Lyrik 50 hour service

[lightning]

l want to do a basic 50 hour service on my 2020 Rock Shox Lyrik fork

Looking at the SRAM service sheet it all looks straightforward except for the oil quantities.

lt says "UPPER TUBE 3wt"
and
Quantity "BLEED" (no idea what that means)

LOWER TUBE 0w-30
and
Quantity "10ml"

So, does the 50 hour service just entail removing the lower part of the fork, cleaning and replacing the lower tube oil in both sides? And 10ml doesn't sound like much, l assume it's just for lubricant rather than actual damping.

 

[H.E.]

Yes you only perform the lower leg service, the oil is there to keep things lubed.
The only thing you can Bleed is afaik the dampener who gets b leedet with 3wt
but thats the dampener service (200h).

 

[Mteam]

It is just lubricating oil, they dont need much.

It's probably also worth replacing the dust wiper seals while you have the lowers off, they're usually around 30 quid.

The whole process is very straightforward,and worth doing yourself

 

[Doug Stampfer]

It is just lubricating oil, they dont need much.

It's probably also worth replacing the dust wiper seals while you have the lowers off, they're usually around 30 quid.

The whole process is very straightforward,and worth doing yourself

Yes & no Mteam. I ended up taking my lowers to the shop as getting the seals in without the proper tool or prior experience was pretty hard - 2 minute job for them & pretty easy to damage

 

[Mteam]

Yes & no Mteam. I ended up taking my lowers to the shop as getting the seals in without the proper tool or prior experience was pretty hard - 2 minute job for them & pretty easy to damage

They can be a bit tricky to get out and push new ones back in, but once you have the knack it's quite straightforward and worth learning as it means you can sort the forks out without the downtime of going to a shop.

To get the seals out I use a tyre lever to lever them out.

To get the new ones in, I use a small socket and a smallish hammer, put the socket on the edge of the seal and tap the socket in with the hammer, moving the socket around the perimeter of the seal to push it in evenly.

Or if you have a socket large enough to go over the whole seal you can just tap it in from the centre of the socket

 

[lightning]

Well, l did the 50 hour service today, it's easy so long as you have a bike stand.

There wasn't much oil left in the lowers, certainly not the 10ml that SRAM tell you to put in.

l cleaned the foam seals and soaked them in fork oil before replacing them, greased the top seals as recommended and have to say the fork feels a lot better, it's smoother and the stiction is gone.

Mind you, it was well overdue as the bike has done 3,000 miles.

lt's probably due the 200 hour service but l'm not attempting that one.

 

[Gary]

To get the new ones in, I use a small socket and a smallish hammer, put the socket on the edge of the seal and tap the socket in with the hammer, moving the socket around the perimeter of the seal to push it in evenly.

Or if you have a socket large enough to go over the whole seal you can just tap it in from the centre of the socket

The actual RS seal installation tool is fairly cheap and insures you get the seals in easily, straight and positioned correctly in seconds every time with no chance of damaging the fork or seals.

 

[SurreySteve]

Well, l did the 50 hour service today, it's easy so long as you have a bike stand.

There wasn't much oil left in the lowers, certainly not the 10ml that SRAM tell you to put in.

l cleaned the foam seals and soaked them in fork oil before replacing them, greased the top seals as recommended and have to say the fork feels a lot better, it's smoother and the stiction is gone.

Mind you, it was well overdue as the bike has done 3,000 miles.

lt's probably due the 200 hour service but l'm not attempting that one.

Now you’ve done it do it more often !!

foam rings are really cheap in big packs as are crush washers.. if you keep it clean inside there is nothing to wear seals and they last ages.
Wiper seals can be done without and you can’t damage the fork itself .. just the wiper seal .. but it’s worth buying a wiper seal tool anyway as sometimes they just seem to not want to go on and sometimes they do!!

Damper bleed isn’t difficult

given you overran the service I’d do a pro service for full then do lowers as often as you can.. then damper bleed and you’ll then be comfortable doing a full service yourself

 

[Gary]

Wiper seals can be done without and you can’t damage the fork itself

You overestimate the level of skill, patience and common sense some home mechanics actually posess.

 

[SurreySteve]

You overestimate the level of skill, patience and common sense some home mechanics actually posess.

Whilst that’s very true I find the wiper seals are a mix of knack and luck with a bunch of faff thrown in…
Not something to do to a timetable but something I’ve always managed eventually. Often being the longest part of the whole service without a wiper seal tool.
I’ve a set of 32’s on a XC bike and never bought the 32mm press and they are a pain but eventually they do go in/on

 

[Gary]

buy the tool.
Luck has nothing to do with it.

 

[SurreySteve]

buy the tool.
Luck has nothing to do with it.

So perhaps you can say how I can damage the fork not using one ?? You can potentially wreck the wiper seal bit

The tool is a complete rip off .. I’m not buying one for a set of forks I use 50hrs a year… I use one on my bigger forks as they all get a lowers service bi monthly at most and it’s worth the less faff and time saving.
incidentally fitting them using fox gold instead of sram butter makes it easier.

 

[Gary]

They're actually meant to be fitted dry. And using the correct tool it becomes a straightforward 20sec job often not even requiring a hammer. But you should know this from using the tool for your bigger fork. I'm not saying the correct tool is essential. But it does make the job far easier and way more efficient. Put it this way... If you were to buy the tool after years of using sockets you'll definitely wish you'd just bought it in the first place.
I'll let you take a wild guess as to how DIY bodgers have managed to damage their fork lowers weilding a hammer with a socket balanced on the seal.
Like I said not everyone has the same levels of skill, patience and common sense.

 

[lightning]

l am going to chip in again and say, l will do the 50 hour services myself and leave the full service to my LBS.
lt should only need a full service every couple of years, unless the damping cartridge fails or the fork starts making undue noises.

 

[AdmChr]

... fitting them using fox gold instead of sram butter makes it easier.

 

[SurreySteve]

I'll let you take a wild guess as to how DIY bodgers have managed to damage their fork lowers weilding a hammer with a socket balanced on the seal.

Fair do's I just use the palm of my hand when not using a tool... I struggle to imagine anyone sticking hard steel next to soft Mg Alloy lowers but I guess

Like I said not everyone has the same levels of skill, patience and common sense.

 

[SurreySteve]

l am going to chip in again and say, l will do the 50 hour services myself and leave the full service to my LBS.
lt should only need a full service every couple of years, unless the damping cartridge fails or the fork starts making undue noises.

The latter is mostly dependent on how often you change/clean the lowers... (bleed is a bit more time dependent but not difficult) ...
Most of the seals will stay pristine if you keep dirt out...

 

[Planemo]

Next time just use the green SKF wiper seals which are far better IMO than the stock Lyriks. Somewhat of a bonus is that they do a flanged version which unless you possess the skills of a ham fisted orang-utan, you really cant fit them wrong and neither do you need any tools to do so. Just press them in with your thumbs, the flange aligns them for you and offski you go ride.