O W N E R S MA N UA L F O R 580 N. Westgate Dr. Grand Junction, CO 81505 USA 1.800.999.8277 www.whitebrotherscycling.com A division of PAGE 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS SAFETY.......................................................PAGE 2 INTRODUCTION........................................PAGE 2 FORK INSTALLATION..............................PAGE 3 TUNING.......................................................PAGE 4 MAINTENANCE.....................................PAGE 5,6 EXPLODED VIEWS...................................PAGE 7 WARRANTY................................................PAGE 8 IMPORTANT CONSUMER SAFETY INFORMATION WARNING: RIDING A BIKE IS DANGEROUS. NOT PROPERLY MAINTAINING OR INSPECTING YOUR BIKE AND IT'S COMPONENTS IS EVEN MORE DANGEROUS. IT IS ALSO DANGEROUS TO NOT READ AND FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS. 1. NEVER REMOVE STEERER TUBE FROM CROWN. THIS IS A PRESSED IN PART. REMOVING IT WILL RENDER BOTH THE CROWN AND STEERER TUBE INOPERABLE.* MAKE SURE THE FORK CAPS AND ALL FORK HARDWARE (pinch bolts, etc.) ARE TIGHT BEFORE EACH RIDE. 2. DO NOT PERFORM ANY MODIFICATIONS OR ADJUSTMENTS THAT ARE NOT OUTLINED IN THIS MANUAL. SEE THE TUNING SECTION FOR MORE DETAILS. 3. INSPECT YOUR FORK BEFORE EVERY RIDE. INSPECT THE CROWN, TUBES, AND AXLE SEAT AREAS FOR ANY SIGNS OF FATIGUE, BENDING, CRACKING OR OTHER DAMAGE. IF YOU NOTICE ANY TYPE OF DAMAGE, DO NOT RIDE IT. RETURN IT TO YOUR DEALER OR TO WHITE BROTHERS FOR A COMPLETE INSPECTION AND NECESSARY REPAIR. 4. PERFORM ALL RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE ACCORDING TO THE MAINTENANCE SECTION OF THIS MANUAL. FAILURE TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE COULD DRASTICALLY REDUCE THE FORK'S LIFE, PERFORMANCE AND CAUSE YOUR FORK TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD. 5. WHITE BROTHERS RECOMMENDS THAT YOU WEAR PROPER SAFETY EQUIPMENT EVERY TIME YOU RIDE, INCLUDING AN APPROVED BICYCLE HELMET. NEVER RIDE AT NIGHT WITHOUT LIGHTS. 6. ALWAYS USE GENUINE WHITE BROTHERS PARTS. USE OF AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT PARTS AND UPGRADES VOIDS THE WARRANTY AND COULD CAUSE STRUCTURAL FAILURE. 7.WHITE BROTHERS FORKS ARE DESIGNED FOR OFF ROAD USE ONLY. THEY ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH REFLECTORS FOR ROAD USE. IF YOU ARE GOING TO USE YOUR FORK ON THE ROAD, HA A DEALER VE OR MECHANIC INSTALL REFLECTORS THAT MEET THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION'S REQUIREMENTS. *IF SERVICE BECOMES NECESSARY OR REMOVAL OCCURS, PLEASE CALL WHITE BROTHERS CUSTOMER SERVICE FOR PRODUCT EVALUATION AND DIAGNOSIS. INTRODUCTION Thank you for purchasing your new White Brothers fork. Our forks are designed to help you perform at your absolute peak. Your new White Brothers fork has oil damping and is air and coil sprung for light weight performance. The springs and damper is set stock to satisfy a wide range of rider weights and riding styles. Fine tuning can be easily accomplished by changing air pressure and external damper settings. See the tuning section for details. For very heavy or very light riders, replacement springs are available. Steering accuracy is improved over conventional MTB forks by utilizing superior materials and design. Every effort has been made to make White Brothers forks very light and perform at a level superior to other forks on the market. To ensure peak performance, proper installation and periodic maintenance is required. When riding on public land, please respect the rights of others and stay on established paths and trails. By riding responsibly, you are helping ensure the future of our sport. PAGE 2 FORK INSTALLATION White Brothers forks feature a 1-1/8" threadless steerer tube. If you have a threaded type fork on your bicycle, consult your dealer for the appropriate upgrade parts necessary to convert to a 1-1/8" threadless steerer tube. Check with your frame manufacturer to ensure your bike is designed for a triple clamp fork. If not, you may void your warranty. 1. Remove your old fork from the bicycle. Measure the diameter and length of your old forks steerer tube to ensure that the White Brothers steerer tube is the correct diameter and sufficient length for the installation. 2. Remove the crown race from your old fork. 3. Press the crown race onto your new White Brothers fork.