I have one of those, I've never used it. So I can't answer questions 1-3. For number 4, the abbey tool is great in that you can swap heads for seal sizes, and is ridiculously easy to use.

here's the difference between them.

 

That abbey makes sense, it goes down in the fork lower leg an inch or more, so I could guess it would keep the seal straight. I guess I'll grab one of those. I'm sure it's not cheap though. If Sram simply had a pdf or something showing how to use their tool, that would be nice. I looked on youtube for "replace rock shox seals" and the like, and usually they have no problem just pushing new ones in most of the way. Not me though.

 

I've used just that tan piece and you use the male end to drive the seal. It works ok but as mentioned the abbey tool is plainly superior.

No way would I buy the abbey unless I were doing a lot of fork rebuilds though, the plastic one is fine for occasional use ime.

 

I did find the black plastic rock shox on amazon, using different search terms, it's almost $40! But the Abbey is almost $100. And there are Unior and generics for $20 that seem to be similar. The key it seems is the piece that goes down into the bushings to keep everything centered. The rock shox amazon page does not show or mention the tan part at all. So why show it together on their main website? Very confusing to me.

The Fox gets great reviews, claiming you can't overshoot it and drive the seals too deep, which I did actually. I had to use a wrench and pry them up 1/16" or more to keep them from squishing the foam wipers below. It was a mess last night, let me tell you.

So I guess I need to read some more reviews. One thing's for sure, the tan piece is useless for me. Didn't help at all.

 

Dude, dont buy the Unior ones, they are total shite, each size is approx 2mm smaller in diameter than they should be and as they are for flanged wipers only due to a smaller diameter mating part to the top of the wiper they will drive said wiper approx 1.5mm too deep into the fork if used with flangless wipers, and then its difficult to get the foams in or they will be squashed and then get hung up when i stalling the stantchons, and they will be cock-eyed. I made this very mistake until I bought a set of the FOX, no regrets.

 

I read that review, and passed. I did order some other brand, $15, all positive, and no mention of undersized mating part. Will have it saturday, if that blows, I'll splurge on the Fox one and be done. Man mountain bikes sure have gotten complicated since I started in 1991. I remember tearing a Manitou fork apart down to the bear bones with nothing but a crescent wrench and allen keys. Heck, the whole bike was torn down that way. Granted, the fork didn't work all that well, but still. Inner tubes, no rear suspension, threaded BB, all that stuff. Was so easy to work on a bike in the old days. Now, my tool bench has so many specialty tools it's insane. Every component seems to need at least one or more special tools and pieces.

 

Every component seems to need at least one or more special tools and pieces.

Yup, drives my Amazon CC up through the roof.

 

The abbey is like $25 for the seal head and $25 for the drivers. So basically the seal head costs what that rockshox turned delron piece does.. You don't need to buy the full set. It IS kind of splurgy, but in the realm of their tools.. it's pretty cheap.

(oh, and when you own one.. you end up doing a lot of fork rebuilds, it's like owning a pickup when people move)

 

Ours was the first piloted press tool. They are not the cheapest because they are designed and made USA from start to finish. The dual wiper seal kits are an especially good value because they cover two sizes for the same price. These can be used where no separate oil seal is used. For example, the 35mm and 36mm tool:

RWC DUAL WIPER-SEAL PRESS 35-36

This tool is discounted to shop pricing. It is exempt from coupons. The RWC Dual Wiper-Seal Press is two tools in one! This wiper press tool covers all

www.enduroforkseals.com

 

Ours was the first piloted press tool. They are not the cheapest because they are designed and made USA from start to finish. The dual wiper seal kits are an especially good value because they cover two sizes for the same price. These can be used where no separate oil seal is used. For example, the 35mm and 36mm tool:

RWC DUAL WIPER-SEAL PRESS 35-36

This tool is discounted to shop pricing. It is exempt from coupons. The RWC Dual Wiper-Seal Press is two tools in one! This wiper press tool covers all

www.enduroforkseals.com

I bought the RWC 35mm Fork Seal Press Tool (for separate seal and dust wiper) and it is awesome. It made flangeless wipers a breeze.

