Intro
Rebuilding your suspension may seem like a daunting task if you’ve never opened up a fork or shock before, but with the right tools and a little patience, it can be one of the most rewarding services you can perform at home. The most suspension specific tool you’ll need is the seal driver, which matches the exact diameter of your stanchions and pushes your new seals into their new home. While it is possible to install seals without the driver, we highly recommend getting your hands on one of these drivers.
Why To Buy A Seal Driver
None of the DIY driverless installation tricks we’ve seen are nearly as effective or safe as using the right tool for the job, and can end up tearing your brand new seal or even scratching up your expensive fork! That would make this job way more expensive than it has to be, and you’d be kicking yourself for not just buying the dang tool. The seal driver applies even pressure across the entire seal while pushing it into place, ensuring that it goes in perfectly every time. Plus once you buy it, you can lend it to your buddies in exchange for beers or muffins, so it’ll pay for itself in no time!
Whether you’re riding a RockShox or a Fox fork, you just need to pick the seal driver that exactly matches your stanchion diameter. For the RockShox Pike and Lyrik, you’ll need a 35 mm seal driver, and a 38 mm driver for the Zeb. The Fox forks are pretty much impossible to mess up and are named after their stanchion diameters, all the way from the 32 up to the 40.
Why to buy a seal driver
- Installs seals perfectly every time
- Won’t damage your fork
- Lend them to your buddies
- Great paper weight when not in use