(see Figure #1) 4. Preassemble the headset by sliding the fork steerer tube through the bearings. Then install the head sets upper race, upper triple clamp, headset spacer (optional), and stem onto the fork steerer tube. Adjust with optional spacers to your preferred height. (See Figure #2) WARNING: Refer to the head set owners manual if there are any questions about the head set installation. 5. Mark the steerer tube at the top of the stem. The steerer tube will now need to be cut to the correct length. Disassemble and cut 3mm (1/8") below the mark. Consult your dealer or mechanic if you don't have the proper tools to cut the steerer tube. 6. The star fangled nut must now be installed into the steerer tube. If you don't have the set tool we recommend dealer installation of this part. (See Figure #3) 7. Clean and grease all headset bearings and races to prepare them for assembly. Note: Replace the bearings if there is any sign of wear or corrosion. 8. Now loosely assemble the headset, stem and handle bars as done in step four. (See Figure #2) 9. Install the headset top cap into the star fangled nut. Tighten until there is no play in the steering. The fork should rotate freely in the head tube. Straighten the stem in relation to the front tire and tighten the pinch bolts on the stem. Tighten the pinch bolts on the upper clamp and double check that the lower clamp bolts are tight. These can easily be over tightened. We recommend tightening to 8 foot pounds. If there are any questions consult your dealer or mechanic. Steering Stem Optional Headset Spacer Star Fangled Nut Upper Triple Clamp Headset Upper Race Frame with Headset Cups Steerer Tube Head Set Race Outer Fork Tube Lower Triple Clamp Figure #1 Figure #2 Figure #3 PAGE 3 10. Slide the wheel in and line up the brake rotor with the brake caliper then line up the hub with the axle feet. Slide the 20mm axle through the right side foot, hub and into the left side foot. Tighten the pinch clamps after the axle is properly seated and tight. 11. Adjust your front brake according to the manufacture's instructions. 12. Check to see that the brakes are adjusted and properly working. Make sure the brake line doesn't interfere with any part of the bike when the fork is compressed and released. Warning: When installing the wheel or a new tire, check for minimum clearance. Measure from the highest point on the tire to the under side of the crown. There must be 1/8" or 3mm more clearance than the fork's travel to ensure adequate clearance in all riding conditions. Any less clearance can cause the tire to hit the crown resulting in serious injury or death. The DH 2.0 will not work on frames with head tubes longer than 5-1/2". To get the most from your White Brothers fork, it is important that you tune the forks to fit your style of riding and the conditions you ride in. TUNING INITIAL BREAK-IN PERIOD Your new fork is designed to break-in over a period of 10 hours or more of riding. As all the parts bed into each other, the stiction (friction) of the fork will diminish and the fork will absorb the bumps better. After this initial break-in, fine tuning the air spring and hydraulic damper may be beneficial to achieve the best possible fork performance for your weight and riding style. TUNING YOUR SPRINGS 1. There are two ways to adjust your forks spring action. The first is by changing the air pressure and the second is changing the springs for a completely different rate. Your White Brothers fork comes equipped with a medium rate spring adjusted with zero air pressure for minimum pre-load. 2. Though the medium rate springs that are fitted in your White Brothers forks should satisfy most rider weights and conditions, for very light or very heavy riders, a spring change may be necessary. If you are a lightweight rider and feel you are not getting the full travel out of your fork, see "Disassembly of the Spring Leg". Remove the o-ring (#20) on the double sided spring guide (#14). This will increase the air volume size and decrease the ramping of the fork. For heavier weight riders that feel they are constantly using too much fork travel, the optional heavy fork springs would be recommended. A good way to test the travel you are using with your fork is to tie a zip tie around fork stanchion and slide it up to the bottom of the forks wiper seal. Go and ride a variety of conditions you normally experience, including some conditions