Help needed identifying my DUC32

Jon Richard · Apr 6, 2012

I suspect my forks might be off a Trek 69er.

I bought my bike used with a set of DUC's installed having a 28 spoke count Bontrager hub laced to a 26" rim. At full droop I have 6 1/8" (155.5mm) of exposed stanchion. I've read the A2C on a DUC is 521mm but I am unclear as to where the A2C measurement is taken. I only have about 19" (483mm) from the center of the axle to the bottom of the lower crown and 20 1/4" (514mm) from center of axle to the top of the lower crown.

ragetty · Apr 6, 2012

is it the trek 69'er 'orange/brown' ?

geweber · Apr 6, 2012

That is about what I measure on mine. The 6 1/8" will go a little more if you put more air pressure in the air coil to fully compress the negative spring. I get about 6 1/4" (7 3/4" on the one's with the extenders) on mine. You may get this extra extension by pulling up on the stem while pushing down on the top of the tire.

I believe the standard measurement is from axle center to where the bottom headset bearing race sets. Which appears to be about the same as the top of the crown on the DUC32.

Jon Richard · Apr 7, 2012

Thanks for the replies, once again I am grateful for Maverick owners and this section of the forum.

They were black ano, but I wasn't sure all the Trek 29er DUC's were that cool copper/ bronze color.

I'm relieved to here that it's improbable these are the 69er model. I began my initial look at these to consider putting a 650b up front as the frame these are on was intended for a 160mm travel 545mm A2C fork. I was hoping a 2.1 tire on a 650b would jive with the DUC, but it looks like in order to do so I must run either shortend 29er bumpers or make some stanchion extenders.

orangedude · Apr 7, 2012

shes a standard duc32 off a 2006 gary fisher fat possum. Im rolling the same fork and wheelset on my ml8

Jon Richard · Apr 7, 2012

orangedude said:
shes a standard duc32 off a 2006 gary fisher fat possum. Im rolling the same fork and wheelset on my ml8

Great info orangedude, thanks.

I have a pic posted in the Post your Maverick sticky, it's the orange Titus El Guapo. With the DUC installed the bottom brackets stands 12.75" from center to ground so it's rather low.

savo · Apr 18, 2012

You won't know if it's a 29er (or 69er) version by mesuring the A2C, as it's the same for 26'' or 29'' (or even 650b) wheels. 29er reduction only limits the travel at something like 115-120mm, so you might let the air out and compress it all the way down to know how much travel you have.

You can put a 650b front wheel on (do check if you need any travel reduction to avoid tyre-crown contact when bottomed out), it will lift your front end of a couple of cm and I think it would be a good move

Jon Richard · Apr 19, 2012

Thank you savo, I wasn't aware the reduces were merely travel limit stops. I will relieve the air, deduce travel, and post a follow up of the A2C at full jounce in case this info might serve another.

Jon Richard · May 6, 2012

More perplexed than ever, please share any insights.

I bled the air out of the fork and the A2C measures 15 3/4" (400mm) at full jounce. I have 1 3/4" (44.5mm) of stanchion exposed with the fork fully collapsed and I have about 1 9/16" (40mm) of tire clearance between the knobby of a 2.35 Kenda Nevegal and the bottom of the lower crown.

It looks like these forks only have about 4 1/2" (110mm) of travel. I'm at a loss, when I asked Suspension Experts if these were equiped with the 29er travel stops they said no. Would this have been normal for certain DUC32's? It sure seems like these are set up for a 29" wheel.

savo · May 6, 2012

I had a DUC32 in 29er configuration, it was 515 A/C with 115mm of travel. It seems like yours is in the same configuration. But if Suspension Expert said it was not... what to say? Did they actually check the fork? did you buy it from them? Anyway, if it has 29er travel stops, removing them is an easy job.

Jon Richard · May 6, 2012

savo said:
I had a DUC32 in 29er configuration, it was 515 A/C with 115mm of travel. It seems like yours is in the same configuration.

I tend to agree. I'm having a hard time understanding how it could be anything else. The thing I find strange is that the travel adjuster works as normal, I thought that this function was lost when converted to 29" configuration?

savo said:
But if Suspension Expert said it was not... what to say? Did they actually check the fork? did you buy it from them? Anyway, if it has 29er travel stops, removing them is an easy job.

