Roubaix Forks

[Gothard]

Well, I won that CSI on ebay, the one with the Rock Shox forks. The frame was too good to pass by, esp at that price..
Now It is being looked over by a frame builder, and he has established 2 things: the frame is built for the forks, and the fork seals are shot...

Anyone here would know details abut the forks? I will be looking for a seal kit and the inflation syringe.

Any info welcome!

[TACSTS]

You could try RockShox and see if they have any service parts available for them. (not likely) Also could inquire about the potential cross-compatibility with the seals on 700c hybrid RS forks that are still in production.

Englund Total Air used to big in tuning parts for RS forks. I'm not even sure if they still exist but that's another avenue to look into.

Good luck, it's sure to wind up a unique ride!

[taz-t]

Rock Shox is very unlikely to have parts (They don't for my late 90s Judy).

Your best bet is to find someone that specializes in suspension rebuild - like AngryAsian or HippieTech - or find a NOS or lightly used Mag21 and scavenge from it. I think the Roubaix is the same as the mag except for slider and stanchion length. (or I could be way off - I never actually had a Roubaix fork).

The total air kit is an interesting idea.

- taz

[dvancleve]

I found this: Sutherland's for Maq series Rockshox (http://retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=48982) . It appears that all of the seals and such are the same as the high end Mag21 versions so you might still find parts...

Best wishes, Doug

Rock Shox is very unlikely to have parts (They don't for my late 90s Judy).

Your best bet is to find someone that specializes in suspension rebuild - like AngryAsian or HippieTech - or find a NOS or lightly used Mag21 and scavenge from it. I think the Roubaix is the same as the mag except for slider and stanchion length. (or I could be way off - I never actually had a Roubaix fork).

The total air kit is an interesting idea.

- taz

[Marcusaurelius]

If the axle to crown distance isn't much different than a standard road fork, I would toss the suspension and put a rigid fork on it.

[dvancleve]

I think to do that right you'd need to have a custom fork made, pretty sure a standard road fork would tilt everything forward quite a bit.

Doug

If the axle to crown distance isn't much different than a standard road fork, I would toss the suspension and put a rigid fork on it.

[Brian Smith]

Well, I won that CSI on ebay, the one with the Rock Shox forks. The frame was too good to pass by, esp at that price..
Now It is being looked over by a frame builder, and he has established 2 things: the frame is built for the forks, and the fork seals are shot...

Anyone here would know details abut the forks? I will be looking for a seal kit and the inflation syringe.

Any info welcome!

It depends on which seals are shot.
There is a seal in the top cap, where the inflation needle goes, and a seal on top of the bushings, under the wipers. There was enough volume of the Mag 21 forks sold that the replacement parts should be available in cyberspaceland. As far as the inflation syringe goes, they were not as nice as today's pumps are. Anything with a schrader valve can have an adapter needle threaded onto it and used for those forks. A drop of oil on the needle before you insert it can save you from damaging that top air seal. The top seal is probably easily replaced by something available from plumbing supply retailers, but the lower seal is not.

[Tobias]

I think to do that right you'd need to have a custom fork made, pretty sure a standard road fork would tilt everything forward quite a bit.

DougI think you are correct. A tandem fork may be a little better than a standard road fork in that they are slightly longer, but the typical amount of rake would likely not work well on a single.

Another option is to buy a newer road suspension fork. I have no idea on whether they are any good or not. Can't even recall the brand.

[T-Crush]

I've had a fair amount of experience with that model fork and can share some thoughts.

It's very Mag-21 compatible, and there are maunals for both on the internet (pdf) that outline the common part numbers.

At one point I owned a Trek Y-Foil, similar bike in that it was built to accept a rock shox road fork without changing the geometry, and was told that a Serotta heads-up on the underside of the headtube pretty much solves the axle to crown differential issue and allows you to use any fork you want. I am pretty sure Serotta didn't intend that as a use for the heads-up, so an email to them about suitability might be in order, but it is a possible solution.

The RS syringe pumps were not too trick, but they worked and were fairly easy to come by. Also, I have a spare Rock-Shox Paris-Roubaix fork that I acquired as a back-up when I first purchased the Motorola PR bike found elsewhere in this forum. It's complete and works well. Since I sold the Caloi I no longer have a real use for the spare fork, pm me if you're interested. Would make a splendid parts donor.

Part of the allure of that bike, at least to some (including me), was that it was built around that fork. With the longer stays, adjusted geometry and painted to match fork sliders it seems a shame to change it IMO.

Good luck.

[David Kirk]

At one point I owned a Trek Y-Foil, similar bike in that it was built to accept a rock shox road fork without changing the geometry, and was told that a Serotta heads-up on the underside of the headtube pretty much solves the axle to crown differential issue and allows you to use any fork you want. I am pretty sure Serotta didn't intend that as a use for the heads-up, so an email to them about suitability might be in order, but it is a possible solution.


Good luck.

Please do not under any circumstances use a heads-up on the bottom of the head tube. No good at all.

dave

[cp43]

If you are looking for a rigid fork they make suspension corrected forks. They look a little funny because of all the space between the top of the wheel and the crown of the fork, but you'll have the same steering geometry.

Surly, Salsa, and IRD make them.

Chris

[RPS]

Another option is to buy a newer road suspension fork. I have no idea on whether they are any good or not. Can't even recall the brand.At Interbike a couple of years ago I saw a Taiwanese (I think) entry level fork with 30 MM of travel made to fit in a standard 1-1/8-inch head tube. Suspension was built into the steerer and looked a lot like a suspension seat post turned upside down. As I recall the fork was available in carbon to reduce weight – still the weight penalty compared to a quality carbon fork was probably about 1-1/2 pounds.

I liked the packaging and would have liked to test it but it seemed to have considerable friction.

[Gothard]

T-crush, PM sent. :beer:

The frame is with a reputable builder as of now. It has been established that the geometry is Roubaix-fork specific. I have been in contact with Wound-Up (Grrreat People) who would be willing to build me a custom fork for the specific needs of the frame. It is a double good because the fork crown on a wound-up is not unlike the Roubaix Crown, looks-wise.
I do however want to keep the bike as was originally, and I am still actively looking for parts for the Roubaix.

Knowing that a correct geometry bailout exists is good.

A pic: