AntonioGG Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 I was wondering if anyone here has fixed a creaky CSU--either at the steerer or stanchions--with retaining loctite and whether you prefer one type or another. Pinkbike has posts of people using 638, but it seems like 680 may be even better with a longer cure time to give it time to work itself in. Any recommendations from folks with experience with retaining compounds would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridenfool Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 I disagree with @mack_turtle. The other thread is better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 You bastards! LOL!! Had me going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridenfool Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Albert must have fixed it. There were two identical threads an hour apart for a few minutes. Fun while it lasted! Sorry that I have nothing to offer regarding the actual question about which Locktite would be best. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 I ended up ordering 640. It has lower viscosity and longer cure time which makes me think will penetrate better than 638 or 680. Plus you can buy a small 10mL tube pretty cheaply instead of an expensive 50mL tube of the other stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 I am curious about how this turns out. I once bought a used frame with an extremely loose headset cup. The previous owner had ridden with it loose like that and told me his bike shop said it was fine, which is BS. I reinstalled the cup using Loctite 609 and that seemed pretty solid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamsloan Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 I consider myself pretty well versed with bike parts and their acronyms. It's been 12 hours and I can't figure "CSU" out. I'm sure it's just a mental block due to fatigue, multitasking, and a general level of stupid. Help me out here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita Handle Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 33 minutes ago, Teamsloan said: I consider myself pretty well versed with bike parts and their acronyms. It's been 12 hours and I can't figure "CSU" out. I'm sure it's just a mental block due to fatigue, multitasking, and a general level of stupid. Help me out here. Same here. No idear what CSU stands for. Custard Straining Utensil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) Crown- steerer unit. The upper part of a suspension fork: steerer tube, crown, stanchions. It's made of four parts that are usually pressed together, so if anything starts to wiggle loose, the best fix is to replace the whole unit. I don't think I've ever heard of gluing it back together, but I like the sound of fixing such an expensive part rather than replacing and trashing it. Edited May 10, 2019 by mack_turtle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 Thans @mack_turtle. Yes, this was a new term for me introduced by the BSS mechanic that diagnosed my horribly loud creak. It's rare that I throw in the towel and take my bike in but this one had frustrated me to no end. From looking through search results on this topic, it seems like once people know about the source of this creak, they keep on using the fork without worry. It's also apparent to me from looking for other complaints that Rock Shox seems to be a bit more exposed to this issue. The other bit of info that popped out at me is that a lot of people go with retention fluids from Loctite to eliminate the problem. My understanding is that the problem is fretting. My fork is now 5 years old. I also have a 9 year old Fox Talas that never showed this problem up until the point that the Kashima coating wore off and forced me to replace the uppers (full rebuild by Fox = $400, expensive basically it's a new fork now). For this Sid XX, I'll try the $10 fix of the fluid and/or live with it until I get rid of the bike. I do not like the feel of this fork compared to my Fox forks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita Handle Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 interesting. yeah, I could see that with press-fit mechanicals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teamsloan Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 Can you not just order a replacement upper (my term for the "CSU" since they call the other half "lowers")? I can install the start nut, damper/spring cartridge, and lowers I figure. I've taken my my fox forks down to just the upper before. I don't see why Fox would have to do this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mack_turtle Posted May 10, 2019 Share Posted May 10, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Teamsloan said: Can you not just order a replacement upper (my term for the "CSU" since they call the other half "lowers")? Much more expensive than a little tube of Loctite. https://www.worldwidecyclery.com/collections/crown-steerer-uppertube-assembly Doing the work of replacing the uppers yourself would save a lot of $ if it comes down to that. Edited May 10, 2019 by mack_turtle 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted May 10, 2019 Author Share Posted May 10, 2019 What mack_turtle said. $400 included shipping and all the stuff I couldn't service myself (Talas + Damper) as well as all the service parts new CSU and oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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