I didn't buy it from them, I aquired the forks used and sent them to Suspension Experts for a rebuild, tune, and have their IFP and Headlock seal retainers installed. I wanted the fork professionally rebuilt so as to establish a baseline for how they ought to perform.

I still want a 650B up front so if these have a set of travel stops installed I could leave them or safely cut them 1" (25mm) shorter. I guess I'll have to open these up and take a look inside.

geweber · May 6, 2012

They are easy to open up. I position the bike so the fork housing is horizontal then the bath oil will not drain out. It is not a biggy if it does drain out. Just a little mess and loss of 10 cc of oil. If you have ridden it very much and the bath oil looks like it has a little dirt in it then you want to replace it anyhow. I have been mixing a little Fox Float oil with the bath oil. Seems to make it a little smoother.

I have a bike stand where I can rotate the bike to where the fork is horizontal. I have also laid it on the floor and by positioning the pedals and turning the tip of the seat been able to get the fork horizontal and remove the stanchions without the bath oil draining out. When you remove the stanchions the bottom out bumper and spacers may slide off the 10 mm rod so look inside the fork housing after you remove the stanchions. I tend to break these bottom out bumpers if I bottom out very much pretty hard.

I have taken mine apart many times. When unscrewing the air valve bolt make sure the air valve stays centered. If the 10 mm rod pulls away then the air valve bolt can rub against the side of the top cap and tear the little o-ring. I have been there and done that. Use the same precaution when putting it back together. On the other side when putting the knobs back on make sure the o-ring on the drop-down knob doesn't get pinched. Be careful not to lose the little screw on the top of the rebound knob. I hold the knobs in one hand and have a phillips screwdriver in the other hand on the little screw to keep it from popping out when I position the knobs. After you get the knobs into the top cap turn the small screw in just a little and then make sure the rebound knob is seated properly before tightening the small screw. I turn the push down on the rebound know and turn it counterclockwise until it hits a stop then I know it is on correctly. Then I tighten the little screw. I have bought extra of these little parts from Ethan since I know I tend to need them.

voob · May 6, 2012

Jon Richard said:
I didn't buy it from them, I aquired the forks used and sent them to Suspension Experts for a rebuild, tune, and have their IFP and Headlock seal retainers installed. I wanted the fork professionally rebuilt so as to establish a baseline for how they ought to perform.
e.

It sound like a set up/dampening problem.
Ask them to provide you with the tune they did to the fork.

Left leg/damper:
Shim Stack?
Weight oil?
What is the mm depth setting of the IFP and Damper air pressure pressure?

Right Leg/air spring:
What nm negative spring? (too strong and the fork will not extend fully-lower A2C)
How much oil in air spring below piston.
What air spring pressure are you using?

What is your ridding weight and what type of trails and ridding do you do?

All the above information is needed in order to tune the fork to your needs and preferences.

http://www.maverickbike.com/cms_images/file_8.pdf

Jon Richard · May 6, 2012

voob said:
It sound like a set up/dampening problem.

I'm a little taken back by that statement as I didn't even suspect anything wrong until I started measuring to see if I could fit a larger wheel. I'm not disagreeing, just saying I would not have suspected anything was wrong due to such a nice stable ride. I'm really impressed with these in spite of not getting a full 150mm of travel.

damper:
Shim Stack? Unknown
Weight oil? TORCO racing fork fluid 10wt.
Damper air pressure? 60 psi

air spring:
What nm negative spring? Stock 5 nm
How much oil in air spring below piston and what is the mm setting of the IFP and air pressure? Unknown
What air spring pressure are you using? 100 psi

What is your ridding weight and what type of trails and ridding do you do? 180 lbs./ mostly hardpacked, semi technical. Steep, but not to knarly. I'm 39 and just getting back into riding, so not to agressive. I like attacking a good challenge, but I gas out quickly.

When I called Suspension Experts it was about 2 weeks after they completed the service so it's possible they simply didn't recall these particular forks. I'll pull the stanchions to verify whether these have the 29er travel stops, it seems an easy enough first step. Thanks voob.

geweber, as usual your a great help!

geweber · May 7, 2012

I just remembered when I had one of my forks serviced at Suspension Experts and had the IFP put in the oil damper that I lost about an inch of travel. When I took it apart the seal head nut on the oil damper was loose. The oil level in the damper was low. I assume some oil had leaked out due to the loose seal head nut. When there is not enough oil in the damper and high air pressure under the IFP the damper will hit the IFP before full travel is reached. I added more oil to the oil damper and tightened the seal head nut and it has worked fine since.