that you feel should use the full fork travel. After the ride, inspect the position of the zip tie. Measure that position from the fork wiper seal to the axle clamp. Next remove the fork cap and compress the fork to full bottom out. If the zip tie moves more than 1/4", your spring is probably too stiff and a change to a softer spring may improve your ride. Very heavy riders may note that the zip tie slides down the fork stanchion quite far even over minor bumps and this could indicate the need for a heavy spring rate. 3. Pre-load is changed by adding or removing air from spring leg. More air pressure will have less sag and a firmer feel. Less air pressure will have more sag and a softer feel. The fork is designed to use zero pressure and should never exceed 40 lbs. 4. If after adjusting as outlined in steps 1-3 you feel the fork is too soft or too firm, you may need to change the spring out. Contact White Brothers for a replacement spring. See the "Disassembly of the Spring Leg" and "Reinstalling the Springs and Left Hand Top Cap" sections to replace the spring. TUNING YOUR DAMPER 1. Rebound damping is adjusted by turning the slotted brass adjuster on the top cap of the right leg. The adjuster has 8 turns of adjustment. Turn the adjuster clockwise for slower rebound. To speed up rebound, turn the adjuster counter-clockwise. Start with a middle setting and fine tune the rebound from there. Proper rebound will allow the tire to track the ground over consecutive bumps. Rebound that is set too slow will pack-up (feel harsh over consecutive bumps) while rebound set too fast will cause the fork to top out harshly. If the fork is topping out and you have the correct spring for your weight, turn the adjuster one turn at a time until the top-out stops. 2. Compression damping can be changed two ways: (1) by adjusting the compression damping screw on the back of the canister on the bottom of the right fork leg. Threading it in slows compression and threading it out speeds up compression; and (2) by adding or removing air pressure (or nitrogen)from the canister at the bottom of the right leg. Pop of the dust cap and adjust between 50 psi min. and 150 psi. max. Adding air will increase the compression damping (slow it down) and removing air will decrease compression damping (faster compression). Less compression damping will increase the fork dive but will feel smoother over small bumps. More compression damping will feel stiff over small bumps but will be more resistant to bottoming. PAGE 4 MAINTENANCE Your White Brothers fork requires periodic maintenance to ensure peak performance and long life. Neglecting proper maintenance will reduce the fork's life. Internal build up of water and dirt or a lack of lubrication will cause excessive wear and void the warranty. BEFORE EVERY RIDE: Visually inspect your fork for bent or broken parts, loss of oil, abnormal sounds or other indications of possible fork failure. Compress you fork to verify proper function. Check all other bicycle components to ensure proper working order. AFTER EVERY RIDE: Clean and dry the exterior of your fork. When cleaning the fork, do not direct the water spray at the seals. Visually inspect your fork for damage. *EVERY 30 HOURS OF RIDING: Your fork should be disassembled, inspect, cleaned and re-grease. If the fork appears to be relatively clean, you can go 40 hours between servicing. If the fork appears excessively dirty you should service it every 20 hours. The three things that will effect the service interval and performance of your fork are water, mud and dust. How much you use your fork in those conditions will determine how much service it requires. *EVERY 100 HOURS OF RIDING: Complete service should include removing the upper fork legs cleaning and regreasing all shafts, bushings and seals. Check damper leg for proper function(see Disassembly of the Damper Leg). NOTE: Disassembly of the hydraulic damper should be left for the White Brothers factory. At this time, the fork should be carefully inspected for wear and damage before reassembly. Contact White Brothers for replacement parts and service. We recommend that this service be performed by a qualified dealer or the White Brothers factory. *White Brothers recommends that you consult with a qualified technician before performing the following: BASIC FORK DISASSEMBLY Removal of the Leg Assemblies 1. Disco ...