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Custom tune, damping upgrades or expensive curl conversions. The marketplace for fork tuning is large and tricky to navigate. I of the cheapest and virtually constructive upgrades for an older SoloAir RockShox fork is the DebonAir spring. We'll guide you through the upgrade step by step to help you bring a noticeable improvement to the operation of your fork.

Larger negative air chambers are all the rage, whether as an aftermarket upgrade or equally a feature in the latest forks. The larger chamber is supposed to improve the responsiveness of the fork and also go along information technology higher in its travel. That means significantly more grip and less arm pump on the trail. Last year, RockShox unveiled the new DebonAir spring in their high-end PIKE, Lyrik and Boxxer models. After many hours on bikes with the new and the erstwhile air springs, we can say: The DebonAir spring actually delivers a significant performance boost compared to the SoloAir. The best part: you tin can upgrade your SoloAir forks (all 35 mm single crown forks from RockShox) to the DebonAir system at dwelling house for equally little as € 47. If you desire to, you can also use the opportunity to change the travel on your fork or go ahead and give information technology a small service while you lot're at it. Our step-by-step guide will show you how to go almost it and what to look out for.

Earlier we go into the depths of your fork, there are three things that you lot need to keep in heed for your own safety:

The geometry of your bike is designed around a specific axle to crown fork length. If you change the travel with the new air bound, you lot will also change the length of the fork. Past doing so, you can experiment with the geometry of your bike. A longer fork will bring up the front end and slacken the head angle. Only beware: your frame is merely certified up to a certain corporeality of travel. Check the basic specs of your frame beforehand.
Cool, so I can now I can run my PIKE with 180 mm travel! No, you tin't. Depending on the twelvemonth and exact model at that place are limitations here. You lot should run a maximum of 160 mm travel on the PIKE and Revelation forks. Lyriks and Yaris (afterward 2016) volition go up to 180 mm without issues. Of course, you tin likewise reduce the travel. But let'south face it, who wants less travel?
Lookout out for the spacers. And past that we don't mean the spacers nether your stalk that become rolling around the workshop equally yous take out the fork. We're talking nearly the volume spacers in the air chamber. Changing the travel also changes the maximum number of spacers that fit into the air chamber. You can detect a tabular array listing the details on sram.com. With a larger negative air chamber, y'all can usually reduce the number of book spacers needed in your fork.

Safety start

Unfortunately, we don't quite live up to our function as part models here. Rather play it safe and use gloves and goggles, specially when opening up a fork for the start time.

Tools needed

Surely you lot need special tools? Unfortunately yes, no affair if yous're working on your fork or shock. Sure, y'all could find most of the tools to do the basic work on your suspension in Grandpa's quondam toolbox in the attic, but you'll need a few special tools when replacing the air jump. If you plan on doing more in-depth work on your suspension at home, you will definitely need the right tools for the chore.

With a special suspension toolbox, such as our Unior Pause Service Ready, you'll have every tool you need – of class, it's overkill for the boilerplate home mechanic.

If you're just going to supercede the air leap this in one case, delight don't go out and buy a special tool kit. You lot tin go a syringe at the pharmacy, and instead of the selection, y'all can utilize a very small Allen key or a toothpick. And if you don't accept a rubber mallet, you can use a piece of soft forest to place between the object you're hammering and the hammer. In that location'south no getting around the internal retaining band pliers though. Without them, you won't be able to remove the air leap and exchanged information technology.

five mm Allen central | 2.five mm Allen key | Rubber mallet | Internal retaining band | pliers | Choice/toothpick | Syringe | Daze pump

Replacing the air spring stride-past-step

1. Removing the fork

If you desire to do it the quick and dirty manner, you lot can plow your wheel upside downwards and change the air jump with the fork still on the bike. Brakes don't go along with fork oil though. We would definitely suggest inexperienced mechanics to remove the fork and clamp the steerer tube in a work stand.

2. Permit out the air

The next step is critical for your rubber! If you don't know your air pressure level, but attach the shock pump and notation the indicated pressure. Then allow out all of the air, and nosotros hateful all of it! If y'all know your air pressure, want to change the travel of your fork or want to effort a new ready-up anyhow, you tin too vent the air with an Allen central. To be absolutely sure, remove the valve cadre.

Tip: once you've let out the air, wheel the fork through its travel to release the air from the negative air sleeping accommodation as well.

Tip: for the quickest mode to get back to your original setup, make a note of the number of rebound and compression clicks.

three. Removing the lower fork legs

You lot volition discover two bolts on the bottom of the fork that hold the fork together. The cherry-red rebound adjuster knob covers the bolt on the damping side of the fork. This might wait dissimilar, depending on the model of your fork. If the adjuster knob is attached with a grub screw, loosen it with the 2.5 mm Allen fundamental a few turns and pull the knob off with your hand. If your adjuster has no screw, it is clamped on and you can pry it off carefully with a apartment-caput screwdriver.

Loosen the ii bolts on the bottom of the fork with the 5mm Allen primal well-nigh half way (four to five turns), and then they stand off from the lower fork legs but are all the same well within the thread.

Now grab your rubber mallet and hit the bolt heads until they come up up against the casting. This should have dislodged the air and damper shafts from the legs. Now you tin remove the bolts. To avoid the oil from spilling out, tilt the bottom of the fork upwards.

Tip: if your hammer is besides big and you lot tin can't hit the bolts, use the 5mm Allen key as an "extension".

