I just found your channel and it the material is great. One thing to note - when you sing a crow foot on a torque wrench the wrench should be 90 degrees to the crow foot then torque. If you leave it straight then the extra length of the crow foot adds extra length and therefor a lever. The torque being placed on the item will be higher than your wrench indicates. Thanks for the videos.
Thanks for the comment. YUP! when I started the channel I would forget about little details like this because I was so consumed with the recording portion. I'm just glad there are people out there to remind me of these details in order to remember them for future videos. 👍
Excellent video, finally get what this to/fro thing is about to bleed the thing....I've got 2017 Pikes (RC) that have done 3000 miles(on an E-MTB so 200hrs x 15mph!). Only ever done 1 lower leg oil/foam ring change on them but just got a debonair "upgrade" (2019/20?) air shaft to take it up to 140mm and have just got all the rest of the kit to overhaul the forks completely both sides (I've done full rebuilds of Tora/Recon race in the past)...Might sound a bit slack of me but I run full RRP mudguards so the forks have remained pristine from the outside. Just need a few tools (24/30mm sockets, borrowed them before from work but no longer there), is the 23mm crows foot really attachment necessary for the seal head or can it be done "sensibly" tight ? The 2014-17 manual also has the oil being filled into the open tube end before inserting the damper rod, yet bled from the top of the fork like how you have done...seems it would make more sense to assemble it then fill it from the top through the syringe like you have through the bleed port? The damper kit comes with a new bladder but that looks like a bit of a nightmare job to change so will probably leave it at draining the oil, and a new seal head...I don't fancy cleaning it out with IPA either as it says it needs to be 100% dry after before refilling and I don't have an air line etc....maybe make that call when I see how manky the oil is....!!
Thank you very much for the comment and for watching the video. But man, does this video look archaic. I'll redo it with the new setup so it's clearer for you next time. 👍 The seal head can be torqued by hand, but we all have a tendency to over torque nuts and bolts. It is a natural response, as it makes us feel safer in some way. But the reality is that we increase the chances of damaging threads by doing so. If you plan on doing it by hand, I would say hand tight, not fist tight. Hand tight is where you use the hand as a whole for leverage, almost like an extension of a tool such as a channel lock. Whereas, fist tight is where you use your hand plus add extra pressure by squeezing your fist at the same time. This can put out a lot of power and will far exceed the 5.5 nm's this part needs. Hopefully, this makes sense. There are multiple ways to bleed the damper. I prefer filling it with a syringe. It takes longer overall than filling the tube before shaft installation, which is how I used to do it years ago, until this one day when I made a HUGE mess by mistake. Though it takes a bit longer, I find the syringe method to be the cleanest method for the charger 2 and 2.1 dampers. But that's just me. As long as you reach your ultimate goal, which is to remove all air from the system, either way will work. 👍 I wouldn't bother with the bladder. The compression stacks on the 2 and 2.1 don't have that many seals. I believe it's 2, if memory serves me correctly. If they fail, they will do so catastrophically (same goes for the bladder), and you will absolutely know something is wrong. I've changed them before. Bit of a pita imo, and not needed unless they fail. You'll save yourself a headache by skipping this. The rest of the job is easy. Just take your time with the bleed. Best to do it on a day when you don't feel rushed.
Nice video, I was wondering if you would do a lockout test at the very end, Rockshox procedure says you should only have 2mm of compression, but I alwasys had more and never the fully 'locked' feeling. I rebleeded over and over, never saw any air bubbles, but still failed to have the fully locked damper.
Thanks for the comment. Just so I'm clear, you're saying that the damper is out of the shock, and done with a bleed, and you can compress it more than a few mm using only your hands when in lock out mode? It should be very difficult to compress it in your hand. But, when you put the fork back on the bike and use your body weight, lockout mode will still be stiff, but there will be movement. Oil will creep through the compression stack but VERY slow. Lock out mode stiffens the fork/shocks during quick impacts, is all. But with steady pressure over time, there will be some play. But if you're able to compress the damper more than a few mm using only your hands when giving it a quick jolt, then something might be off with your compression stack. Let me know on the above
@ZoubTube Thanks for your Quick reply. Correct interpretation, the damper was out of the fork. The reason why I did the 200h service was especially to improve my lockout as he wasn't as firm as before I. It wqs rock solid in the beginning and I like it like that. I followed the 200h service procedure step by step but no improvement was felt.
@@Joekke26 When bled correctly the damper should be solid in lockout mode. especially if your only using your hands to compress it. It should feel stiff and be difficult to move and should only move very slowly if constant pressure is being applied as oil will slowly creep though. lockout mode does nothing more than than block flow ports in what basically a valve. If memory serves me correct, the lockout mechanism in the charger 2.* uses a shaft to push down on a plate. the plate has an o'ring around it. IF the o'ring is out of place by even a hair you will not get full lockout, the more it off, the less the lock out. This is assuming there is nothing wrong with the actual lockout mechanism on top. Not saying this is the issue, but it could be.
@ZoubTube Thanks again for your reply. I know the O ring you are mentioning. I found another youtube movie of a person who replaced the bladder and in a slit second he mentioned that Oring. I will first try a re bleed because I wasn't very fond on dismounting the bladder.
