10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork TravelAugust 12th, 2010 [print] Go to comments
SR Suntour ships its SF9 Epicon RLD and Axon RLD forks with 100mm of travel, however, both can beadjusted to 80mm, 120mm, or 140mm if you need more or less travel. For this How-To, I’m using my 2009Epicon RLD, but the Axon’s travel is adjusted the same way. The only difference between the two is howmuch torque you use when tightening the lower bolts during re-assembly, so pay attention to that part.
First, you’re going to need a few things:
– 5mm and 8mm Allen wrenches (or 8mm & 10mm for the Axon)– large adjustable wrench– rubber mallet or dead-blow hammer– grease– fork air pump– in-lb torque wrench with 5mm and 8mm bits (or 8mm & 10mm for the Axon)– various shop towels– hammer– pin driver– bench vise or something similar
** Don’t even bother with this if you don’t have all the above tools already at hand, unless you want to endup with a (partially) disassembled fork, broken parts, and a bike that can’t be ridden until you have it putback together again.
As I mentioned, my Epicon came with 100mm of travel. It raised the front end of my bike about 1.5" overmy rigid fork, slowing cornering response. I ended up lowering it to 80mm, and I’ve been riding it like thatfor the past few months. After my little flight over the handlebars last week, though, I thought I’d raise it
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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again, giving me less of a forward-leaning stance, and perhaps lessening my chances of that happeningagain. Besides, I’m close to giving this fork a full review, and I figured it’d be better to try it at differenttravel lengths to see how it performs overall.
Instead of going back to 100mm, I decided to go to 120mm, which is the most amount of fork travel I’veever had (as a long-time XC rider, I spent about a decade at 80mm, or on a rigid fork). My frame camestock with a 100mm fork, so going to 120mm adds some stress, but not so much that the frame can’t take it. However, I think 140mm would be pushing it a bit much, and I don’t want to take a chance with snappingmy head tube.
Here’s the fork before I took it apart, still set at 80mm of travel.
First thing first, clean the fork as well as possible. I also took it off my bike to make the process easier, andI’d suggest the same for you. Cleaning it will keep dirt from finding its way into the fork lowers, whichcould result in scratched stanchions later. Make it shine before you even touch it with a wrench! Pay extraattention to the seals around the stanchions, since a lot of dirt and grime collects in that area. Removing dirtwill also make it easier for you to inspect every part, because it anything is excessively worn, now would bethe time to order some new parts.
Next, we need to remove the air, so take off the top cap on the left side of the crown, and use a ball-endAllen wrench (or whatever you have) to depress the valve.
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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With the air chamber empty, the stanchions will slide into the lowers.
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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Flip the fork upside-down, and pull out the rebound adjustment knob. You can use a pair of needle-nosedpliers, or just grab it with your fingers and pull. It’s pressure-fit, so it should just pop out.
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If you look into where you just pulled the adjustment knob out of, you’ll see a recess for an 8mm Allenwrench. You’ll need to back this bolt out just a few turns, but not all the way.
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Next, grab your 5mm Allen wrench, and back the bolt on the other leg out about the same amount. Remember, the 5mm bolt has a washer on it, so don’t lose it!
Now, using a rubber mallet or soft dead-blow hammer, tap lightly but firmly, on both of the bolts you justloosened.
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Tapping the bolts forces the internal seals to break loose, so you can now slide the stanchions out of thelowers. Set them on a surface where they won’t get scratched.
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Next, grab your large adjustable wrench and loosen the aluminum nut on the bottom of the left stanchion. I’m making a point to tell you it’s aluminum so you don’t destroy it with your steel wrench. It’s prettytight, so keep yourself stable and make sure the wrench is adjusted as tight around it as possible. Roundingthe edges off would pretty much entirely suck, so use some common sense here.
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This is what it looks like with the aluminum nut removed:
Keep in mind, this thing is full of grease (fortunately, not the drippy kind), and it’ll pretty much get all over
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you, even if you’re careful about handling it. Don’t wipe any of it off, and you won’t need to add any whenyou re-assemble it later.
Take the damper assembly out of the stanchion and lay it somewhere it won’t get damaged.
Like I said, I have it on the 80mm setting. The next photo shows you your travel options. I know, it seemscounter intuitive that the further you get from the wide end, the shorter the travel is, but I guarantee this isright.
