Good morning, first of all I wanted to compliment you on your videos.....clear, simple and very well done. I am a mechanic and I would need to find the special tools for the Lefty Ocho fork (including the one for inserting the bearing races). Could you give me directions where to find them, or if you sell them?
great video i had to take the air sleeve on my lefty but im now having problem putting it back in it goes all the way back up but the cartage doesn't slide back in as smooth as you video do you have ant tips please
Hi @dannyharris7221 thanks for your message and support of our channel. Ok so the damper has come apart at the upper thread and not the thread on the air piston head. You will need to clamp the shaft protruding from the air piston with the 17,5mm soft jaw and unthread this off. You will then need to thread this onto the cartridge to allow the shaft to go through the upper air seal.
Awesome video Robbie! I too have been servicing my own Lefty's for many years. After doing a few complete teardowns of the Ocho, I am now hesitant because the removal process of the lower leg has a tendency to break the plastic needle bearing cage. This would be no big deal if the cage was available for purchase. I don't see where Cannondale has listed Ocho parts yet, but has anyone found another source for this bearing cage? Also, I have found that the SKF Seal MTB32F for the lower leg seems to work better if you don't want to switch from oil to grease.
Hi Frank, thanks for the feedback and advise on the seal, I will try it out and see how it works. For the parts I believe there is a shortage worldwide so they are hard to get. We do keep stock so if you need I can assist.
Awesome Video. I’ll might just wrap the stanchion with some gorilla tape before removing/installing the C-Clip. If not, I’ll just slip and scratch my lower.😂😂 Also, the outer races are of different thicknesses, so It’s crucial to put them back into the same slot they came out out of, since it might alter the bearing pre-load if not done so. Do you guys have a website, to order spares and tools needed for this job? I picked up the Leonardi Ocho tools, but it’s missing the long bullet tool. Other tools I already have, since I been riding and maintaining my Lefties since 2005. Thanks for the great video! This is THE ONLY ONE I’ve found online that explains the disassembly in depth! 🤟👏🍺
Hi Nonya Bizness, thanks for your message and support. The Ocho bearing races are different to the older lefties. The slider kits come in one size for the inner and outer races. You need to measure the size and I recommending ordering the next size up if you need to replace the sliders. The outer races are one size for all and the inners (short ones) need to be measured. If you send me an email to rbcbikes@gmail.com I will reply with the details and codes. Our website is www.rbco.co.za but we dont sell the tools.
Hi Maartin Herbst, thanks for your message and support. The first video we did shows the bearing oil replacement and the 2nd one shows how to grease the bearings. Cannondale have changed the lubrication to grease for all the new Ocho forks, the reason is the dust wiper on the lower stanction does not hold the 10ml of oil if its worn so it will sweat out and could contaminate the brakes.
Hi again Robbie, can you just please clarify do you use Silkolene 05 synthetic fork oil or the RSF 5 fluid as these have very different viscosities. Thank you!
Robbie your videos are amazing. Do you have any experience with the Racing Bros wiper seals? I have the exact same Ocho as in this video and it works way smoother using oil vs grease. Cannondale stopped putting oil in them after they had leaking problems with early versions of the fork. My factory wiper still leaks. Wondering if an upgraded seal will prevent this
thank you so much for very helpful video! I am riding Lefty for 11+ years and always did service by myself. but Ocho remained a mystery for a long time. before your video, of course) my question is about inner races thickness. all three supposed to be the same thickness, but actually one was 530µm, the second one 540 and 555µm the third one. does the placement order matter in this case? from a scientific point of view, no. since the system of three supports is self-centering and maximum displacement in my case is only 0.02mm. but it's very interesting to hear your opinion on this. thank you
Hi Robbie, great video. You mention at the start of this video that there is another video covering the disassembly of the damper and cartridge. I can't seem to find that video, only the 50hr lower leg service. Can you provide a link? Thanks
Hi 1956432 thanks for your message. there are a number of things I would look at but to confirm, ask the seller when the lefty was last serviced? If its longer than 6 months or 100 hours then I recommend a full service. But to check first look for play in the damper, push the lockout to on them try to compress the fork, if there is a open space before you feel the lockout then the damper is in need of a bleed. Hold the front wheel between your knees and twist on the handle bars, if there is side to side movement of the bars, check the wheel bearings and the fork, if the fork moves it need a service. Cracks on the lower lip seal is a clear sign as well.