This is not a hard limit to travel like the 29er spacers. When the oil damper piston contracts the IFP it could still push the IFP down. It would just take more force due to the air pressure under the IFP. However, it feels like a hard stop when you let the air pressure out of the air coil and stroke the fork. This oil damper tube has a diameter of 24 mm so with an air pressure of 100 psi this would be a force of about 70 pounds ((24/25.4)^2*PI/4 *100). I don't know how much air pressure they put in yours. With the air pressure out of the air coil (relieve the air when the fork is fully compressed or take the air core valve out to be sure) and your full weight on the fork will it compress beyond the 1-9/16 inch clearance between tire and crown? If it doesn't then it is probably the 29er spacers.

It may have had the 29er spacers in it when you sent it to Suspension Experts and they tuned it that way. Did they know you wanted it set up for a 26 inche wheel?

voob · May 7, 2012

180 lbs./ mostly hardpacked, semi technical. Steep, but not to knarly. I'm 39 and just getting back into riding, so not to agressive. I like attacking a good challenge, but I gas out quickly.
[/QUOTE]

It sounds like you might want to start with a stock set up on the fork and go from there.

The stock tune is a bit too soft for aggressive/ fast big hit ridding with diving/bottoming out too much. I think the IFP helps with that and cavitation of the oil but it must make the fork harder to attain full travel under normal ridding. I decided not to install an IFP because I wanted a more linear feel, easier tuning and I don't do jumps or high speed down hill. I ride slow/technical/twisty/up and down singletrack.

My current tune is: (no IFP)
Damper Shims: From piston (flat *side) 8x21x.10 - 8x16x.10 - *8x14x.10 - 8x12x.15 - 8x 21x.15 *-
damper Oil: 10wt(63mm from top)/100psi - *
13-15cc oil fluid (15wt) (more oil makes the travel more progressive)in air chamber *with 5nm (stock neg spring)/ 90-100 *psi).
25 to 30 % sag and I almost get full travel

I will most likely use 5 weight oil in the damper and 10ml of oil in the air spring next time as I find a bit too much hand slap/rebound. It's fun trying different tunes!

It now takes me about 45 minutes for complete rebuilt of both legs!

You can also contact Ethan at mavericksuspension@gmail.com.
He will be able to rework the fork to your liking.

voob · May 7, 2012

geweber said:
I just remembered when I had one of my forks serviced at Suspension Experts and had the IFP put in the oil damper that I lost about an inch of travel. When I took it apart the seal head nut on the oil damper was loose. The oil level in the damper was low. I assume some oil had leaked out due to the loose seal head nut. When there is not enough oil in the damper and high air pressure under the IFP the damper will hit the IFP before full travel is reached. I added more oil to the oil damper and tightened the seal head nut and it has worked fine since.

When the oil damper piston contracts the IFP it could still push the IFP down. It would just take more force due to the air pressure under the IFP. However, it feels like a hard stop when you let the air pressure out of the air coil and stroke the fork. This oil damper tube has a diameter of 24 mm so with an air pressure of 100 psi this would be a force of about 70 pounds ((24/24.5)^2*PI/4 *100).

I was considering installing an IFP in my fork but decided against it since I retune my (4) forks every 5 to 10 rides in order to try different tunes.
I have retuned rear maverick ML8 dampers with IFPs and they can be tricky to set up without trapping air in the damper.

For the fork I think you need to remove the Base Cap (attachment boss in rear damper) in order to bleed air/oil level. Then you set the IFP in the proper(desired) depth before reinstalling the Base Cap(with new o-ring) and pressurizing the damper to desired psi.

Jon Richard · May 8, 2012

voob, your probably right about starting with a stock tune, but I no longer have the stock piston. I do kinda bomb it when I point down hill if that makes a difference.

I just aired out the fork dropping it down to the 1 9/16" tire clearance and sure enough when I place a good share of my body weight downward on the bars it drops another inch or so and springs back when I let up. Good call geweber! :thumbsup:

I have all the manuals downloaded from the Maverick site, The only thing holding me back from cracking these open is not having the block vises or a proper tool to hold and unscrew any of the tubes.

I've been meaning to get into these and I have a small lathe and mill to make the blocks, but man i'm overloaded with projects as it is and when the weekend rolls around I just want to ride.

