New (to me) bike, but suspension is shot

[rpalmertree]

Hi all, my father in law recently let me use his older model Trek 9800 bike.

I aired up the tires, and replaced the chain but when I took it out for a test run something wasn't right. It was riding way too hard.

So after some research and inspection I found that the front shocks were totally hosed.

The bike uses a Judy XC front end, from what I can find the Judy series really were not that great to begin with. So if I have to spend money to rebuild/repair would I be better off getting a more modern fork for the bike off of eBay or something?

Not really sure what direction I need to go with it because I am a total noob.

Thanks for suggestions.

Ryan

[GeorgeET]

From what I found this is a high end carbon bike and definitely worth fixing up. The shock seem rebuildable so you can do it or send it to a rebuilder. Getting a replacement fork needs some knowledge to get the right size one. Also doable. Its all good and worth doing. Contact Rock Shocks and see if they offer rebuilds or talk to your local bike dealer as removal of fork takes some knowledge.

Do not know why you found the ride so harsh as lots of bikes have rigid forks.I think of harsh as being stiff so maybe its corroded and stock if by harsh you mean bouncy and bottoming out than maybe it needs to be pumped up with air. Do not know if this shock uses air or springs or elastic. Check what kind of shock it is. Were you riding off road?

http://www.mtb-kataloge.de/Bikekataloge/PDF/Manuals/judyxc.pdf

[Bill]

(10-17-2010, 07:01 PM)rpalmertree Wrote:  Hi all, my father in law recently let me use his older model Trek 9800 bike.

I aired up the tires, and replaced the chain but when I took it out for a test run something wasn't right. It was riding way too hard.

So after some research and inspection I found that the front shocks were totally hosed.

The bike uses a Judy XC front end, from what I can find the Judy series really were not that great to begin with. So if I have to spend money to rebuild/repair would I be better off getting a more modern fork for the bike off of eBay or something?

Not really sure what direction I need to go with it because I am a total noob.

Thanks for suggestions.

Ryan

Go with getting a new one trying to repair front shock is an advanced job! And sometimes dangerous I add.

[rpalmertree]

"Do not know why you found the ride so harsh as lots of bikes have ridgid forks.I think of harsh as being stiff so maybe its corroded and stock if by harsh you mean bouncy and bottoming out than maybe it needs to be pumped up with air. Check what kind of shock it is. Were you riding off road?"

I did go off road some, and the I later found out that the harshness was the suspension bottoming out, if it were rigid I think it would not have been an bad at all.

And I think that rebuilding at this point is out of the picture, I simply don't have the tools or experience to do it. Same with getting a new fork, I think I am going to drop it by a local bike pro and see what they will charge to rebuild/replace.

If the suspension is not working at all, are there any chances of damage with riding it as is (or until I get it fixed)?

Thanks for all of the responses!

[Bill]

The only thing I would think that it would hurt is the stress of it bottoming out and putting pressure on the front wheel axle?? If it is only when you go off road and ya take it easy it would be "ok" if you were riding it to the shop.

[GeorgeET]

Its always good to add your location to your bio as local people can help you best sometimes. As far as the shock bottoming out like i said see if it uses a air pump like some shocks did to stiffen it up or a elastic cartridge that could have disintegrated.
Yes for taking it to a dealer its worth it.

AS far as riding it as is if the fork is flat its no fun. Get it fixed.

[rpalmertree]

I took it to the dealer and they replaced the fork with a Tora TK3, I have to say I'm impressed with the preformance of the fork. It was a like a night and day difference.

But while riding up a small (i can't stress this enough small) hill I heard a crack.

Upon further inspection the carbon frame cracked on the rear left arm that connects to the bottom bracket. I'm thinking there was a small crack there to begin with more than likely.

A repair is going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 - 600 bucks, so i think I'm going to gut the bike, and purchase a newer frame and just transplant the existing parts. Looking at the fork that was recently purchased I think it should fit on most anything.

The actual broken frame is getting hung up, I have some ideas for it, but I'm going to wait until I have some additional skills under my belt before I go messing with custom carbon stuff.

For the most part are parts interchangeable (ie standard sizes for the bottom bracket)

I figured I could turn this into more of a hobby than anything else, just wanting to learn more about bikes and what not.