Bicycle maintenance is a topic of keen interest these days with more DIY videos coming out showing you how to tidy your ride. Maintaining your bike and keeping it feeling new is a considerable challenge and it’s a basic DIY skill every rider should hone.
The basics include cleaning your drivetrain and keeping it lubricated. But there’s more to a bicycle than just its drivetrain. There are so many other moving parts, bearings, and bushings that also need lubrication and cleaning. These other parts are often overlooked by riders and end up costing a bomb to fix later down the road.
Today we’re going to talk about suspension care using the FINISHLINE STANCHION FLUORO OIL. Now this article only for people with suspension systems. Road bikers look away. If you’ve got an MTB or a Hybrid bike with suspension, read on.
BIKE SUSPENSION ANATOMY
Here we’re going to look primarily at stanchion care. The stanchion is the pieces of tubing that slide into your forks lowers. The stanchions internally house the air spring (or coil) as well as the damper.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Finish Line pride themselves on being the “The Lubricant Experts” for the bicycle industry. With feedback from professional cyclists and cycling enthusiasts, Finish Line was able to make sure their products were performing at a level that would not disappoint even the most demanding and most advanced cyclists.
Finish Line has an extensive line of bike care products ranging from lubes, degreasers and even bike cleaning products.
TECHNOLOGY USED
Forks wear out over time and usage. The stanchions and fork seals undergo the greatest amount of wear with constant contact with dirt and grime. These dirt particles cause micro-scratches onto the stanchion surface and fork seals which increase fork sticktion damaging the stanchion and fork seals.
The Finish Line Stanchion Fluoro Oil is a pure liquid fluoropolymer oil. It’s so slippery it even improves the surface slip of Teflon coated surfaces! Stanchion Fluoro oil will improve the performance and extend the life of your fork stanchions, eliminate fork stiction and condition your fork’s rubber seals and o-rings.
The Finish Line Stanchion Fluoro Oil is handy to use on other parts such as
- Brake pivot points
- Inner cable housing
- Spoke nipples
- Derailleur pivot points
- Rear suspension pivot points
PRODUCT TEST
The Finish Line Stanchion Fluoro Oil comes to you in a neatly packed transparent packaging. The packaging is simple and not overdone. The product’s name is clearly highlighted upfront in bold and inside you can see the small bottle of Stanchion oil.
Along with the bottle of oil, you also receive a small micro-fiber cloth and a nozzle for a more accurate product application.
The bottle should last you a long time depending on riding and usage. Using the Finish Line Stanchion Fluoro Oil is a simple affair. Start by wiping off any heavy contaminants or debris on the stanchion with a soft, clean microfiber cloth. Wet the stanchion if required. Next, dry the stanchion and attach the nozzle to the bottle and. Then proceed to directly apply a light amount of oil to the stanchion. Wait for a few seconds and wipe off any excess oil. Compress the fork using downward pressure from the handlebar and you will notice that the oil also cleans the embedded dirt within the seals.
Wipe away any visible dirt off the stanchions before you apply a second coat. Let some oil seep down to the fork dust cap and below.
Let the fork rest idle for about 2-3 hours. This will allow the oil to fully reach the insides and moisten the seals. The stanchion will also be coated with a protective layer that will aid in resistance free suspension travel.
This coating will last you about 30-40 riding hours depending on riding conditions.
EFFECTIVENESS
The following day, I went out for a trail ride to see if the stanchion oil actually worked. To my surprise, I found an immediate difference in the way the suspension compressed when I sat on the bike. The suspension no longer felt “grippy” but felt smooth and plush.
Out on the trails, the fork felt a lot more compliant and responsive than before. I like riding fast, flowy and bumpy tracks with the rebound kept on the faster side and I felt a definite improvement in ride quality.
FINAL VERDICT
Riders claim to use normal chain lube for the stanchions but it’s not really what I recommend. Chain lube attracts more gunk on a ride and end up making fork travel sluggish. Using alternatives like WD40 and degreasers are also a bad idea as they dry out lubricants and could damage the seals and internal wipers. Sticking to fork specific oils is definitely what I recommend on your fork.
Please note – Fork service intervals by professional bicycle mechanics at your local bike shop are a critical requirement as this product is not a servicing replacement. It’s just additional DIY care to ensure your fork efficiency and longevity.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CYCLING
I’m an avid mountain biker and I like riding fast and flowy singletrack. As I keep riding, I continuously work on honing my riding skills. I like to ride whenever possible, especially with friends. I also like to influence folk into getting to ride more often.
Working on bicycles has also been a keen interest of mine for quite some time.
DISCIPLINE: Mountain biking and Road biking
CURRENT BIKE: Merida One Twenty 9.600 & Specialized Allez Elite DSW
DREAM BIKE: Santa Cruz 5010