Hi Robbie, from the video, seems I don't see you put the air sleeve back inside the telescope? Or it was seated inside that you didn't take it off? Thanks
Hi Michael, thanks for your message and support of the channel. I had already taken it out the air-sleeve and refitted it with the new O-rings. Special care is needed not to scratch the inside when removing this so don't want to show too much detail. Thanks for mentioning this.
@@RBC_tech cool, but do we need special tools to take and refit the air sleeve? And if the air sleeve is ok, is that ok just leave it inside if I just want to change the damper oil? Thanks Robbie😜
Hi Michael, I use a suitably sized wooden dowel to knock it out from the top and fit again from underneath. just ensure that the sleeve is pushed all the way to the end point. My recommendation is to only touch this if you need to replace the O-rings, otherwise just focus on the damper.
Hi, first I want to thank you for all these great instructional videos! Second, a couple of question: 1. I noticed you reccommend Silkolene 5wt but could I use For example the RSP 5wt Damp Champ instead? Second, in case of the 50hrs service do you see any alternatives to the small packages of "lefty lube" and "cleaning fluid"? There are no larger bottles in the RSP's own webstore with those names. for example Could I use one of the two types of "air lube" to replace the "lefty lube"? Or a biodegradable cleaner as the cleaning fluid? Cheers, K
Hi Fabio, thanks for your email and support of our channel, we can supply the bearing to you no problem. Please connect with me on rbcbikes@gmail.com with your requirements.
Hi Doug, thanks for your message and support of our channel. The vise is awesome and really cool to work with. Its not a custom vise and can be purchased from most good tool suppliers. Alternatively have someone weld your vise up with the offset jaws.
Hi Ivan, thanks for your message and support of our channel. This is a difficult procedure, the carbon in the seat tube has bonded to the alloy post and if its stuck then sometimes the frame will need to be cut to get this post out and then repaired by a carbon repair shop. you can try penetrating oil from the BB side with the bike upside down, leave it for a few days to penetrate, alternatively you can try to freeze the alloy post which will cause it to contract. If this does not work take the frame to a carbon repair shop and ask them to remove the dropper and repair the frame.
Thanks alot for the info, i was told by another, suspension company that they 2,5 wt oil for the lefty fork🤷♂️ Can you tell me what difference it would make. Thanks alot. Michael.
Hi Michael, the difference will be felt in the damping performance of the fork (Compression and rebound) . For sure if you ride in hot weather with 2,5wt there will be a drop in damping performance. I recommend the 5wt as this will allow for fluctuations in heat and also perform as the factory recommended through the heat ranges.
Hi @gezapuskas3282 thanks for your message and support of our channel. Good question, thanks for asking. The main reason is we go through so much 5wt and 10wt oil that it would not be economical to have this airfreighted to us from Austria. FUCHS is available directly from the supplier in our city so this makes it economical to keep using this supply.
Hi Graham, yes we have done quite a few of these. We do keep stock of the needle bearings. Please send me a pic of the needle carrier with measurement and I can set you up
@@romeoquita4714 Hi Romeo, thanks for your message and support of our channel. I believe the cost of sending this fork to us form the Philippines and back to you will be really expensive. I can check on the shipping but I expect it will be more than $100 each way. Can you contact a store we work with in Singapore, they can possibly assist cheaper that we can. The store is called Bike Nest, contact person is Hamzah.
It's really annoying that you don't show how to take the damper out and don't have this "previous video" you mentioned anywhere on the channel. Makes this whole video useless.
