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Question to someone with oils/lubricants experience for S18 suspension


Lukasz

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Taking the opportunity of the group potential - maybe we have somebody with experience in oils/lubricants...

I have heard that suspension pipes in S18 shall be oiled using stanchion fluoro oil. I have found it on the net - but in 15 grams bottles - cost around 12 USD... this means that 1 liter of this oil cost around 800 USD ! this is quite expensive .... We do not need a lot of this oil, but I sometimes refuse to pay such a premium price to some company which buys a can of some kind of industrial oil, fills micro-bottles and sell with hefty profit...  - so anyone with such experience here who can suggest what kind of oil it really is?

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Edited by Lukasz
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meh, just buy some standard fork oil. I would suggest typical motor oil, but who knows what generic materials those tube 'seal/guides' are made of? Any kind of oil that is safe for seals should be fine. Hell, its just to prevent cheap steel tubes from rusting. I highly doubt it even needs be a certain weight. Me, I'd use wtf ever I had laying around and worry about the myriad of other things that will fail, before the type of oil matters. I have a tiny tube of teflon based oil for fishing reels here. You cant argue that its going to hurt anything. Fwiw, my fork seals are typically installed with lithium grease. Got any of that around? The basic point is...most anything would probably work. Got  crisco handy? I don't know if 20yrs in an auto shop qualifies me as experienced, nor the myriad of bikes I maintain. As always, my advice is merely entertainment in value, take it at your own risk.

Edited by ShanesPlanet
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Great topic that will undoubtedly explore many lubrication options for the S18 suspension.

After some research I settled on this lubricant for the stanchions, pivot bearing and shock attachment points. The pencil syringe tip allows for easy application in tight spaces.

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My optional zerk fittings are lubed with a white lithium grease which can be applied directly to the stanchions as well. 

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The absolute best slide lubricant that I have ever used was called “SlickUM” made by Montgomery. (Not slickem ). I used my last quart a few years ago. It kinda looked like Vasoline but it smelled more like oil and was not water soluble.  I have no idea what was in the stuff but it kept brass sliding on steel without chattering for about a year of constant use. No other lubricant has been able to stop the chatter for more than a month at a time on a particularly difficult peace of equipment that I work on. 

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51 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

The absolute best slide lubricant that I have ever used was called “SlickUM” made by Montgomery. (Not slickem ).
 

“Montgomery Slick-UM Silicone Lubricant”. Makes sense, silicone tends to stick rather well. What was the viscosity like? Water, sour milk, yoghurt, syrup, wood glue, fresh silicone, etc?

WARNING! Googling for “silicone lubricant” is NOT work safe!

I would think that the best and longest lasting lubricant is either silicone or PTFE (Teflon) based. Or both. Some silicone lubricants may get sticky with time though.

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1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

“Montgomery Slick-UM Silicone Lubricant”. Makes sense, silicone tends to stick rather well. What was the viscosity like? Water, sour milk, yoghurt, syrup, wood glue, fresh silicone, etc?

WARNING! Googling for “silicone lubricant” is NOT work safe!

I would think that the best and longest lasting lubricant is either silicone or PTFE (Teflon) based. Or both. Some silicone lubricants may get sticky with time though.

It was actually strange in that way. It was like yoghurt yet kept a surface residue thinner than water and did not seem to evaporate.

Found it!!!!    https://www.ebay.com/itm/253922367921  

I am not sure if it will be good to use on the S18 but I am VERY glad to be able to buy more of the stuff. It will save me hours of trouble on one of my jobs. Brass really likes to chatter and when it gets hot it burns most oils off.  

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1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

WARNING! Googling for “silicone lubricant” is NOT work safe!

Man!! You Ain't Kidding!! I spent 5 minutes looking for Slick UM silicone and now Google is trying to sell me .............. Adult toys. 

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19 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

Man!! You Ain't Kidding!! I spent 5 minutes looking for Slick UM silicone and now Google is trying to sell me .............. Adult toys. 

You must have searched for the wrong lubricant. ;)

50522015902_372a26a2d1_b.jpg

 

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34 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

You saw the category the auction is under, right? :roflmao:

NO!! ....... I DID NOT!!   The sale is for 6 quarts!!  Brings new meaning to getting busy !    That would be quite optimistic.  

Now I am going to have to find an old can of the stuff. The last can came in a Bondo shaped can with a paint can lid. 

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2 hours ago, RockyTop said:

NO!! ....... I DID NOT!!   The sale is for 6 quarts!!  Brings new meaning to getting busy !

I wonder if the guy collecting your trash ever googled the stuff. “Yet another gallon, I wonder what... WHAAAT?!”

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