I'm sure i'm preaching to the choir. You folks have been so patient and helpful, i'm truly grateful and I will see this through and share the results.

geweber · May 8, 2012

Jon, you don't need any tube clamps to fix this problem. If your seal head nut is loose like mine was you want to get it tightened before you ride again. You just have to remove the stanchion and damper tube from the fork housing and you can tighten the seal head with a couple of wrenches or one wrench and clamp the drop out to your wheel axle.

You can unscrew the damper tube from the stanchion by clamping the stanchion to your wheel if you don't have a piece of 24 mm tube to clamp it to. There is a wrench fitting on the damper tube. After you get the damper tube unscrewed from the stanchion then let all the air pressure out of the damper. You should be able to push the 10 mm damper rod all the way down now. With a wrench on the damper tube you can use a wrench or socket on the seal head nut to see if it was tight.

Now you can remove the seal head nut and pour the oil out and remove the damper if you want to look at it. You would not have to remove it. You could just slide the seal head nut up the damper rod and add some more oil and then put the seal head back on just a couple of turns. Then you can put a small amount of air pressure below the IFP. Work the damper rod in and out a few times to get the air out of the oil. I screw the damper rod bolt in hand tight to make it easier to push the damper rod in. The small air pressure should push it back out. Adjust the loose seal head to let the air out. If you can't push the damper rod in all the way then add more oil. I let oil escape the loose seal head just until the IFP just starts to push up on the damper rod then I tighten the seal head.

If you can push the damper rod in all the way except for about a 1/4 inch you should be okay. With the fork fully compressed the damper rod will be out by the thickness of the bottom out bumper plus the length the damper rod goes into the top cap of the fork housing. This will give you the maximum air volume under the IFP which will give more linear compression from the damper. However, you get most of your compression from the air coil in the other fork leg. This is where you would get most of your progressive compression if that is what you like by adding oil to the air chamber to have a smaller air volume(high air pressure) at the end of the stroke.

Before you put the damper tube back on the stanchion you want to put the air in the damper. I noticed they put 60 psi in yours. I think that is normal. With air pressure in the damper tube I like to stay out of the line of fire if the snap ring at the bottom would happen to come out and the base cap propelling into my chest. I have pushed the damper tube in all the way with my shock pump still attached. You can get a high air pressure, like 300 to 400 psi. The snap ring has a correct orientation. It has a sharp edge on one side and a slightly rounded edge on the other side. If it was installed wrong I don't know if it could come out or not. But I don't push the damper rode in with the base cap end pointed at my chest like I have in the past before I realized how much air pressure could be on the other side.

I don't think there is any big problem that your damper piston has been hitting the IFP since there is air volume under the IFP that allows it to move down. I would be more concerned about the loose seal head if that is why you are low on oil. If the seal head is tight then they just didn't get enough oil in the damper tube.

When you remove the stanchion and damper tube from the fork housing note if there seems to be excess bath oil in the fork leg. The normal amount is 10 cc. If oil did leak out of the damper tube then the amount of bath oil may be larger unless you have been leaking oil out the stanchion wiper seal which you would notice.

voob · May 8, 2012

In the Air Spring chamber side (Left leg), if you use 10 to 13 ml (cc) of oil you should have a linear feel and you should be able to compress the air spring fully to get full travel.
If you use more oil (less air volume) you will get a progressive shock rate and make it harder to get full travel at the benefit of less brake dive. 5ml can make a big difference. I think the total oil you can put in the air chamber is around 20 ml.

You can remove or add oil without taking the fork apart. Release air pressure while compressing the fork leg to remove all air. Remove the valve core and turn the fork upside down and almost all the oil should drain out. Now add 10ml of oil through the valve core hole and install valve core and pressurize to 90 to 100 psi. Try the fork. Add more oil to get the feel you want.

If you are still having issues go to the damper/right leg for further adjustments.

In the damper side (right leg) as geweber said but also check the Damper Base Plate O-ring and air valve core (the part that the snap ring is holding down) for air escaping through the bottom. I have had this happen to one of my forks. Replacing the O-ring and tightening the valve core solved the problem.

Allways Use Safety as geweber said. Trapped air can turn the fork into an air rifle.

Help needed identifying my DUC32

Jon Richard

ragetty

geweber

Jon Richard

orangedude

Jon Richard

savo

Jon Richard

Jon Richard

savo

Jon Richard

geweber

voob

Jon Richard

geweber

voob

voob

Jon Richard

geweber

voob

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