Frozen front suspension

[evannnc]

I purchased a used specialized hardrock with the original RST gila suspention fork, but it is frozen and won't move under normal use.  I've removed the lower screws and attempted to hit it with a rubber mallet like the guy in this video does to the exact same shock, but it won't move.  I've also gotten a car jack in between the break arm of the shock and the top of the fork, and i've cranked it up. the shock lowers move about an inch but then the jack pops out and they rebound back to where they were instantly and i have to lower the jack again to get it in.  what could be holding the shocks in place like this? they don't seem to be rusted closed since they move a little.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d534ilYCaMk

[Painkiller]

not worth the hassle, the fork is not that great when it was new. Replacement is the way to go. Shocks of that caliber you can buy all day long for $100 bucks or so. RJ likes to make video's, he bought a $60 pile of crap, worked over the crap fork, got it working in some fashion but still has rusty sliders that look like crap, work like junk and still has a $60 bike. if you want a bike to go the extra mile and are keeping it. Buy a new one. The problem with bicycles with shocks is they are expensive if you want a real fork, and bikes in the $400 to even $800 and cheaper are pretty much weak and really only made for light trail use only. Then when they fail you get rid of the bike or like the bike well enough to lay down the cash to make it nice again. Then after a few years if you are lucky enough to go a few years, it will be hard to get the parts needed to service the fork. If you cannot do the service yourself if you found the parts then the hourly price of a bike shop would totally not make much sense to rebuild the fork at all vs. buying a new one. It is better to give your money to a new shock rather than towards labor for work on an old shock. The average person probably could fit a new threadless fork by themselves if they took their time. If you would like your bars up a bit higher, a new fork would allow you to make those changes also.