I Bought a Chinese Suspension Fork

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Report No. 1

Oh Lordy. Something's missing. That explains why mine is oily and co-conspirator's is dry.

I'm thinking this fork will be making the second trans-Pac flight of its life in the very near future.
Something's Missing.webp
 
semlin said:
:doh:
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lol. yeah.

Re: your comment about bike shop tecchies -- When I and 4 of my buddies went to Crested Butte last summer, half of the condo's garage became one of the best-equipped and -staffed bike repair shops in southern Colorado for the week. All 5 of us wrenched in shops at one time or another (one still did at the time, but now even he is responsible and rep'ing orthopedic surgical equipment [sigh]), and to this day the only people we trust with wrenches around our bikes are each other.

The only real wrench-joy we had that week, though, were 2 broken Brain transplants.
 
I didn't intend this to be a customer service or warranty thread, but . . . I notified the seller about the problem by e-mail on April 15th. Response (morning of the 16th -- pretty quick):

Retailer said:
Hi Your Majesty,

Sorry about the problem with the fork. I have also informed Spinner about this.

We will get back to you soon.

Cheers,

Cycle Taiwan Shop
Click to expand...

(I made-up the "Your Majesty" part) Then I sent an e-mail directly to Spinner yesterday, and forwarded the e-mail I sent to Spinner to its USA rep this morning. There is no USA rep for Spinner-USA that that I could locate on line (call Swank, I smell irony!), but I found one in the set-up manual I downloaded. No responses to the latter e-mails yet.
 
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i am going to bet they send you a new fork and don't want to pay us freight to return the old one.

if that is what happens i see a good opportunity to see what is inside one of these forks.
 
1. Mounted fork/headset, etc.
2. Adjusting FDer.

Afterwards, the sag (air spring pre-load) was set up and the remote lockout ( ;) ) controller was installed. Then I rode it around a little. It felt soft when set at the pre-load recommended for my weight on the fork sticker, but then again I prefer it a little stiffer. Wait what? So I gave it 7 or 8 more pounds and rode it around again. It felt really nice. Very smooth. Good damping even before adjusting it.

It rained all day and is still raining now, so I didn't get to blast through a rock garden or anything, but so far, very nice. Don't get me wrong -- I don't ordinarily mind a messy ride, but note that I had stripped everything and cleaned the crap out of it.

Sorry about the crappy iPhone pics . . .
Mounted.webp
AdjFrDer.webp
 
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lol. My college roommate's bed smelled like Whataburger whenever you got near it. We called it "the Whatabed." That wasn't a good thing.



Still no responses on the warranty inquiries.
 
Sweet HH100X! I had the same colored one before i upgraded to the motolite!

I like this thread. I have been doing similar experiments with regards to drivetrain level components and am curious to see the results. I can see the fork performing pretty decent (especially for the price) but durability and spring rates will be the differentiator. Beginners probably wouldnt notice it too much but experienced riders probably could. I believe there is a lot of R&D the big fork manufactures put into the design of the fork.

I wonder if you can send that puppy off to PUSH to get it tuned :D
 
dixie_cragger said:
Sweet HH100X! I had the same colored one before i upgraded to the motolite!

I like this thread. I have been doing similar experiments with regards to drivetrain level components and am curious to see the results. I can see the fork performing pretty decent (especially for the price) but durability and spring rates will be the differentiator. Beginners probably wouldnt notice it too much but experienced riders probably could. I believe there is a lot of R&D the big fork manufactures put into the design of the fork.

I wonder if you can send that puppy off to PUSH to get it tuned :D
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Thanks :cheers: There are a few HammerHeads around here. The shop is under new ownership, but they're doing a good job keeping the HH vibe. It's a sweet frame ('course you know that if you've ridden it).

I haven't been riding these fat tire things long enough to be very discerning -- that's why co-conspirator has been enlisted. I'm kinda fast, but that's about alls I got. He on the other hand can do most of the trails within a 50 mile radius blindfolded. He tracks the smoothest lines of anyone I've ever seen and clears everything. I mean everything. Best of all, his picky-ness rivals the princess in The Princess and the Pea.

So we'll have good info.
 
