[xdeity]

Hi, I'm gonna be looking at changing my Tora 289 forks for a set of marzocchi bombers or rockshox revelations in the next week or so if I can find a set for decent price.

Thing is I've never done this, is there anything I need to know before I start or is there any instruction anywhere cause I can't find an online description.

The bike is a mongoose otero super, apparently it's got a ritchy zero stack headset, although I don't know what that is, up to now I just ride bikes but I want to learn, unfortunately I don't know anyone who knows anything about bikes

 

[xenon]

For a detailed guide with photos look here:
http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/fix/forkoff.htm

 

[Straz85]

Well, first off, make sure you don't change the travel much. If your bike came with a 100mm travel fork, don't go putting a 150mm fork on there, your head angle will be too slack and the handling of the bike will be ruined. Otherwise, you need to make sure it's a 1 1/8" steerer, that the steerer is long enough and that it has the same axle (most likely 9mm QR).

 

[xdeity]

Ah, in that case is it worth upgrading to a revelation or bomber, I think they have 120mm travel, I don't want to ruin the handling but the Tora 289 is pretty soft and quite heavy for a fork so I wanted something lighter and a bit stiffer

 

[frdfandc]

The Tora is a very capable and durable fork. Going to a Revelation will surely mess up how the bike handles.

You can get stiffer by replacing the coil spring in the fork. Lighter will definitely cost you some coin.

If your dead set on replacing the fork, you can go with a new Recon Gold TK, Reba (even lighter and more adjustability) Both are avail in 120mm travel and will not mess with the handling.

The Recon Gold TK will be around $300, the Reba will start at around $400 and go up in price depending on which model you get.

 

[bigbeck]

+ 1 on replacing the spring. I would do that first. The Revelation will be fine if you get the U-turn model. Sometimes,increasing the travel by 10 to 20mm will help your handling a little and sometimes it will hurt. It all depends on the bike and your preferences. With the U-turn option, you can experiment with travel and tune to your sweet spot.

 

[xdeity]

Hey thanks for the advice, the Tora on my bike came with it and the bike is only a few months old so I reckon I'll follow the advice and upgrade the spring. Can't see any springs on eBay but I'll have a look around.

 

[GFAthens]

I would at least try modifying the spring before doing anything else, you'll probably be surprised at how much bang for the buck something like that is, rather than replacing the whole fork.

 

[AndrwSwitch]

Just ask your dealer. The spring is probably not an expensive enough item to save money on it, if you pay for shipping. They're usually under $30. Installation may be fairly easy or could be a huge pain in the butt - you have to crack the fork open to get to it, but that's not necessarily a big deal.

 

[bigbeck]

Here's the springs. You need to find out which spring that you now have in your fork before you can order one.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=30483

 

[faceplant72]

Ah, in that case is it worth upgrading to a revelation or bomber, I think they have 120mm travel, I don't want to ruin the handling but the Tora 289 is pretty soft and quite heavy for a fork so I wanted something lighter and a bit stiffer

The similarly speced Otero Pro uses the Tora 289 U-turn (90 to 130mm?) with the same frame. The U-turn is nice since it matchs up with the ajustable rear travel. Your fork may be easily upgadeable to the U-turn in the correct weight spring fairly cheaply. BTW at 210# I run a black Xfirm spring. Most will ship with the medium spring.

 

[bigbeck]

Here's a video showing how simple it is to change a Tora spring.

http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt...ox+tora+spring+change&fr2=sb-top&fr=yfp-t-946

 

[xdeity]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that it is already a u turn model, thanks for all the advice. I'll watch the video now

 

[Mr. Blonde]

You're gonna need your LBS to help any way you slice it. I'm guessing you're pretty young huh? TRUST ME do not open your fork yourself. You will not have the tools or supplies to take care of problems as they happen. I'm all for doing stuff yourself but you need to take baby steps and get a nice collection of tools first.

 

[xdeity]

Do I come across as quite young? I suppose it could be a compliment? I'm 34 with 4 kids and on my second wife. I have a garage full of tools and am quite the tinkerer however never dabbled in bikes which is why I'm asking for advice before I try for myself. The video is quite good and it actually appears much easier than I thought to do this spring change, but I think I'll wait until next pay day now as the wife has been "active" with the bank card.
Thanks for all the advice peeps

 

[pfox90]

Just try it yourself, if you screw it up you can always have the LBS fix it back up. It's the only way you will learn to do stuff and once you can do all this stuff by yourself you tend to save up the a$$ on money spent for labor.

I will say the upgrade to a u-turn or poploc would be a really nice investment over what you have anyways. Right now you could try the firmer coil, but eventually you should pony up to something a little better.

 

[faceplant72]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that it is already a u turn model, thanks for all the advice. I'll watch the video now

The U-turn changes out a little different from the video. The actuation rod and top cap are part of the spring assembly. Here is a pict of a similar u-turn
https://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/ro/rock-shox-04-05-judy-sl-u-turn-spring-assembly.jpg

try not to lose the spring loaded ball under the u-turn nob. You will have a pretty good idea of what you need to do once the replacement parts are in you hands.

 

[bigbeck]

Yeah, I should have mentioned that it is already a u turn model, thanks for all the advice. I'll watch the video now

Here's the springs for the u-turn.

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=9962&category=705

As you can see, it is childs play to change this spring. Really hard to F it up.

Use a socket of the proper size to remove the plug. Push down slightly on the socket as you're unscrewing the plug. This takes spring pressure off the threads. This plug is usually made of plastic.

Use a heavy bodied bicycle grease to coat the new spring before you drop it in.

You'll probably have to push down against spring pressure when installing the plug. Make doubly sure you do not cross thread it. Turn it by hand a few times to make sure it's not cross threaded. Tighten it down snugly with the socket. Since it's plastic, you need less torque than if it was metal.
If you have very limited experience with mechanical fasteners, you'd be better off buying a torque wrench. It generally takes a lot of years of wrenching to know what the term "Snug" means, because It has many different torque values depending on the diameter and the type of material the fastener is made of.

 

[bigbeck]

Do I come across as quite young? I suppose it could be a compliment? I'm 34 with 4 kids and on my second wife. I have a garage full of tools and am quite the tinkerer however never dabbled in bikes which is why I'm asking for advice before I try for myself. The video is quite good and it actually appears much easier than I thought to do this spring change, but I think I'll wait until next pay day now as the wife has been "active" with the bank card.
Thanks for all the advice peeps

Hmm......... second wife???? Maybe you better take it to the bike shop!:lol:

I've never done a spring change on a Tora but have done it on a Manitou Minute with U-turn. It was just as simple as the video shows. I've also done it on about 4 or 5 other forks without the adjustable travel. Just remember to grease the new spring. Use something like this. And apply it fairly heavily.

http://www.finishlineusa.com/products/fortified-grease.htm