@@Joekke26 Agree, removing the damper on the charger 2 is a bit of a PITA. They should have made it a bit more friendly like the FIT 4. but it might prove to the the only alternative. Keep us updated if you can. It would be interesting to know what resolves the issue 👍
Can I just pull the damper and drain the oil and put new oil and bleed the fork, without changing the seal head. I'm going on a trip in a week and dont have time for a kit to come in
Yup! 2 thing to lookout for. if the shaft has significant lateral play, then the seal on the seal head is wearing or worn. If you find that air bubbles keep on appearing, then again, it's most likely the seal on the seal head thats worn and letting air creep in. Chances are that you won't experience both of these issues but you might. If you do, you can fix it when your back from your trip. Take your time with the bleed and you will be fine. Enjoy your trip 👍
Sure. just check to make sure the shaft doesn't have to much lateral play or stick when moving it up and down. if it does then its time to change the seals as air will easily get inside.
Apologies for the delay. Yes, the tips are the same. if you decide to use a current syringe tip you use for your brakes, make sure to clean it real well between uses
I made the tool. You can buy the parts are your local hardware store. Itss a M8 bolt with a couple of fenders washer and a nut. should cost you about $1 - $3. it helps with having a better grip for more control on the damper shaft. 👍
Assuming you mean rebound head, not really. If there is a lot of play on the damper rod then its a sign that the seal in the rebound head is wearing, otherwise the damper can be bled as is if you think there might be air in it without changing anything
The best way to be sure is to go to the following link and put in your fork serial number so you can be sure on which pike chassis you have. trailhead.rockshox.com/en/search/ once you have the answer, match the the chassis to one of the following 200 hour seal kits, assuming you have a 2018/19 fork with a charger 2.0 damper PIKE RCT3/RCT/RC B1-B2 (2018-2019) 200h 00.4315.032.646 200 HOUR/1 YEAR SERVICE KIT (INCLUDES DUST SEALS, FOAM RINGS, O-RING SEALS, CHARGER 2 SEALHEAD, DEBONAIR SEALS) - PIKE B1 (2018) 200h 00.4315.032.647 200 HOUR/1 YEAR SERVICE KIT (INCLUDES DUST SEALS, FOAM RINGS, O-RING SEALS, CHARGER 2 SEALHEAD, DUAL POSITION SEALS) - PIKE B1 (2018+) 200h 00.4318.025.020 200 HOUR/1 YEAR SERVICE KIT (INCLUDES DUST SEALS, FOAM RINGS, O-RING SEALS, CHARGER 2 SEALHEAD, ALUMINUM DEBONAIR SEALHEAD) - PIKE B2/LYRIK RC2 C1 (2019+) 200h 00.4315.032.645 200 HOUR/1 YEAR SERVICE KIT (INCLUDES DUST SEALS, FOAM RINGS, O-RING SEALS, CHARGER 2 SEALHEAD, DUAL POSITION SEALS) - LYRIK B1/PIKE 29+ (2018+) Let me know if you still need help with this
where dit you get the seal head with glide ring and top cap? I was only able to find the seal head alone. 200h service kit for does not contain those parts at all
I got the parts from the 200 hr kit. I serviced a whole fork, but since I serviced a very similar fork just before this I figured I'd record just the damper service so people can feel more confident knowing that its the same process between the charger 2.0 and 2.1. The plan moving forward is to create full video each time though based on make, model, year etc. I'm finding people feel more comfortable following a guide when they know its the same version of product they own, which I totally understand. 👍
Rockshox recommends 3wt oil for the charger 2.0 and 2.1. if your referencing to FOX blue 5wt I'd say there are two unknowns, 1: damper response with a thicker oil. I wouldn't expect this to be overly significant but I'm sure noticeable. The bigger unknown is if the FOX oil has additives that might impact the seals negatively over the long term. Personally, I'd stick with the 3wt.
Jesus Christ, is the Charger 2, 2.1 really that much better than a RCT3 MoCo? This service routine is way too tedious. I was thinking into upgrading with the charger 2 kit, but man I just can't see me doing this every 200hrs.
It's' actually not all that bad. Rockshox did a great job making the damper service as simple as possible imo (take a look as some of my Fox Damper service videos, definitely more involved). The bleed is the longest part based on how finicky you are. I like putting the extra time to make sure the damper is fully air free. Personally, I like the charger dampers more than motion control, which i've owned. As I mention in the videos, You always have the option to send the fork to Rockshox to service, nothing wrong with doing so. but I highly recommend sticking to the 200 hours service schedule. seals wear, which really negatively impacts the feel of a fork (as well as shocks)
Unfortunately not (assuming you mean the original charger) The bleed process is significantly different and a bit trickier than the 2.0/2.1 imo. what sucks is that I had one for years and sold it last fall, before making videos was even a thought. Definitely needs it own video. I'm sure I'll come across one this fall or winter that'll need to be serviced and I'll make a video. Sorry I couldn't be of more help to you
Thats what I was thinking. Saw there is an upgrade kit to charger 2, and wanted to learn if the service was same level or easier (you know, by it being newer) but watching this video just made me think into quiting mtb altogether.
@@JoseMaloof I plan on redoing this video (as well a few other video of my first videos) to make this more clear and easier to follow. The job is actually not all that bad, and the outcome with worth every minute spent. I'll try and do a better job with the updated videos thanks for watching though