Toad,
GL with the warranty issue, I'm debating on upgrading my bike pretty soon as it's pushing 6 years old and is a bit heavier than most and due for a major overhaul but, I do like it. I've gotta figure out a way around this work thing to catch up on some riding. Hope to see you and the crew on the trails soon.
 
nspctr1 said:
Toad,
GL with the warranty issue, I'm debating on upgrading my bike pretty soon as it's pushing 6 years old and is a bit heavier than most and due for a major overhaul but, I do like it. I've gotta figure out a way around this work thing to catch up on some riding. Hope to see you and the crew on the trails soon.
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Yeah, you need to get away from work for Mondays at Mc now that it's light till local news time.

I just got an e-mail from the seller saying it would send a replacement. So maybe it'll work out. We'll see. I also suspect that the bad fork would be fine if re-oiled and fitted with a seal retainer spring. If so, I'll let you know and maybe we can have three testers.
 
The shop . . . unfortunately, it's not mine. Mine is more like rave described. I have a similar tool array, but I don't have that kind of space.

That shop is a nice set-up for just about anything -- a steel I-beam along the ceiling with a trolley hoist, etc. Nice sink for washing parts & stuff (you know, Whataburger cups and such). The shop stands and hefty portable stands are nice to have around, especially since we were doing more than one bike on Saturday. There's a lot of equipment in there from a defunct bike shop called Velo Technologies.

Fork update: The good one is begging to be ridden, but it's still too wet around here. Most of the good local terrain is in rocky creekbeds or muddy floodplains, both of which got a pretty good workout last week.

The seller said it would send a replacement for the bad one, but they're nit-picking with Spinner about the details right now.
 
E-mail stream with the USA Rep listed in Spinner's literature:

On 4/22/10 USA Rep Wrote:

Since this was done thru another agent we are only able to offer our services and technical support to rebuild the fork as listed.

Please let us know if you need any further help

USA Rep

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On 4/22/10 10:26 AM, "Mr. Toad wrote:
Hello USA Rep:

The seller is identified down below in the April 16 message: The seller was Cycle Taiwan.

I appreciate that the fork might be rebuilt, but I bought and paid for a new fork, not one that I could send back for a rebuild. Especially not for an additional $75.

Both Spinner and Cycle Taiwan are aware of this issue. I received no response from Spinner, but Cycle Taiwan notified me it would send a replacement fork after it worked out the details with Spinner. But that's been some time ago and I've heard nothing since.

Anything you could to to help would be appreciated.

--Mr. Toad
(Sent from mobile device)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Apr 22, 2010, at 11:49 AM, USA Rep wrote:
Hello Mr. Toad

Can you advise whom you bought the fork from?

We can do a rebuild on the fork but the cost for this is $75

Please let us know
USA Rep

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
On 4/17/10 10:21 AM, Mr. Toad > wrote:
Hello USA Rep:
I'm forwarding you the e-mail I sent to Spinner-USA because I found your e-mail address in the manual I downloaded from Spinner's website. Although I notified both Spinner and the seller about this problem, I haven't received any meaningful response about how to fix it. And fast.

Can you offer any assistance?

Thanks,

-Mr. Toad (contact info below)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
--- On Fri, 4/16/10 Mr. Toad > wrote:

Dear Spinner-USA:

I recently bought two Spinner Aeris 320-100 RLC suspension forks from Cycle Taiwan. The order number from the seller was 455. One of the forks was in poor condition. I notified Cycle Taiwan, and Cycle Taiwan informed me it notified Spinner.

The shock has a serial number 090108003. The packaging contained no manual or other documentation. The fork appeared to be in new condition, but it had oil all over it. It appears that oil leaked from the interior of the fork. Upon inspection, one of the fork leg seals was missing its retaining spring (see photo). When the fork is compressed, it does not return to its uncompressed condition. The photos show the fork's condition.

This is clearly a defect that should be covered by manufacturer's warranty. Please let me know what I need to do to receive a replacement fork as soon as possible.

My mailing address for a replacement fork is:

Mr. Toad
xxxxxx

My telephone number for further inquiry is:

xxxxxxxxxx (I speak only English)

Please acknowledge receipt. Thank you,

--Mr. Toad​

:shrug:
 
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