 

I couldn't find just the seal handle at all for Abbey. I even emailed them. They seem to sell at minimum a 2 head and handle kit for $100, or just the 32mm head for $30, no handle on it's own. At least that's what I found.

I don't mind spending dough on tools, that's for sure. I have a zillion tools, all the fluids for everything, between my hydro lockouts, shimano brakes, forks, I have about 10 bottles of oils sitting here, and every tool that goes with them. I just had never touched seals before. Had no idea how tricky they might be. I thought they just smush in the fork with my palm or something.

 

it's in the fork seal press drivers page, in the drop down

 

DOH! I did not notice that! Oh man, I feel like a dope.

I like that RWC, and would love to support a US maker to boot. But I need this thing for saturday if possible, and I'm sure shipping that quick won't work. But I'm going to grab either a RWC or Abbey set anyway as I love nice tools. Both are about the same price.

Thanks to you guys for getting me informed on all this. I thought I knew my way around bike tools...nope. Always something new to figure out.

 

DIY version: grab one of your seals and take it with you to the hardware store. Get some PVC pipe with an inner diameter that'll just barely fit over the spring bit and sits flat on the lip of the seal. 1 1/2" worked perfect for my 32mm SKF seals with maybe 1mm or less clearance inside the pipe. While not as fancy or stable as the expensive ones it's worked just fine for me. It even came in a pre-cut ~18" length so I didn't have to buy a huge piece and cut it down. I think it was like ~$3 at the time.

Bonus: it works for fork crown races pretty well, too! Just don't use the same end for both.

 

Another data point - Fork Wiper Seal Press Tools 32, 34, 35, 36, 38 & 40 Fox & Rock Shox Forks | eBay

Made in the US, inexpensive, have used for the past couple of years on a variety of different forks.

That Abbey one fresh and tempting though.

 

Another data point - Fork Wiper Seal Press Tools 32, 34, 35, 36, 38 & 40 Fox & Rock Shox Forks | eBay

Made in the US, inexpensive, have used for the past couple of years on a variety of different forks.

That Abbey one fresh and tempting though.

Those are my tools designed in Fair Oaks, California and machined in Bellingham Washington. I have very little overhead and buy in large quantities so I can offer them at what I think is a reasonable price. I have a 37mm version that I am trying test......so if anyone has a Manitou 37mm fork that needs a seal change let me know and I will send you a prototype to test.

 

Before I had a driver tool, I would just toss the new dust wipers into the freezer for 30-40 minutes. This contracts the material and lets them slide right in with minimal effort.

 

I thought about that. But forgot to try it. I have a new set of seals that just showed up and a proper tool. What is the purpose of the old tan Sram thing? That seems useless for the job it’s meant to do.

 

I thought about that. But forgot to try it. I have a new set of seals that just showed up and a proper tool. What is the purpose of the old tan Sram thing? That seems useless for the job it's meant to do.

Works fine, but requires a deal of care to insert the seals square/flush with the surface of the fork. The piloted/depth-stopped tools are superior in every way.

 

I thought appropriately sized PVC pipe was the proper tool

 

I tried and tried and couldn’t get them straight. The proper tool is going to be great. Having that shaft down in the leg will do it. I’m going to try tonight.

 

I tried and tried and couldn't get them straight. The proper tool is going to be great. Having that shaft down in the leg will do it. I'm going to try tonight.

Well, things really changed with some of the "flangeless" designs that were made with a deliberately tighter fit and more metal in the seal head mating surface. It is nearly impossible to install some of these designs without a pilot on the press. The fit is so tight it's just easier for them to go sideways and get smashed unless they are forced into alignment by the pilot.

 

I for sure had the tan sram tool upside down. Duh. A simple arrow, sticker, something would be nice. That said, there’s still no way to get them in straight. So this pilot style is the way to go. Thanks for everyone’s help.