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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Okay, now the shitty part begins… and you thought this was all going to be a walk in the park. You’ll haveto improvise in whatever manner you can, but I place the damper assembly in a bench vise, surrounded by arubbery, non-marking jacket that won’t damage it. I’ve always accomplished this one-handed, but if youhave someone around who will hold it while you hammer away at it, it’ll be a huge help.
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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Using your pin driver and a hammer, gently tap the pin all the way out. It’s tiny, so it’ll probably fall intothe depths of hell under your workbench if you’re not careful, so keep an eye on it. Tap straight down, anddon’t let the damper rotate on you. Having someone hold it steady will really help a lot at this point. Thatdamper rod is aluminum, so if you whack it with your steel hammer, there’s a good chance you’ll dent orcrack it.
Here’s the pin that you’re trying to knock out. It’s a split design, which compresses when you tap it into thehole in the damper rod. I’m sure there’s a name for it, but I have no idea what it is. All I know is, it’s abitch to get out.
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With the pin out, you can slide the spring holder to whichever position you like (I chose 120mm).
Make sure you line the spring holder up perfectly with the hole. Otherwise, when you go to hammer the pin
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back in place, you might be off a little, and dent the (soft aluminum) damper rod with the (harder) steel pin. This time, feel free to skip the vise, and just place the assembly on some soft wood, like a workbench top. Using a normal hammer, gently tap the pin until it’s flush with the edge of the spring holder, and then finishhitting it in deeper using your pin driver.
When you’re all done, slide the spring assembly up to meet the holder, and it’s ready to go back inside thestanchion.
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Thread the aluminum nut back in by hand (lightly grease the threads first), then use your adjustable wrenchto tighten it down. SR Suntour doesn’t give a torque spec for this, so just snug it down tight, but don’t gooverboard.
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If you haven’t already, then now is a good time to clean those bushings/seals off as much as possible. Whenyou have them entirely clean, apply some grease to the insides. I just used Park Polylube 1000, but SRSuntour has some stuff called ConPanna that they recommend. However, the Polylube will work fine if youdon’t have access to any ConPanna.
Now, just gently slide the stanchions back into the lowers, being very careful to get the threads on thebottom of the stanchions lined up with the bolt holes on the bottom of the lowers. If you don’t have themlined up well, you risk cross-threading the bolts and destroying the aluminum threads. Tighten down byhand, or use the long end of an Allen wrench, being very careful to keep the threads lined up.
***SR Suntour recommends adding a tiny bit of air to the left stanchion, and then pulling both dampingrods out to full extension before inserting them back into the lowers. I tried this the first time around, and itjust made it more difficult for me to line things up. This time around, I didn’t bother, and the threads linedup perfectly on the first try. Go figure .
Once the bolts are hand tight (and I mean, just barely), you need to finish them off with a torque wrench.
Torque specs – Epicon:
5mm bolt – 88 lb/in (10Nm +/- 1Nm)8mm bolt – 53 lb/in (6Nm +/- 1Nm)
Torque specs – Axon:
10mm bolt – 35 lb/in (4Nm +/- 1Nm)8mm bolt – 53 lb/in (6Nm +/- 1Nm)
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Now all that’s left is putting the rebound adjuster knob back in, then adding your preferred amount of airpressure.
Click for larger image
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As is typical with air-sprung forks, you’ll have to add air in increments, occasionally stopping to pull thecrown away from the lowers. This will cause the air pressure to drop, so you’ll have to pump some more toget it back to where you want. After a little trial and error, you’ll have the fork fully extended, and the airpressure will stay where you want it. SR Suntour recommends a MAX 180psi no matter what your bodyweight.
All finished, with 40mm more travel than before!
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Time to mount it back on your bike, attach the remote lock-out, and go for a test ride.
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As you can see, it’s really not that big of a job. Sure, it’s not as easy to adjust as a Rock Shox fork with U-Turn, but it’s probably the silkiest fork you’re going to get for the price.
I’ve already had a long ride on the fork in the 120mm travel setting and absolutely loved it. I’m moreimpressed with this fork than ever before, so expect a review in the coming days/weeks.
