared was for the snap ring. My five dollar snap ring pliers failed immediately making the airspring swap way harder than it should have been. Never again.

Which size of the park tool (or is there a better option) snap ring pliers work best on the rock shox airspring retaining clip? Thanks!

[Dee Hubbs]

The correct answer is Knipex. (these)
But the Park Tool RP-5 Internal 1.7mm Straight are the correct size. (or the RP-4 Internal 1.7mm 90* also work)

The RP-1 Internal 0.9 Straight is too small and fragile
The RP-2 Internal 1.3 90* could work too, but I'm not a fan of the 90* access
The RP-3 is External 1.3
RP-4 and RP-5 mentioned above.

[Spencer123]

Perfect, thank you!

The correct answer is Knipex. (these)
But the Park Tool RP-5 Internal 1.7mm Straight are the correct size. (or the RP-4 Internal 1.7mm 90* also work)

The RP-1 Internal 0.9 Straight is too small and fragile
The RP-2 Internal 1.3 90* could work too, but I'm not a fan of the 90* access
The RP-3 is External 1.3
RP-4 and RP-5 mentioned above.

[Roxtar]

Fork airspring snap ring story:
Years ago, I was doing a fork service on a Fox and couldn't get the airspring snap ring out. I could not figure out why the damn SR pliers just would not hold.
I'm staring down the barrel, getting the holes lined up perfectly, squeezing the SR pliers as hard as I could, when I heard a loud bang and found myself on the floor, blood running down my face, and my wife freaking out, asking my shop assistant, "How bad is it?!"

Yup, one of the worst/dumbest rookie mistakes you can make. In a hurry and forgot to release the air pressure. The airspring shot out like an arrow, hitting me in the forehead, right between the eyes, glanced off, hitting the ceiling and then the front window some 40' away. An inch over and it would have gone through my eye socket, killing me.
Some mistakes you don't make twice.

[SnowMachine]

Any recommendations for a good sturdy pen light? The couple different ones I've gotten at harbor freight and lowes keep crapping out on me in the shop.

Streamlight Stylus Pro. I have three. All over 5 years old. One is with me everyday. Rebuild parts are readily available. They are great lights.