Close both holes with a fleck of tape. This makes it easier for y'all to drain the erstwhile oil without spilling it all over your workshop floor.

Tilt the fork back down and pull off the lower legs. There will be a niggling oil within the legs. Empty information technology into a bucket and dispose of it properly at a later stage (the kitchen sink is not the right identify to get rid of erstwhile oil!). Wipe abroad any remaining oil with a clean rag.

4. Removing the old air spring

If you've made it this far – well done! Things get a bit trickier when removing the old air spring. It is important that y'all do not harm the air bound and damping shafts. These are the 2 silver rods protruding from the stanchions.

This is where it gets tricky. Hopefully, y'all did a amend job of removing the air than nosotros did. Which is why we needed a hammer. Of form, this isn't the proper mode of doing it and nosotros wouldn't recommend doing the same at dwelling house. The correct manner: using a flat-head screwdriver or your Allen primal, push the SoloAir seal head tab (the blackness disc) into the stanchions and rotate the trivial "nose" and so it sits nether the retaining ring.

With the tips of the retaining ring pliers in the eyelets of the retaining ring, y'all tin can easily compress the ring and pull it out. Be careful not to scratch the air shaft! The retaining ring is extremely strong. You lot volition take to use retaining ring pliers. Believe usa, we've tried removing it with a apartment-caput screwdriver and failed miserably.

Your old air bound should now be loose in the stanchion. Firmly grip the shaft with both hands, push it into the stanchions slightly and and so give it a house tug to pull it out.

Tip: if you simply can't concur on to the shaft, spiral the 5 mm Allen bolt back into the shaft and wrap a material around the shaft and bolt. That will give you lot a better grip.

Now you've got to clean everything: using isopropyl alcohol, a clean material and a long dowel, wipe downwardly the inside of the stanchion. In one case you've cleaned everything you lot tin re-grease it with fresh fork grease.

v. Installing the DebonAir spring

There's more than to the new DebonAir spring than the reddish colour. The seals accept been improved and, to a higher place all, it has a significantly larger negative sleeping room for a noticeable heave in operation.

With clean fingers (and gloves), apply a liberal amount of RockShox seal grease on the seals, o-rings, and the air shaft

Insert the new air piston into the stanchion until the red seal head is firmly in place and y'all tin can't push button information technology in any further

Pay attention non to scratch the air shaft when reinserting the retaining ring. Compress the retaining ring with the retaining ring pliers and slot it into the designated groove.

Tip: the retaining is properly seated in the groove when yous can easily turn it with a screwdriver.

6. Now give your fork a little beloved

Seeing as yous've already dismantled your fork, you might as well give it a "small" service.

Using the pick or toothpick, remove the foam rings beneath the dust wiper seals

As you can conspicuously see, the foam rings, normally fair, have collected a lot of dirt. Spray them with isopropyl alcohol and carefully dab them with a cloth. Side by side, clean the inside of the lower legs.

Soak the clean rings in a flake of fresh fork oil.

Tip: we always use the bottle cap from our cleaning spray.

Once the rings are soaked through, you can insert them dorsum into the legs. Important: the rings can twist very easily when y'all insert them. Make sure the rings fit snugly in their slot without being creased or twisted.

Check the dust seals. Inspect them for damage. If they are brittle and croaky, they need replacing. If – equally in our example – the seals are yet ok, coat them liberally with fork grease. On the inside, of course, just be careful not to get whatsoever grease on the foam rings!

seven. Fitting the lower legs

Those rings were not in my upgrade kit?! These are the metal rings of the dust wiper seals. We discover it'south easier to button the legs onto the stanchions without them on the seals, which is the adjacent step.

Make certain the legs are the right style around and that the dust wiper seals don't fold over as you push button on the legs. Push the legs onto the stanchions so that they're firmly in place but non yet touching the spring and damper shafts.

Tip: apply a little oil to the cease of the stanchions with your fingers to permit the legs to slide on more easily.

Now you can play doctor. Fill the syringe with 10 ml fork oil and inject the oil into the air spring side through the hole in the lesser of the leg. Note: some forks merely need five ml of oil on the damping side, others x ml. Fortunately, the exact amount is printed on the 5 mm damping side bolt. If not, the same applies hither as on the spring side. If in doubt, cheque the correct amount of oil in the RockShox service manual.

Grab the matching bolts (the one with the hole on the damping side!) And your 5mm Allen key or your torque wrench and tighten both bolts. Remember: don't over-tighten. If yous take a torque wrench, set it to seven Nm. (In instance of dubiety: e'er bank check the service transmission!)

Now adhere the rebound adjuster and …

… slide the metallic rings of the dust wiper seals into place

Adhere the shock pump, adjust the air pressure, put the fork dorsum onto the bike, and done!

More than information at: SRAM.com
For this story nosotros used tools from Unior.

Words: Felix Stix Photos: Christoph Bayer

Near the author

Felix is main of testing and undoubtedly one of the best test riders in the world. With a caste in sports applied science, excellent mountain bike skills, his love of technology and every bit a certified bike guide, Felix has everything it takes to make comprehensive and fair assessments of bikes. His legendary group tests are internationally known and feared, though they tend to exist a bit longer due to his love of detail and technical deep dives. Every year, he reviews around 100 bikes, specialising in the subject of tires, motors and intermission, before putting on his skis come winter! His know-how is incorporated into each of our reviews, ensuring the quality of our work stays loftier!