Related posts:
1. Mosso Aluminum Rigid Fork Review2. eXotic Carbon Rigid Fork Review3. The Rigid Fork Rides Again
Categories: How To Tags: forkComments (19) Trackbacks (1) Leave a comment Trackback
1. mike rodAugust 21st, 2010 at 06:04 | #1
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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Reply | Quote
Great Job. I have the SRMAG 32 and its the OEM Epicon and have had a hard time finding any infolike this. I have had it for 12 months and it is very silky.
2. magsobDecember 29th, 2010 at 04:02 | #2Reply | Quote
hi,
i would like ask, if i bought the 120mm Epicon..still can adjust the travel to 100mm or 140mm right?
TQ
3. AaronDecember 29th, 2010 at 04:36 | #3Reply | Quote
magsob, so far as I know, all Epicons have the same travel adjustment.
4. magsobDecember 31st, 2010 at 11:28 | #4Reply | Quote
ok TQ..1 more things, my epicon have the red knob (rebound adjust) at the right side of theepicon..so, any idea how to take out the red knob from the body so that i can adjust the travel.
5. AaronDecember 31st, 2010 at 11:33 | #5Reply | Quote
I believe that red knob is simply press-fit, just like the silver knob on my fork. Grab it with someneedle-nose pliers and pull on it.
6. Paul KoetzlerFebruary 28th, 2011 at 07:38 | #6Reply | Quote
10/26/12 9:57 PMGearInches.com » How to Adjust Epicon / Axon Fork Travel
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Thumbs up. Thanks for Photo-Manual.
7. robertMarch 9th, 2011 at 22:52 | #7Reply | Quote
what happens if I lost my rebound knob? does it affect the rebound?
8. AaronMarch 10th, 2011 at 04:44 | #8Reply | Quote
It shouldn’t affect it, but you can never adjust it without the use of an Allen wrench (assuming onefits in there). I’d get ahold of Suntour and have them send you another one.
9. MarcJune 2nd, 2011 at 18:37 | #9Reply | Quote
Nice one sir. Planning to get this fork this week. Might need to adjust it to 140mm. Thanks again!
10. ThomasSeptember 19th, 2011 at 09:19 | #10Reply | Quote
My axon only had the 80 and 100mm holes. So I drilled another for 120mm. It works fine, but the I’mgetting an annoying “clak clak” noise when the rebound reaches its limit.
I was thinking that maybe a 20mm bigger damper fixing bolt will solve my problem.
Any idea?
11. soimOctober 26th, 2011 at 17:06 | #11Reply | Quote
I have epicon 2011 (sf11),can I change the travel to like sf9…?
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12. francDecember 14th, 2011 at 01:20 | #12Reply | Quote
I’m looking for 2011 Epicon decals (only). I’m planning to restore my white battle-scarred fork to itsshining glory.
13. turkishFebruary 25th, 2012 at 04:15 | #13Reply | Quote
while changing all grease wiped out.and now its not working smooth.which kind of grease have touse?anybody change the oil in hydraulic lock out?im trying to improve performance.
14. ShizzyApril 11th, 2012 at 07:06 | #14Reply | Quote
Very useful post ! Do you have any other walkthroughs on the epicon forks ? And did yours comewith remote lock out or did u install it ? Thanks
15. AaronApril 11th, 2012 at 16:00 | #15Reply | Quote
Yeah, I use the remote, and it works great. It allows about a half-inch of movement in the fork, just totake the pressure off seals, most likely.
16. pettersonMay 23rd, 2012 at 12:19 | #16Reply | Quote
thanks a lot for this one…it’s really a great help.
17. Dale
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July 7th, 2012 at 01:42 | #17Reply | Quote
Aaron, i see you’re epicons have a remote lock out, where as mine have a speed lock out. can i retrofit a remote and who supplies them.
Ps, great walk through and photos
18. AaronJuly 7th, 2012 at 04:19 | #18Reply | Quote
Sorry, I have no idea. You’re better off contacting Suntour directly about that.
19. AlexSeptember 24th, 2012 at 07:40 | #19Reply | Quote
My goodness that little pin was thight… after hammering away at it for a while I finally managed toincrease the travel to 100mm thanks for this very clear walk through.
I didn’t manage not to wipe any grease off unfortunately. What kind of grease should I add?
1. October 25th, 2010 at 17:06 | #1Gearinches
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